


Dreaming To Reality: 02 Remix

by Mouko, Yuki



Series: Dreaming To Reality [1]
Category: Digimon
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Japanese, Drama, Dreaming To Reality, F/M, Gen, Remix, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-09-30
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2017-11-03 13:31:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 434,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/381852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mouko/pseuds/Mouko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuki/pseuds/Yuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Chosen thought that with Apocalymon's defeat, peace would return to the Digital World. However, they soon discover there are more secrets to the Digital World, more danger lurking below the surface, and more than eight Chosen Children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

>         This story takes place after Digimon Adventure. Digimon Adventure 02 has never occurred... at least, not as you may know it. Dreaming To Reality: 02 Remix is a rewrite of Digimon Adventure 02 from the ground up, starting from not long after the original adventure of the eight children from Odaiba.
> 
>         We have based this story on the Japanese version of Digimon Adventure, and as such the Japanese names and terms will be used. If you have not watched the original and uncut version of the show, we highly recommend that you do so. It's quite good.
> 
>         Everything you know after the end of the battle with Diablomon is about to change.
> 
> * * *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited at last, but this is not happily ever after for the Chosen Children, their partners, or the Digital World. A new threat has been revealed, along with a mysterious new Chosen Child and a new adventure that is only just beginning. Unfortunately, it seems that the eight from Odaiba are not the ones meant to face this new challenge.
> 
> * * *

        May 15, 2000. The Digital World had healed in the months following the defeat of Apocalymon. Gennai, the wisest programmed being in the Digital World, deemed it safe once more for human habitation was to herald the return of the eight Chosen Children who saved it. He gathered their partners to an open field filled with grass and colorful flowers that danced in a gentle breeze around them. The eight Digimon – seven Child level and one Adult – stood spaced apart around Gennai, watching the clouds drift by in the blue sky, each bubbling over with anxiety as they awaited the one person who meant more to them than life.

        However, the eight from Odaiba were not the first humans to set foot in the Digital World that day. A young man of comparable age to the Chosen Children stood slightly apart from the group, raking his fingers through his short, spiky brown hair, as his blue eyes shied away from meeting anyone else’s gaze, despite the fact that the sky commanded the entirety of the eight Digimon’s attention.

        Agumon’s silent vigil was interrupted when he briefly glanced Gennai’s way. “Is it time yet?”

        Gennai nodded to the child sized orange dinosaur as he let out an affirmative hum at the back of his throat. “Any moment now.”

        The tension in the air was palpable, as the small Digimon stared expectantly at the air above them. The blue skies looked so empty, save for the puffy white clouds that drifted by – it was hard to imagine anything was coming at all.

        “I don’t see anything,” Palmon whined as her cheeks puffed up. “Are you sure Mimi’s–”

        No sooner had the words left the plant Digimon’s mouth when a glowing ball of multi-colored light lit up the sky, forcing those gathered to cry out and shield their eyes from the glare. As the light dimmed, it allowed those brave enough to uncover their eyes an opportunity to see countless lines of computer code in the sky past the clouds for a mere moment before the orb burst with a spray of sparks.

        Patamon lifted a wing to shield his eyes, squinting against the light, before he gasped and took to the air with quick flaps of his wings. “I see them, I see them! Takeruuuu!”

        When the Chosen Children first arrived in the Digital World, they fell like stones from high in the sky. This time they appeared just above the ground, drifting as delicately as leaves onto the grass. They all wore different clothing and had grown in the months since they last appeared in the Digital World, but there was no way for the Digimon to mistake their precious partners.

        Agumon squealed happily, as he rushed towards the goggle boy he knew so well, his tiny arms flailing. “Taaaichiii!”

        Taichi was quick to recover from the slight disorientation that came from gating into the Digital World and rushed to scoop Agumon up into his arms. “Agumon!”

        “Patamon!” Takeru said as he rushed towards the orange winged Digimon.

        Patamon flew as fast as he could to reach Takeru, hurling himself the last few feet into his partner’s arms. “Takeruuuuu!”

        “Palmon!” Mimi said. Tears clouded her eyes the instant she saw Palmon and broke down crying once she had her partner back in her arms. “Palmon! I missed you so much!”

        “Mimi!” Palmon sobbed as she clung to her Chosen Child.

        “Hey,” Yamato said as he reached down to touch Gabumon on the head. “You look good.”

        Gabumon blushed at the praise, which was mostly hidden by his pelt. “So do you. You look even taller than before.”

        Koshiro hurried towards his partner, smiling brightly. “Tentomon!”

        Tentomon hovered in front of Koshiro, his expressionless face belaying the extreme joy he felt in his heart at seeing his partner again. “Koshiro! It’s been such a long time.”

        “Sora~!” Piyomon sang happily, as she hopped over towards her Chosen Child, flapping her wings. “Sora~! Sora~!”

        A quiet giggle escaped Sora as she watched Piyomon hop around her for a few moments before she finally scooped her partner up into her arms. “I can’t tell you how much I missed hearing you call my name, Piyomon.”

        Gomamon grinned from ear to ear as he padded over to Jou. “Hey, what a coincidence! I was wondering why everyone was just waiting around. I was starting to get bored!”

        Jou stared at Gomamon, briefly taken back on how to reply. For a split second, he wondered if his partner was being serious, but he quickly realized he was being teased. He thought a moment more how to respond. “In that case then think of me as a surprise present.”

        Hikari let out a quiet giggle as she embraced Tailmon in a tight hug. “I’m so happy to see you again, Tailmon. I thought of you every day.”

        Tailmon returned the hug with enthusiasm. Once the hug ended she lifted the whistle from around her neck and blew it, the sound cutting the air and causing the other Chosen to jump before turning to stare at her. She ignored their surprised gazes, focusing exclusively on Hikari’s smiling face. “Welcome back, Hikari.”

        Hikari laughed, unable to contain her joy, and gave Tailmon another hug. “I’m home,” she said instinctively.

        Gennai watched the Chosen Children embrace and talk with their partners, a smile tugging at his lips. He hesitated to ruin such a peaceful scene, as he knew the eight children and eight Digimon deserved such happiness after being cruelly separated despite saving both worlds. He gave them a few more minutes to savor their reunion before he brought his fist up to his mouth and coughed loudly to disrupt the pleasant chatter. “Ahem.”

        All present focused their attention on Gennai, some reluctantly. That was when the eight from Odaiba realized that they were not the only children there. The young man had alternated between watching the touching reunion and focusing his attention elsewhere, such as fussing with his white gloves, purple shirt with gold chevrons on its sleeves, or his brown cargo pants. The other children had been so busy with their partners that they did not notice him before.

        “So…” the young man said slowly. He scratched the back of his head as his eyes drifted to the flowers, away from the stares that bored into him. “I’m guessing you guys are the Chosen Children we’ve been waiting for?”

        Koshiro’s eyes were wide as he gawked at the stranger. The very presence of a human in the world of Digimon meant only one thing. “A… another Chosen Child?”

        Taichi felt torn between intense surprise and curiosity, as he looked sized up the new Chosen. “Who are you?”

        “I’m Ryo Akiyama,” the boy said. He raised his eyes from the ground to look at the others, meeting their gazes only briefly. He removed his hand from the back of his head to wave as a lopsided smile tugged at his lips. “It’s nice to meet you all.”

        Unlike Ryo, Taichi had no difficulty smiling broadly.”Nice to meet you too!” He jerked a thumb at his chest. “I’m Taichi Yagami.” He reached out towards Hikari, placing a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “And this is my little sister, Hikari.”

        “Yamato Ishida,” Yamato said as he nodded his head. He glanced towards Takeru. “And my little brother, Takeru.”

        “Sora Takenouchi.” Sora said as she bowed slightly. “Pleased to meet you.”

        “I’m Mimi Tachikawa,” Mimi said with a bright smile. “Nice to meet you.”

        “My name is Koshiro Izumi,” Koshiro said automatically. The shock of meeting another Chosen Child still had him reeling. Just how many _were_ there?

        “And I’m Jou Kido,” Jou said. He bowed deeply, biting back a yelp when his glasses nearly slid off his nose, and quickly readjusted them after he straightened back up.

        Hikari cocked her head slightly as she stared at Ryo with eyes that were wide and bright with curiosity. “Are you the newest Chosen Child?”

        Gennai laughed lightly. “Ah, actually, it’s quite funny. You’re all the young ones to this ancient young man.”

        Taichi’s expression became blank as he stared Gennai, blinking twice before he responded to such a strange statement. “Ancient?” He looked at Ryo with a more critical eye, but the other boy showed no signs of being old enough to have reached puberty yet. “But you look my age.”

        Ryo chuckled quietly, the sound carrying an awkward note, as the corners of his eyes crinkled. “Well… if you were born in 1988 like me then you probably are.”

        Taichi expressed his confusion in a wordless noise and looked at Gennai. “So what do you mean by ancient?”

        Gennai gestured with a bit of a flourish towards Ryo. “Everyone, allow me to introduce to you one of the ancient Chosen Children, who fought the first enemy from beyond the Wall of Fire.”

        Koshiro’s eyes widened. “What? But that was thousands of years ago!”

        Jou stared at Ryo. Like Taichi, he saw nothing that seemed out of the ordinary about Ryo to make the newcomer appear any different from the rest of them. “So you’re one of the Chosen Children from the legend?”

        “That’s what Gennai and I figure,” Ryo said. “The legend sounded like the battle my friends and I had against Millenniumon two years ago, back in 1998.”

        Yamato frowned. “Two years ago?” He crossed his arms and looked between Ryo and Gennai. “That’s considerably less than ‘thousands.’”

        Ryo scratched his head as he shifted from one foot to the other. He fumbled with his words, half speaking them before discarding them, and managing an answer after a long moment of unintelligible mumbling. “I guess… you guys never found out about the time distortion thing.”

        Koshiro gasped. “Of course!” He felt like striking his forehead because of how he and the others overlooked the obvious. “That was when time didn’t flow normally in the Digimon World. A day here was just a minute back in the real world, so two years to us would seem like an eternity here in the Digimon World!”

        Ryo relaxed his body language and nodded with a faint smile. “Right. One of my friends actually spent years here in the Digital World before I first arrived.” He paused with a faint grimace. “I mean years in this world’s time, not ours. In our time it’d probably be more like, uh, around a week I guess.”

        Takeru’s eyes widened in wonder. “So there’s even more Chosen? How many more?”

        Ryo looked towards the sky as he rubbed his chin. “If I remember correctly, there are supposed to be only 15 of us total, but I only knew of me and my friends before I met you guys, so I guess that means there’s four more out there somewhere.”

        Mimi placed her hand over her chest where her tag holding the Crest of Purity used to be. It had been months since she wore it around her neck. While she did not have it for that long, it still felt as though something was missing without it. “Do all of you have crests too?”

        Ryo nodded as his grin broadened. “Yup. Me and my friends found ours too. All of us have one.”

        Hikari looked around and noticed something was amiss. She focused her perplexed gaze on Ryo. “Where is your partner?”

        The change in Ryo’s expression was so significant that it was as if Hikari had punched him in the stomach rather than ask an innocent question. He tried to smile, but managed only a strained grimace. He forced a laugh, a rough chuckle that carried no mirth. “I haven’t found him yet.”

        Taichi felt thunderstruck and gawked at Ryo, letting out a wordless noise of surprise before he could articulate his confusion. “Wait, so how could you fight this Millenniumon guy without a partner?”

        “I borrowed one,” Ryo said. He noticed the uncomprehending looks the others gave him and made another feeble attempt at laughing away the awkwardness he felt. “It’s… kind of a long story.”

        Tailmon focused on Ryo with a solemn gaze, her heart going out to the new Chosen. She turned to Hikari, remembering those dark days without her partner. Seeing Ryo’s expression and recalling her own pain made her feel fortunate that Hikari had been ignorant of her existence, and never had to suffer from her absence.

        Hikari knelt down and pulled Tailmon into a hug that was even closer than the one she gave when they reunited only minutes ago. “It’s just like what happened to you, Tailmon,” she said softly.

        Ryo’s eyebrows shot upward as he stared at Hikari and Tailmon. “You couldn’t find your partner either?”

        Hikari shook her head, her chin and hair brushing against the top of Tailmon’s head. “I didn’t even know I was a Chosen Child or that Tailmon was my partner until Wizarmon told us, but Tailmon…”

        “I only knew that I was looking for _someone_ , someone important,” Tailmon said, her voice quiet. The expression on her face grew dark, ears canting back as her eyes narrowed into slits. “And then I was made to forget that too.”

        Gennai let out an excessively loud cough to draw everyone’s attention. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but… I’m afraid I didn’t call you here just to introduce you.”

        Koshiro furrowed his eyebrows, growing increasingly concerned by the somber look on Gennai’s face. “What is it?”

        Yamato’s expression grew grim, as terrible possibilities immediately sprang to mind. “Does it have anything to do with Diablomon?”

        Taichi felt his adrenaline spike at the very notion that Diablomon had survived their last encounter. “Did we miss one of his copies?”

        “Diablomon is dead, so there’s no need to worry about _him_ ,” Gennai said. “However…”

        Jou swallowed hard to alleviate the sudden dryness in his throat. “However?”

        “There’s still the matter of the one who sent Diablomon to your world in the first place.” Gennai said.

        Koshiro’s face went pale. “‘Sent’? But that Digimon… Diablomon was made out of a conglomeration of various computer bug fragments that gained sentience. How could it be ‘sent’ by _anyone_?”

        Taichi clenched his fists. “I thought we defeated all the evil Digimon in the Digimon World when we destroyed Apocalymon.”

        “A ‘seed’ of evil was planted in what you call the Internet,” Gennai said, slowly. “It germinated and became the Digimon you all know as Diablomon.”

        Sora felt a fresh wave of guilt rush through her at the memory of Diablomon. She had not been aware of the fight at all because she got into an argument with Taichi that seemed not only silly in retrospect, but ungrateful as well. She could still remember how confused and hurt he looked when she snapped at him for giving her a hairclip. They talked things out and made up since then, but it did not stop her from being unhappy with her behavior at the time. It really was unfair of her. She gave herself a mental shake to get her mind back on the present and focus on the current threat rather than fixating on past mistakes. “But why? Why would someone do such a thing?”

        “Chaos, disorder, destruction,” Gennai said. “Attention.”

        “It was a diversion,” Ryo said. “Millenniumon wanted to make sure both our groups wouldn’t meet and that you wouldn’t help me and my friends stop his plan. That’s why he sent Diablomon to distract you.”

        Yamato scowled. “So this Millenniumon is behind it?” He curled one hand into a fist, gripping it tightly in the other. “If he wants a fight, he’ll get one!”

        “Unfortunately,” Gennai said, “a conventional fight is out of the question.”

        Mimi felt her heart leap at the suggestion. The idea of getting into another battle, especially right after she and Palmon finally reunited, was just too much for her to bear. She would do almost anything to avoid another conflict. “You mean we don’t have to fight again?”

        Gennai smiled kindly at Mimi. “No, you don’t have to fight.”

        Takeru’s eyes were wide with confusion and curiosity. “Why not?”

        The warm smile disappeared from Gennai’s face. A shadow fell across his eyes and his voice carried a grave weight that made all present feel uneasy. “Because you would be killed if you tried, without question.”

        Wordless cries of confusion, outrage, and concern broke out across the group. Taichi was the first to speak up, rage boiling hot within his blood. “What do you mean? Are you saying Millenniumon is more powerful than Apocalymon and Diablomon?”

        Gennai’s expression and tone did not falter under the intense stares of the Chosen. “Millenniumon is beyond every one of you, as you are right now.” He focused on Taichi and Yamato in particular, who seemed ready to blurt out some form of protest. “Not even your combined power would be enough to defeat him. Sending you to fight Millenniumon, even with Omegamon on your side, would be no different than all of you challenging Apocalymon the very moment you first arrived in the Digital World.”

        “You mean…” Agumon said in a halting voice. “Back when we were all still Baby Digimon?”

        The concept seemed incomprehensible to consider. The very idea that they were so powerless despite all their battles and personal growth felt like a physical blow to each of the Chosen, both children and Digimon. The pleasant atmosphere that their reunion created was gone, replaced with a growing sense of dread that hung in the air like a physical weight, threatening to smother all of them.

        Taichi took a deep breath and straightened his stance, gathering his courage to face this new danger head on. “So how can we stop him?”

        “That is why I have called you here,” Gennai said. “I need you to lend me your strength, the power of your Crests deep inside you.”

        The request was one that caught all of the Chosen by surprise. The children exchanged puzzled looks before Yamato voiced their collective confusion. “Our Crests?”

        Koshiro rubbed his chin. “It’s true that our physical Crests are gone, but the power still exists inside us. Is that what you mean?”

        Hikari glanced downward at her chest. “But how can we give them to you when they’re only inside us now?”

        Ryo jerked as though someone had sent a current through his body, his expression one of abject horror. “Your Crests are gone?”

        Gennai glanced at Ryo, holding up a hand. “Do not be alarmed. They cannot be permanently destroyed.”

        Yamato snapped his head up to focus more intently on Gennai. “ _What_?”

        Jou readjusted the placement of his glasses to better cover his wide eyes. “You mean we can make the Crests and tags reappear?”

        “Yes,” Gennai said. “That’s exactly what I mean. While Apocalymon destroyed your Crests, he merely destroyed their physical vessels. Like all things in the Digital World, even those regenerate with time. You are incubating your Crests inside you, and soon enough they will be whole once more.”

        Sora placed her hand over her chest, unthinkingly trying to feel for her Crest of Love. Though the tag was gone, she thought she could sense the familiar warmth and strength it gave her during the final battle with Apocalymon. “Inside us…?”

        Mimi alternated between glancing down at her chest and Gennai, as she contemplated everything he had told them so far. “So we’re going to make them reappear and you’re going to take them from us? How will that help?”

        “I am asking you to lend me the power inside of you in order to create a barrier to seal Millenniumon,” Gennai said. “The barrier will protect this world from his power and make him unable to cause any more harm to this world or yours.” He let out a sigh, and his posture became stooped, the lines on his face growing more pronounced. “Unfortunately, doing so will severely weaken all of you. It’s only temporary, but you’d all require a lengthy recovery.”

        Taichi grimaced as he considered the implications. “So does that mean we won’t be able to evolve Agumon and Gabumon into Omegamon again?”

        Gennai nodded, his brow tilting in sympathy. “At least for some time.”

        Yamato was quiet while he digested what Gennai had told them. He did not like the idea of surrendering the power that allowed him to evolve Gabumon and protect his friends. The knowledge that there was supposedly an enemy out there that even Omegamon could not defeat was even more alarming. Giving up the only means they had to fight back seemed counter-intuitive. He could tell from the looks on the others’ faces that they had similar doubts. He focused on Gennai again, seeking out any sort of uncertainty in the elderly man’s face. “This is the only way?”

        Gennai’s regretful expression did not change. “I’m sorry, but it is,” he said, softening his voice, as though it might somehow make the news easier for the children to bear. “Millenniumon is truly a terrifying opponent.”

        Yamato looked away to glare at the grass rather than focus on Gennai or anyone else present. The corner of his mouth pulled back and twisted, as though he had eaten something incredibly bitter, while a low growl rumbled at the back of his throat. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gabumon’s look of concern as his partner touched his leg, but it did not ease his anger. “I don’t like it.”

        Gennai looked at the Chosen of Friendship with sympathetic eyes before he turned his attention to the rest of the group. “Do you remember the time distortion that made time itself flow differently in the Digital World and the Real World?”

        “Yeah,” Taichi said. He would never forget that day that he returned to the Real World with Agumon while everyone else struggled for months back in the Digital World. “That’s why we were only gone for only a few minutes in the Real World even though we were all here for months.”

        “That was Millenniumon’s doing,” Gennai said. “He possesses the power to manipulate time itself.”

        Jou let out a sharp gasp. “Really?”

        Koshiro gaped openly at Gennai, as the implications hit him fully. He struggled for a moment to respond, eventually forcing out his words in a faint voice. “Time? Millenniumon can… control _time_? That can’t be possible!”

        Ryo’s mouth set in a thin line, his eyes growing dark and distant, as though seeing something terrible in the depths of his memories. “I couldn’t believe it myself at first, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Millenniumon can control time here in the Digital World. He’s the one who caused the time distortion in the first place.”

        Most of the Chosen spoke at once, their words overlapping to the point that they became unintelligible – little more than alarmed outbursts. Gennai raised his voice so that they would hear him clearly, as well as signaling that the group quiet down and focus on him. “Fortunately he can only control time to a certain extent. He is limited to the confines of the Digital World, for now. However, he is learning more every passing day, improving his control over our world’s time.”

        “And he’s already had a lot of years to work on it,” Ryo said.

        Mimi shifted anxiously in place. “You mean… he could speed up the Digimon World’s time all over again?”

        “Yes,” Gennai said. “He could also slow it down and make years pass in your world for every second you are here.”

        Taichi clenched his fists. The idea of leaving his family or his friends behind in a world where time passed at lightning speeds while he remained moving in slow motion was one he never relished to experience ever again. He raised one of his clenched fists. “We’ve got to stop him!”

        Koshiro rubbed his head, as though it would ease the dizzying sensation the new information gave him. He knew the Digital World was a place where the illogical and impossible were possible, but he had a hard time simply accepting that a single entity could easily flout the laws of time and space. As much as he wanted to disbelieve the notion, experience taught him better than to just dismiss the unbelievable. “That’s why you have to use the barrier, isn’t it? You’re planning to use it to stop him from using his power over time.”

        Gennai nodded as a faint smile graced his face. “Exactly.”

        Taichi looked around at the others, so charged with energy that he felt practically ready to punch Millenniumon in the face himself. “So what are we waiting for?” He pumped his fist into the air. “Let’s make that barrier!”

        Taichi’s energy was infectious, helping ease the fear the other Chosen held and giving them the strength to face the new enemy at hand. Soon everyone gave their assent with nods, words, or both.

        Gennai felt gratified by the children’s enthusiasm. “Thank you.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out something that should have been too large to be concealed by the folds of his clothes. In his hands, he held a crystal orb that was slightly larger than a softball, perfectly smooth and clear, with edges so thin that it gave the impression that it was as fragile as a large soap bubble.

        Hikari peered curiously at the crystal ball, reminded of fortunetellers she saw on television. Everything she saw through the sparkling, curved surface of the crystal became distorted and strange. “What’s that?”

        Gennai raised the crystal to the sky so that all of the Chosen could get a good look at what he held. “Don’t be alarmed. I’ll merely be using this to absorb your energy.”

        Taichi walked over to Gennai to get a closer look at the orb. The elderly Digimon obliged his interest by lowering the crystal so that it was close enough for the Chosen of Courage to touch. Taichi examined the sphere from all angles, but found nothing that made it appear to be anything more than an oversized glass bubble. “So how do we use this?”

        “Place your hand on the orb and it will do the rest,” Gennai said. “You will feel yourself growing weaker, but don’t be alarmed.”

        Taichi held up his hand and looked at his palm before turning his attention back to the orb. The second he touched the crystal, he noticed a strange sensation that emanated from it, akin to a mild electric current that traveled up his arm in a race to reach the top of his head to the tips of his toes. A gentle orange light bled into the orb as though it were made of water and swirled in a spiral until it reached the center of the sphere, growing brighter with each moment. The strange feeling intensified along with the light, but instead of bringing him pain, it made him feel weak and lethargic. He bit back the instinctive cry building at the back of his throat as his legs slowly turned to jelly. Just when he feared that he might faint, the sensations ceased with an abruptness that sent the Chosen of Courage reeling with the feeling of freefall. His feet fumbled to find the something solid, but he only managed to take two steps before his backside collided with the ground, crushing a few of the pretty flowers.

        “Taichi!” Sora gasped as she hurried to his side. “Are you alright?”

        Agumon was not far behind Sora. “Taichi!” He grasped Taichi’s arm, mindful of his claws. “Does it hurt?”

        “Y-yeah,” Taichi said, his voice faint. He tried his best to give Sora and Agumon both a reassuring smile, but his expression was too haggard to pull it off convincingly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just a bit tired.”

        Gennai looked from Taichi to the orb he held, which glowed a bright orange, then smiled at the dazed goggle boy. “Thank you for lending me your Courage.”

        Hikari moved to Taichi’s side, worry etched on her features, as she looked him over with as much care as he did with her whenever she was under the weather. “Did that crystal make you feel sick?”

        Taichi let out a shaky note of laughter as he smiled weakly and waved off their concern. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

        “A good meal and plenty of rest, and you’ll feel better in no time,” Gennai said. He turned his gaze from Taichi towards the other children and held out the orb at arm’s length. “I will understand if you are hesitant to continue.”

        Yamato stared at Taichi for a good long moment. The Chosen of Courage seemed weary, but not injured or sickly. Once he was satisfied that there seemed to be no significant or lasting damage, he focused on the orb. He steeled his nerves, telling himself that he could not back down from a challenge Taichi already accepted, and placed his hand on the crystal. His air fled his lungs in a gasp, as the electric current running through his body caught him by surprise and swept his energy away. A soft blue light seeped into the orb to join the orange at its center, the two colors coiling together but never mixing, both clear and distinct. The process lasted no more than a minute, but it felt at least ten times as long to the Chosen of Friendship. When the strange sensations left him, he tried valiantly to remain upright, but ultimately collapsed beside Taichi with a cry.

        The sight was too much for Takeru to bear. He called out to Yamato as he ran to his brother’s side. “Are you okay?”

        Gabumon was not far behind Takeru. “Yamato!”

        Yamato sighed as he allowed Gabumon to help him sit up. “I’m fine.” That just… really took it out of me.”

        Mimi held a hand over her mouth, shifting from foot to foot. She looked from the tired boys to Palmon and then finally the crystal. It was so beautiful, yet touching it seemed to be an unpleasant experience. However, what was more unbearable was waiting to find out just how awful it would be. She felt afraid and wanted to whine until someone figured out a way to avoid using the crystal. “I don’t like this at all…” Despite her misgivings, she held her breath and forced herself to move forward and take her turn. The wait, she rationalized, would just make it worse. The shock the orb jolted through her body as it took her energy caused her to shriek, more from alarm than from any real pain. She dimly heard Palmon cry out her name and she forced herself to answer, though her voice trembled. “I-I’m okay!”

        When Mimi’s green energy joined the blue and orange she simply let herself fall, shaken but relieved. She expected to hit the ground, but was startled to find a pair of arms catching her at the last second.

        “Mimi!” Jou said, his voice filled with concern as he gently lowered Mimi down on the ground. “Are you okay?”

        “Mimi!” Palmon was practically crying as she rushed to her Chosen’s side. “Mimiiii!”

        Mimi shook her head, as though it might help clear it and make her forget the experience. “Th-that scared me.” She gave her best smile to Palmon, though fatigue made it less chipper than normal. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

        Koshiro was careful to step around his friends as he approached Gennai. He looked over the orb, fascinated its existence. He wanted to ask what sort of programming code went into its creation so that he could analyze it further, but decided to wait until after he donated his energy. He flinched as the process began, but otherwise kept still, focusing intently on the purple glow that spilled into the crystal. He wanted to know more of how the process worked to manifest his energy into a physical form and store it like a battery, but he found his thoughts growing heavy. “Amazing,” he said in a quiet murmur before his fingers slipped from the surface of the crystal and he fell to his knees.

        “Koshiro.” Tentomon moved over to Koshiro’s side, flying beside his Chosen’s head. “Don’t overdo it.”

        Jou brushed away the small beads of sweat that formed on his face before he slid his glasses back into their proper position. He gazed at the orb with a sickening sense of apprehension. Something about the situation gave him a bad feeling that he could not define, but as the oldest among the Chosen, he had to set a good example. The fact that most everyone else already went before him just added more pressure for him to accept this responsibility, no matter his misgivings. He refused to let anyone down.

        Gritting his teeth, Jou stepped forward to take hold of the crystal in both hands. He had hoped keeping his mouth firmly shut would prevent him from crying out, but found himself mistaken, as the energy being sucked from his body was a sensation too foreign and unexpected for him to hold himself back. He tried to focus on the wonder he felt when seeing glowing silver spill into the orb like liquid, but the strange feelings proved far too distracting for him to receive any real pleasure from the experience. He yelped when the process ended, and collapsed onto the ground in an undignified heap with a grunt.

        After seeing the others take their turns, Gomamon did not feel particularly alarmed, so he moved to Jou’s side without any real hurry. Though he could not help but be concerned for his partner, he was not the type of person to worry excessively, especially since everyone else stated the process was more surprising than anything else. “Oi, oi, be careful. There’s no one big enough left to catch you.”

        “It’s my turn,” Sora said, her voice shaking. Touching the orb did not look dangerous, but it obviously was not a pleasant experience either. She tried to remind herself that she was braver than she felt at that moment. She had faced far worse things than this only less than a year ago. With a quick glance at the others, she took her turn to touch the orb. She flinched when the process started and watched the red of her energy pool into the crystal, joining the others in a brilliant swirling rainbow.

        Piyomon flapped her wings and hovered around Sora’s head as her partner wobbled. “Sora? Do you need me to find something for you to eat? Eating will help you regain your strength.”

        Sora wiped the sweat from her brow as she smiled weakly. She was surprised that she had somehow found the strength to remain standing when everyone else immediately collapsed. She carefully sat down on the ground just in case she overestimated how she was feeling. “I’m fine, I’m just a little weak…”

        Hikari looked from Taichi to the others who had gone before her, then finally turned to Gennai. She failed to see why everyone seemed so nervous before donating energy to the crystal. After all, it was necessary to help the world Tailmon lived in, and the idea seemed no different than using their Digivices to evolve their partners. “I’ll go next.”

        Takeru looked up at Hikari, blinking, and then frowned. He did not like the idea of letting her go through the process that drained the others due to how fragile her health was, according to what Taichi had told him and what he had seen during their adventure. He knew that he could not stop her, and, in fact, it was downright necessary that she do it – the same for him. However, he made a promise to protect her. How could he protect her from something she needed to do, something she would do _anyway_?

        After a moment’s hesitation, Takeru figured out what he needed to do. He clamored to his feet and raced past Hikari, snatching the orb just before she could touch it. Despite the surreal sensations that shot through his body, he managed to give her a brave smile. “Let me do it, just to make sure it’s really safe!”

        Hikari jumped when Takeru rushed past to take her place. She did not know what to think of his actions, and could only stare as the crystal drained his energy in front of her. “Takeru…”

        A quiet grunt escaped Takeru as his expression contorted into a grimace. His hands shook atop the orb, yellow light flowing from below to join the others at the center of the orb. “I… I’m okay! It… it doesn’t hurt, so–” He gasped when his legs gave way, forcing him to fall to his knees, his face pale. “Wow…”

        Patamon was at Takeru’s side in a flash. “Takeru!” He hovered just above his partner, brow furrowed with concern. “How are you feeling?”

        “Tired,” Takeru said, his voice breathless and weary. “Like that one time I stayed up all night playing video games without Mom knowing and then had to go to school the next day.”

        Patamon blinked. “What’s a video game?”

        Yamato chuckled as he leaned forward and gave Takeru a knowing look, resting his arm on his knee. “Heh… ‘make sure it’s really safe’, huh?”

        Takeru’s face regained some color, but it was mostly _red_ that centered mainly on his cheeks.

        Hikari surveyed the other children as they sat around her, recovering from the exhausting experience, while their partners watched over them. She turned to Tailmon and saw the concern that brimmed behind those vibrant blue eyes. She gave Tailmon a smile, her expression serene. “I guess it’s my turn.”

        Tailmon gave Hikari a long, hard look before her ears canted back. “Alright, but let go if it’s too much.”

        Hikari nodded, more to appease Tailmon’s concerns than believing that she would be any more overwhelmed than her friends and brother. She took a moment to gaze upon the orb, admiring it’s lovely mixture of colors, knowing that what she saw was the vitality of people who were very dear to her. “Pretty…” she said, her words a quiet, reverent whisper that only Tailmon heard.

        The instant Hikari touched the crystal, a flash of bright white encompassed her body, momentarily blinding those watching. Her back arched, her muscles turned rigid, as her sight became blank and unseeing. The light fluctuated in intensity, but overall grew steadily brighter by the moment. White light poured into the orb, not akin a gentle flowing stream like the other children, but the gush of a flood bursting from a dam that threatened to overtake the other colors. The Chosen of Light lost control of her mouth, as it opened and closed rapidly, her voice making sounds so strange and swift it was as though some of the sounds were overlapping, too chaotic and disjointed for anyone to have a hope of understanding their meaning.

        Tailmon felt as though her heart had suddenly been placed in a vice. “H-Hikari!” She turned to Gennai, her eyes wild. “What’s happening _!_?”

        Taichi forced himself back to his feet, scrambling to join Tailmon at Hikari’s side. “What’s going on _!_?”

        Gennai kept his gaze focused on the crystal as it filled to the brim with light, the corners of his eyes scrunching up. “This data…”

        Tailmon could not wait for Gennai to figure out what was going on, and grabbed Hikari’s leg, intent on pulling her partner away from the crystal. The instant she touched Hikari, the light spread to her, causing her entire body to glow. “What! _?_ ” Power flooded through her body, much like whenever her Chosen lent her the strength to evolve. She could not prevent the change to Angewomon even if she wanted to.

        Hikari did not acknowledge her partner’s touch. The strange sounds she made grew to a fever pitch, turning into a horrifying noise that should have been possible to produce with human vocal chords. The light surrounding her body became so bright that it hurt to look directly at her, and it started flickering, disappearing for a fraction of a second before it returned to its previous intensity, like a strobe light. The noise and radiance ended when Ryo suddenly tackled her, forcing her hands away from the orb.

        Angewomon grabbed Hikari just before her partner and Ryo hit the ground. “Hikari!” The glow that surrounded the Perfect level Digimon subsided, reverting her back to Tailmon.

        Taichi took a hold of Hikari’s shoulders when Tailmon’s grip went slack due to the regression. “Hikari!” He carefully laid his little sister on the ground, hoping that it would help her recover more quickly.

        Tailmon fell over, gasping as she grasped the ground. She felt as though she had just finished fighting a battle every bit as intense as facing off against Vamdemon or the Dark Masters. “I… what just happened! _?_ ”

        Takeru wobbled to his feet and hurried over to Hikari, concerned. Something bad like this was the very thing he had intended to prevent when he touched the crystal before the other young Chosen. “Hikari!”

        The lines on Gennai’s face were severe, as he cast a troubled gaze upon the orb. It glowed a brilliant shade of white that nearly smothered out the bare streaks of other colors swirling throughout its interior. “That was… unexpected.”

        Hikari’s eyelids fluttered, her normally vibrant red eyes dull as she stared blankly into the sky. Much to the relief of those gathered around her, the vacant stare only lasted for a few moments before she focused on the concerned faces of her brother, partner, and friends. “Did I fall down too?” Her voice was faint, but stable.

        Ryo looked at the orb before he focused on Hikari, his expression tense. “You’re the Chosen of Light, aren’t you?”

        Hikari blinked and looked Ryo’s way. “Yes. Why?”

        Taichi’s adrenaline was still surging, as the panic he experienced when Hikari touched the crystal had not disappeared even with the reassurance that she seemed unharmed by the experience. He focused on Ryo, directing all his helpless rage on the strange newcomer. “Do you know something about this?” He threw his arm towards Hikari, hands clenching into fists. “Did you know this was going to happen to Hikari? _!_ ”

        Gennai looked from the orb he held to Ryo. He raised his eyebrow a fraction, but said nothing.

        Ryo spared Gennai and the orb the briefest of glances before he focused on Taichi, backing away slowly as the Chosen of Courage stomped towards him. He held his arms up, hoping that it would placate Taichi before the goggle boy decided to start throwing punches. “I didn’t know. Honest! I’m not sure what it means…”

        Yamato felt his anger grow. “How can you not be sure?” He moved to join Taichi in staring the new Chosen down. “What does her being the Chosen of Light have to do with anything?”

        Taichi thrust his finger forward, nearly jabbing Ryo in the chin. “What happened to Hikari just now?”

        Sora scooted closer to where Hikari rested, still a little too weak to try standing again. “Is she okay?” She turned her concerned gaze to Hikari, who seemed more confused than anything else. “It didn’t hurt her, did it?”

        Ryo backed away from Gennai and the other Chosen Children until he was well outside of arm’s reach. He shifted weight from foot to foot, unable to stand still underneath the intense stares of the others, some accusing, some merely confused, but all were waiting for answers. “Well… it’s just…”

        “Possession,” Koshiro said, the word blurting from his lips before he could form his thoughts into a proper sentence. “Does this have anything to do with that entity that possessed Hikari before?”

        Ryo jerked and stared at Koshiro, his eyes widening. “You mean you’ve met Tenraimon?”

        Taichi blinked. “Tenraimon?”

        Gennai looked at Ryo, removing one hand from supporting the orb to rub his chin. “I see, I see. So that’s what happened.”

        Jou fidgeted with his glasses, which he suddenly had a hard time keeping in place. “W-what’s what happened?”

        “Tenraimon?” Hikari said. Something about the name prickled at the back of her mind, but she could not identify what sort of feeling it brought her, simply that it was somehow familiar. “Who’s that?”

        Ryo scratched his head and glared at the ground. He opened his mouth, only to shut it with a sound of frustration. “I think…” He turned to Gennai. “I think the crystal accidentally drained more than Hikari’s power.”

        “Yes,” Gennai said, “I believe you’re right.”

        Koshiro’s eyes widened at the staggering implications. “You mean the orb drained from the data being as well?”

        Ryo stared blankly at Koshiro. “Huh?”

        Taichi could not calm down, even as they seemed to be honing in on the root of what happened. All the confusion and lack of straight answers was just winding him up even more. “So what does that mean? Is Hikari going to be okay or not?”

        Gennai laughed lightly, which made Taichi twitch despite the lightness of the tone. “Hoho, I’m not sure how she’d feel about being called that.” The old Digimon’s smile turned wry. “But then, I doubt she’d complain too much. She’s not quite so hung up on what she’s called, like the others.”

        Mimi tilted her head slightly. It felt to her as though the entire conversation was going right over her head. “Others?”

        “I’m afraid I won’t go in to too much detail, as I’m sure you’re getting confused enough as it is,” Gennai said with a shake of his head. “So let’s address the matter at hand instead. The Chosen of Light has a special connection with this world. It’s a connection that allows her to tap in to a consciousness, an entity that goes deep in to the very fabric of our world. Just now, Hikari accidentally tapped in to that consciousness, causing both her power and that of the entity’s to flow into the orb.”

        Koshiro’s mind raced as he processed this new information and the possibilities of what it would mean for Hikari and everyone else. “Why is Hikari the only one connected to this being? How many of them are there? What else can you tell us about them? What does this mean for Hikari, Tailmon, and the rest of us?”

        Taichi clenched his fists until they ached and trembled faintly with tension. He felt like a rubber band stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment. “I don’t care about any of that stuff! I just want to know is if Hikari is okay!”

        “She’ll be fine,” Gennai said, his voice soft and soothing. “I assure you, no harm came to her.”

        Ryo looked as confused as the rest of the Chosen Children when he turned to Gennai. “Other _s_? I thought the only other DigiGod was Narakumon.”

        Koshiro turned his attention back to Ryo, his expression mirroring the mysterious Chosen’s. “DigiGod? But the being that possessed Hikari said it wasn’t the god of Digimon World.”

        Ryo folded his arms in front of him and rubbed, as though fighting off a sudden chill. The corner of his mouth twisted as though something in his stomach was no longer sitting well. His head tilted downward, creating a slight shadow that darkened his eyes. “I’ll admit,” he said, the words coming slowly, “I never met Tenraimon, so I don’t know much about her first-hand… But I do know _about_ her, and everyone I know who knows her says she’s a goddess.” He exhaled and shook his head. “And hoo boy… When Narakumon possesses Keiko he doesn’t let _us_ forget that he’s a god.”

        “It’s personality,” Gennai said. “It’s as simple as that. Tenraimon cares little for titles or how she is perceived, while Narakumon cares far too much. It’s very possible that Tenraimon doesn’t even consider herself to be a DigiGod, while Narakumon would have a fit if anyone suggested he was anything else.”

        Hikari perked up slightly, as part of the conversation caught her attention. “Keiko? Is that another Chosen Child like us?”

        Ryo nodded. “Yeah, the Chosen of D–”

        A sudden beeping rendered Ryo silent. He scrambled to fish a small silvery rectangular electronic device from his pocket, flipping open the outer casing to peer at a small LCD screen inside.

        Takeru peered at the strange device, craning his neck to get a closer look without having to stand up. “What’s that?”

        “My D-Terminal,” Ryo said. “We use it to exchange emails. I can a–” His words died with a choke, the color draining from his face as his eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. “He’s on the move!” He tapped at the screen rapidly to send a reply email. “Millenniumon is on the move! We have to act fast!”

        Gennai’s expression became severe. “We have no time to waste.” He turned to the rest of the Chosen. “I’m afraid I cannot answer any more questions at this time. This world is too dangerous for you now, especially in your weakened state. You must go back to your world. Quickly!”

        Mimi grabbed Palmon, pulling her partner into a crushing hug. “But what about Palmon and the others? We just finally got to see each other again!”

        “You’ll have plenty of time to catch up back in your world, where it’s safe,” Gennai said as he tucked the orb into his pocket.

        Without waiting for a response, Gennai threw his hand skyward, as though tossing something invisible into the air. In that instant, all of the Odaiba Chosen were hit with the dizzying sensation of falling _upwards_. It did not feel as though some great vacuum or tornado sucked them up into the stratosphere, but that the law of gravity had been repealed or _reversed_ , turning the ground into the new sky and sending them tumbling helplessly into an unending field of blue dotted with fluffy white clouds.

        The sudden transportation elicited screams from virtually all the Chosen, who blindly groped at the air for something to hold onto. The rush of air in their ears and a flash of bright light engulfed their senses, leaving nothing but a dizzying sense of vertigo.

        The fall trip ended almost as quickly as it began. The senses of the Chosen returned just before they crashed into the living room of the Yagami residence, falling into a haphazard pile of groaning bodies.

        Yamato found himself upside down on the sofa, one leg dangling over the armrest while the backing propped the other up leg upward, his shoe barely hanging on by his toes. He blinked a few times to reorient his vision, but everything was still disorienting due to the fact that his head hung off one of the seat cushions. “What just happened?”

        Taichi lay on his stomach on something rather uncomfortable and lumpy, sprawled across the other half of the sofa, face buried in one of the cushions, and legs dangling from the armrest. “I think we’ve been booted out of the Digimon World,” he said, his voice muted due to having fabric pressed against his mouth.

        A tiny, muffled voice came from underneath the goggle boy. “Taiiichiii…”

        “T-that was fast…” Sora said with a gasp as she sat up. “He didn’t even give us a chance to say anything!” She rubbed the back of her head, which ached a little after striking the floor. It was not particularly painful when considering the distance they fell, but it made her regret not choosing to wear her hat.

        “Taaaii-chiiii…” the tiny voice whined again.

        Koshiro crawled himself out from under Jou’s legs before scrambling quickly to his feet. “I hope I’ll still be able to email Gennai. I have more questions I need to ask about Tenraimon and Narakumon.”

        Something squirmed beneath Taichi, making the Chosen of Courage yelp. “Taiiiichiii, get off of meeee…!”

        Taichi blinked, slow to react at first, and then practically threw himself off the sofa when he realized that he was sandwiching Agumon between him and the cushion. Unfortunately, he wound up crashing on top of Gabumon instead, who yelped and squirmed beneath him. The goggle boy hastily hopped off the fur covered dinosaur Digimon. “Sorry Agumon! Sorry Gabumon!”

        Taichi’s mother, Yuko, stood in the kitchen with her arm wrapped around a mixing bowl and holding a spatula. Seeing eight children, two of which belonged to her, appear from nowhere and crash on top of her furniture with eight colorful creatures struck her as so surreal that it had taken her a few minutes to find her voice. “My, my, what’s all this?” Though feeling a bit off-balance by witnessing something that should have been impossible, she managed to take it all in stride. It was not quite as outrageous as seeing them fly into the sky on a rainbow. “Did you bring your Digimon friends home for dinner?”

        “What?” Yamato struggled to sit up but wound up toppling off the sofa. He barely felt the impact with the floor, too focused on seeking out Gabumon. His eyes widened as he clapped eyes on his partner. “Gabumon?”

        Jou felt around for his glasses and found them hanging off his ear. After he secured them back in place, he stared down at Gomamon as his partner crawled into his lap. “You… you came with us?”

        Gomamon flashed Jou an easygoing grim. “What, did you think we were going to let you guys leave us behind again?”

        “Mimi, Mimi~!” Palmon said. Her words were practically a song, brimming over with happiness, as she wrapped her arms tightly around her beloved partner, tears in her eyes. “We’re in your world again!”

        Mimi let out a squeal that pierced eardrums as she returned the hug with equal enthusiasm, her eyes brimming over with moisture as well. “This is wonderful!” The Chosen of Purity got to her feet and held Palmon above her, wearing a smile as brilliant as the sun. “You’re going to get to live with me and my parents, Palmon!”

        Palmon laughed and cheered, clinging to Mimi’s arms as her Chosen Child spun her about in circles. “Yay! I can’t wait!”

        Tailmon had been the only Digimon to gather her bearings just before they crashed into the Yagami apartment, which had been fortunate, as it allowed her to catch Hikari and direct the Chosen of Light to land onto a plush easy chair. “Are you alright, Hikari?” She looked Hikari over from head to toe, her sharp eyes searching for any sign that something else might have gone wrong. What happened with the orb had shaken her more than she cared to admit, making her fear that this connection Hikari shared with this mysterious Tenraimon might have brought more danger for her precious partner.

        Hikari gave Tailmon a smile and nodded. “I feel just fine.” Her voice held a heavy note of weariness, her eyelids drooping. Aside from the signs of fatigue and her skin being a few shades lighter than normal, there was nothing wrong with her, as far as the feline Digimon could tell.

        Koshiro carefully stepped and hopped his way over his friends until he could freely run into the next room at top speeds.

        Taichi blinked as he watched Koshiro disappear into his father’s office. “What’s wrong?”

        “Koshiro!” Tentomon flew after his Chosen. “Are you checking the Gate?”

        Koshiro nodded as he booted up the computer. The Digital Gate was their means of crossing over into the Digital World. Thanks to the efforts of him, Gennai, and his online genius friends, they were able to make a program for his computer that served as a means to open up a portal into the Digital World, much like the one Vamdemon activated during the invasion of Odaiba. It also had a secondary function of serving as a window that allowed them to peer into virtually anywhere in the Digital World. “I want to see what’s happening in the Digimon World.”

        Though battered and fatigued, Chosen soon filled the small office to the brim, gathering around the computer, most peering over shoulders or heads to get a glimpse at the small screen. The air was tense with a growing sense of anxiety, as they wondered about what was happening in the Digital World.

        Data flew across the screen at a dizzying pace, streaming lines of code that only Koshiro could keep up with and understand. The room was silent save for the clicking of keys that fired as rapidly as a machinegun. The Chosen Knowledge’s typing became more frantic with each passing moment until he finally muttered a curse and slapped his hands into his lap. “Nothing! I can’t get _any_ access to the Digimon World!”

        Taichi placed his hand on Koshiro’s shoulder as he leaned forward to get a look at his friend’s face. “What does that mean?”

        Koshiro rubbed his hands across his face with a groan. “It means we can’t even see what’s going on in the Digimon World, let alone access the Digital Gate. I can’t even get the program to boot up properly!”

        Sora raised a hand to her mouth. “So we can’t go back and help?” She looked down at Piyomon. “And our Digimon too?”

        Koshiro shook his head. “We can’t even keep an eye on things from here. And my email to Gennai bounced back.” He propped his elbow up against the table, pressing his hand against his forehead, as he cast a helpless gaze at the screen. “It’s like there’s a firewall around the Digital World that’s cut off all access to it.”

        The term struck Mimi as strange, conjuring conjured up the image of the Digital World surrounded by a literal wall of fire. “A firewall?”

        Taichi turned his attention back to the screen as Koshiro went back to typing. “Did Gennai do this?”

        Koshiro let out a sound of displeasure at the back of his throat. “Most likely. Since we can’t evolve Tentomon and the others we’ll only put ourselves in danger if we went back. I guess he wanted to make sure we didn’t do anything risky…” He barely resisted the urge to smack the keyboard, as all his attempts to make the program work were thwarted at every turn. “Or let us worry…”

        Yamato leaned back. “So what can we do?” He looked around. No one spoke. They did not know the answer any more than he did. “Does he seriously expect us to just… wait?”

        Koshiro nodded, though he stubbornly continued his attempts at hacking into Gennai’s firewall.

        Hikari wrapped her arms around Tailmon. “For how long?”

        “I don’t know,” Koshiro said. “Until the Digimon World is safe for us to go back, I guess.”

        “I hope they’ll be alright…” Sora said, as she held Piyomon tightly.

        Piyomon nuzzled Sora. “It’ll be okay, Sora.”

        “Don’t worry, Koshiro,” Tentomon said. “Gennai would not have drained you of your powers if he wasn’t certain his plan would work. This is most likely proof that it _is_ working.”

        Koshiro’s fingers went still. He stared at the screen for a long moment before answering. “I hope you’re right, Tentomon.” He exhaled and leaned back in his chair. “All we can do now is wait.”


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years have passed and the Digital World has finally opened itself back up to the Chosen. However, one wrong choice leads to disastrous consequences. The Chosen Children must deal with the new threat known as the Digimon Kaiser without the help of their Digimon.
> 
> * * *

        April 8, 2002. It was a crisp and clear morning, with the sun slowly beginning to rise above the horizon. It was still early enough that the sun had not yet dried up the morning dew, which cast everything in a lightly glossy appearance. Despite the dense population of the district, people were rather scarce at this hour, as most were only beginning to rouse to head to work or school.

        Takeru envied them as he stifled a yawn with his hand. He had grown in the past couple years and no longer wore his helmet, swapping it out for a white hat so that Patamon would have a soft place to rest on when riding there. It felt awkward walking around without the familiar weight on his head as he made his way towards his new school. He had only recently moved to the area, so it was still mostly unfamiliar, but that was why he made a point of leaving so early that morning. He intended find his way to school and then take a look around before class started.

         _Maybe I can find out what class Hikari’s taking_. The thought brought a smile to Takeru’s face. _I could ask her for a tour after class_.

        The sound of schoolchildren shouting playfully caught Takeru’s attention as he drew closer to the school grounds. He blinked and increased his pace to reach the school gates quickly and peered past them to the playing field beside the school. A large group of kids around his age were playing soccer, all dressed in their nice red and black uniforms. They hurried about the field, jogging or taking turns kicking a ball to one another while their coach and a scant few onlookers in the bleachers watched.

        Takeru blinked again slowly before he let out a wry chuckle. He vaguely recalled Taichi and Sora’s complaints about soccer coaches and the crazy hours they set for practices or games. _Just in time for soccer practice, huh?_

        Takeru glanced around the playing field as he passed through the gate. He did not immediately see anyone he recognized, not that he expected to. Most of his friends had moved on to middle school, so only he and Hikari remained elementary students. The only person who caught his notice was a boy with unusually spiky brown hair who wore a pair of square goggles on his brow. The unusual accessory was reason enough to give the Chosen of Hope reason to pause.

        “Are goggles really that popular?” Takeru muttered. His eyes drifted upwards until he remembered that Patamon was not with him to give a whispered reply. He shook his head and smiled ironically at himself for forgetting. “Who knows?”

        Takeru approached the main building of the school, intent on finding his classroom, when he caught a glimpse of someone familiar on the bleachers. He stopped again and squinted against the bright glare of early morning light. Seated front and center on the bleachers was none other than Hikari. She looked the same as she did the last time he had talked to her, which was only a week ago. She had matured since they first met. Time had exchanged much of her baby fat for more womanly curves, yet somehow she always retained an air of innocence about her, particularly when she looked as tired as she did at that moment. The Chosen of Light blinked her eyes blearily and stifled a yawn behind her hand as the other moved behind her head in a stretch. Takeru stared for a moment before a brilliant smile graced his face. It was a happy coincidence to spot her so quickly without having to search the grounds for her.

        Takeru cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. “Hikari!” He waved his arms in the air so that she would not miss him. “Hi-ka-riiii!”

        Hikari’s head snapped up at the sound of his voice, her fatigue dispelled in an instant. She smiled when she spotted Takeru and waved him over. “Takeru!”

        Takeru returned the smile as he dashed around the edge of the field to meet her at the bleachers. He paused only to catch his breath. “Good morning!”

        Hikari was on her feet immediately. “Good morning! I didn’t expect you to come out and watch the team practice too.”

        Takeru laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. “I actually didn’t know about it. I got up early so I could find my way around before class started.”

        Hikari clasped her hands together. “Oh, that’s right! Today’s your first day here.”

        Takeru nodded. “That’s right. It’s easy to forget, since we’ve known each other so long, but I’m supposedly the new kid now!”

        Hikari covered her mouth to stifle a soft giggle. “It’ll be nice not to be the ‘new kid’ for a change.”

        Takeru laughed. “I guess so!”

        A loud thwack followed by the blast of the coach’s whistle cut their laughter short. “Motomiya!” the coach shouted. “Pay attention!”

        The boy in the goggles rubbed the red mark on his face and gave his coach a sheepish grin. “Sorry, sorry.”

        Hikari cringed slightly in sympathy, as she could see the redness on the goggle boy’s face despite how far away he was. “Ouch. I hope that doesn’t leave a bruise.”

        Takeru blinked before he turned to stare at the boy. “Ah, what happened? That looked painful.”

        “I’m not sure,” Hikari said. “But that’s my friend Daisuke. I promised him that I would come and watch him practice this morning. I’ll introduce you before we go to class.”

        Takeru smiled as he moved to take up a seat beside Hikari after she sat back down. “Okay, great. I’ll wait here with you, then.”

        Minutes slowly ticked by in silence, save for the shouting on the field and the occasional whistle. Eventually, Hikari’s attention wandered from the practice drills, and she glanced up at a tree placed just to the side of the bleachers. She sighed and shook her head after she saw nothing but leaves and branches.

        Takeru noticed his friend’s action and immediately realized the significance. His hand briefly traveled to the empty space above his hat before he let out a sigh of his own. “Tailmon, right?”

        Hikari nodded, her expression tinged with melancholy, and looked back at Takeru. “It feels so strange not to see her hiding someplace nearby. This is the first time we’ve been apart in two years.”

        “I feel the same way,” Takeru said, his voice quiet, weighed down with emotion. “It feels so weird not having Patamon around, sitting on my head everywhere I go. I actually miss having people ask me about my ‘weird hat.’”

        Hikari let out a small giggle in spite of herself. “I know what you mean. Remember the time that one woman asked me where I bought Tailmon’s gloves and how I got her ring to stay on her tail?”

        Takeru grinned at the memory, but it was only a moment before the solemn mood stole that smile away. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, as he cradled his face in his hands. His eyes were far away, no longer seeing the soccer players or the school grounds, but instead the strange yet whimsical landscape of the Digital World. “I… wonder how they’re doing. I haven’t been able to contact Patamon at all.”

        Hikari’s mirth died with a sigh. “I don’t know. Koshiro came over before the sun was up this morning to talk about the D-Terminals we gave Tailmon and the others. He’s worried that he didn’t recreate them right after all and they don’t work in the Digimon Wor… No, I mean the _Digital_ World.”

        “I’ve just had this bad feeling, ever since,” Takeru said, softly. “I can’t forget those strange black spires we saw, or the fact that the Digimon World felt so… empty. I’ve even been dreaming about it.” His gaze grew distant as he recalled the events of the previous day. After nearly two years, the Chosen finally regained access to the Digital World. Its landscape was familiar, but a number of details were different, including the locations of various landmarks. They had expected as much, as the Digital World underwent many alterations during the course of their original adventure and in its aftermath. All of the Chosen had been so happy to have the opportunity to see it once again, but though they searched for half a day, they did not find a single Digimon. “I’m beginning to think it was a bad idea to let the Digimon scout around while we went home. We should have stayed longer, even if it was getting dark.”

        Hikari shifted uncomfortably, hands folded in her lap. “I’ve been having bad dreams too.” She turned her gaze towards the tree, a part of her silently willing Tailmon to appear within its branches. Her partner had promised to look after everyone, as the feline Digimon was the strongest of the group, but the Chosen of Light could not help but fear for her partner’s safety. Hikari looked back at Takeru. “Maybe we could sneak away during lunch and see if the computer lab is empty.”

        Takeru’s blue eyes met Hikari’s red ones and he nodded. “Yes, that’s a good idea.”

        A blast of the coach’s whistle commanded the two children’s attention, bringing it back to the soccer field. “Okay, that’s it for practice today. Hit the showers.”

        Takeru stood up. “Looks like practice is over.”

        Hikari scanned the field before walking down the bleachers. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Daisuke.”

        The heavy atmosphere still hung around them like a dense cloud, but Takeru managed a smile as he followed Hikari. Patamon and the other Digimon would not be happy to know their partners were worrying about them so much. “Okay, great!”

        Daisuke had the same thought as Hikari as he charged towards the bleachers. His expression was set in a deep scowl despite how it hurt his sore face where the soccer ball hit him earlier. “Hey!”

        Hikari waved as they reached the bottom of the bleachers and gave Daisuke her best cheerful smile. “Good morning, Daisuke!”

        Daisuke’s anger evaporated in an instant after receiving Hikari’s cheerful greeting. A goofy smile replaced the scowl and hints of pink appeared on his face around the red marks, particularly on his cheeks. He returned the wave with enthusiasm, forgetting all about Takeru. “Good morning, Hikari-chan!”

        Takeru blinked, both surprised at the obvious hostility towards him as well as the sudden complete shift in Daisuke’s mood. He did not expect such a strange reaction from someone he had never met and let out an inquisitive hum.

        “That was some great playing out there,” Hikari said.

        Daisuke rubbed his nose with his thumb then winced as he forgot about the injury to his face. He covered up his mistake with a laugh. “Yeah, well, I _am_ the star player on the team you know.”

        Hikari she gestured at Takeru. “Daisuke, I’d like you to meet a dear friend of mine, Takeru Takaishi. He’s going to be going to school with us starting today.”

        Daisuke’s eyes widened drastically as he gawked at Takeru. “ _Dear_ friend?” A beat later, his eyes narrowed as he looked Takeru over with greater scrutiny. “Just how do you know Hikari-chan?”

        “Takeru and I have known each other since we were little,” Hikari said, her voice brimming with cheer. She gestured to Daisuke. “Takeru, I would like you to meet my good friend Daisuke Motomiya.”

        “Hey,” Takeru said. He smiled and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you!”

        Daisuke eyed Takeru’s offered hand as though wary that it might secretly contain something nasty. He let out a grunt a moment later before he grabbed it for firm handshake. “Yeah, likewise.”

        Takeru continued to smile as he shook Daisuke’s hand. He did not see a point in commenting on the goggle boy’s odd behavior, or calling attention to the fact that Daisuke was using excessive force when shaking hands. “Nice goggles, by the way.”

        Daisuke touched his goggles briefly once the handshake ended. “Yeah? Well, _Hikari-chan_ gave them to me for my birthday last year.” He flashed a smug grin at Takeru as he tugged on his goggles.

        Hikari rubbed her upper arm. “That’s right. Daisuke is a fan of my brother and really likes his goggles, so my brother helped me pick out a pair for Daisuke.”

        Takeru smiled as he tilted his head. “They look good on you.”

        Heat rose to Daisuke’s cheeks at the unexpected compliment. It took him a moment of fumbling over his words to reply. “O-of course!”

        Hikari shifted in place and began to gnaw on her lower lip, her gaze wandering from the boys towards the soccer field. A sense of unease itched beneath her skin.

        Takeru chuckled. “Hey, maybe we’ll have the same class.” He flashed Daisuke a rather mischievous smile. “Be nice to me, okay, Senpai~?”

        The pink in Daisuke’s cheeks turned a darker shade as his eyes widened drastically. “S-Senpai?”

        Takeru’s smile widened at seeing Daisuke’s reaction. “I’ll try not to be too much of a lame ‘new kid’.”

        Daisuke rubbed the back of his head and laughed for a few seconds, both flattered and briefly at a loss for how to respond to such a grand title bestowed upon him. “No, I’m sure you’ll be fine. What class are you in?”

        Hikari squeezed her arms as she took in their surroundings, her eyes darting about with an increasing sense of urgency. Anxiety prickled at the back of her neck, slowly spreading its way down her spine with the sensation of brushing up against a thorn bush. There was no one around save for the three children, as the rest of the soccer team had long since departed the locker room.

        Takeru reached in to his pocket to pull out the printout he had of his classes and where to find them. He read out the class number and the name of his homeroom teacher before looking at Daisuke. “Ring any bells?”

        Daisuke jerked slightly as his eyes widened. “That’s the same class as Hikari-chan and me!”

        “Oh, really?” Takeru blinked, taken aback by the coincidence. A smile graced his features. “Well, that works out great then, doesn’t it, Hikari?” He turned to the Chosen of Light and froze as he noticed how pale she looked. “Hikari?”

        Anxiety spread like a virus, quickening Hikari’s breathing as tension seeped into her body. It bled away the warmth from her body, causing her tightening muscles to quiver. “T-Tailmon…”

        Daisuke jerked when saw how haunted Hikari looked. “Hikari-chan!” At once he was at Hikari’s side, aching to pull her into his arms protectively, yet he hesitated to touch her lest she react badly. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

        Hikari’s gaze went through Daisuke, seeking out something in the distance that she could not see with her eyes. “Tailmon… Tailmon is…”

        “Tailmon?” Takeru muttered. “What about Tailmon?”

        Daisuke blinked, confusion warring with concern. “Who’s Tailmon?”

        The questions the boys asked were faint compared to the thundering of Hikari’s heartbeat as it echoed in her ears. Each beat brought an ache that steadily grew in intensity until it felt as though something was thumping around inside her skull so hard that it drew pain across her entire body. She clutched her chest tightly and a small part of her willed her heart to calm down, but she could not fixate on her own pain, as fear seized her in a merciless grip. Adrenaline flooded through her veins along with panic so intense she felt as though she might throw up. She was _terrified_ , but it was not fear for her own safety. Something was wrong with Tailmon. She did not know how or why she knew this, but every fiber of her being ached with the knowledge that her partner was in grave danger. Her heart gave a shuddering thud that racked her body with tremors and she threw her head back towards the sky as a scream ripped its way from her throat. “ _Tailmon!_ ”

        A crack of thunder drew all eyes towards the clear blue sky. A low, ominous rumble rippled through the air along with the tiny crackling pops of static electricity. Tiny puffs of white appeared over the soccer field, spreading quickly until they joined into a massive cloud. As the clouds spread to cover the sky all the way to the horizon, a spiral formed at the center above the field.

        A funnel emerged from the center of the twisting clouds, bulging outwards until it became an oval. The mass grew larger and hung lower until a massive object burst from the swirling cloud cover. Defying all natural law, a transparent egg hovered above the school, as long as the soccer field was wide. A crack that was the mixture of thunder and an egg shattering resounded through the air as the egg split down the middle before bursting into mist like a popped balloon. From the egg fell a white and lavender cat that was illuminated by the tiny shower of prismatic light of the bits of egg that dissolved into the air. The clouds faded nearly as quickly.

        The display left the three children at a loss. Takeru was the first to recover, his eyes bugging out as he saw the falling cat. Distantly, he heard Hikari scream Tailmon’s name, her voice even more shrill than before. Time slowed to a crawl as he threw his backpack to the ground and tore across the field towards where the cat was falling. With a grunt, he lunged, arms outstretched, and caught Tailmon shortly before she hit the ground. He twisted his body prior to impact with the grassy soccer field so that he would not crush the feline Digimon and his body would serve as a cushion when they crashed down. The rough collision knocked the air out of his lungs in a harsh cry, pain slamming into his shoulder and ribcage.

        Hikari was not far behind Takeru, screaming Tailmon’s name. She practically collapsed to her knees once she reached her friend and partner, skidding across the grass due to her momentum.

        Daisuke blinked. He rubbed his eyes, looked up at the sky, which was as clear as it had been all morning. He turned his head towards Takeru who was coughing and gasping while cradling a rather battered looking cat. He barely registered the fact that Hikari was fussing over this strange new boy he had only met moments ago. “Whoa.”

        Takeru used his elbows to force himself up with a breathless grunt, and carefully placed Tailmon in his lap. The feline Digimon was in a terrible state. Her fur was matted with red and brown, in some places torn or burnt away, exposing cut or bruised skin. The purple, black, and red of bruising appeared faded where the white of her fur was still thick. The state of her injuries prompted Takeru to hold her as delicately as if she was made of glass with cracks already marring the surface. Her chest shuddered with each raspy breath, as though the act of taking in air was torture.

        Tears blurred Hikari’s vision before they spilled down her cheeks. She whispered Tailmon’s, her voice thick and wavering due to emotion. With trembling hands, she reached for her partner, drawing back just before touching Tailmon as the wounded Digimon let out a sound that was a mixture of a cough and a groan that hurt the red-eyed girl’s heart to hear. With Takeru’s help, they managed to carefully move Tailmon into Hikari’s arms with only a hitched gasp and a small shudder from the feline Digimon. Once Tailmon was secure against her breast, Hikari managed to raise her voice to just below normal conversation level. “Who did this to you?”

        Daisuke managed to move his feet in a swift jog to join the other two children once the shock began to die down. He had trouble processing what had just transpired in front of him, staring at Tailmon with a lack of comprehension. “Hey, isn’t that one of your cats, Hikari-chan? The one that keeps following you around?”

        Tailmon’s eyelids fluttered open halfway, her blue eyes seeking her partner. “Hikari,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I’m so glad…” A cough made her body shudder and Hikari flinched in sympathy. “…So glad it’s you…”

        “I’m here,” Hikari said. The corners of her mouth raised in what she hoped was a smile, but the best emotion she could manage was relief that Tailmon was with her rather than whatever place brought such injuries to her precious partner. “You’re going to be okay now. Just hang on, okay?”

        Takeru muttered Tailmon’s name before his face set in a grim line. He looked at Hikari as he climbed to his feet. “I’m going to contact the others.” A second later, he was running back across the field at top speed to recover his backpack and root through it for the silvery rectangular electronic device that was his D-Terminal.

        Daisuke gawked at Tailmon and Hikari, his eyes bulging while his mouth opened and closed silently. It took him almost a minute to get his voice to work properly again. “Wha… did that cat just _talk?_!”

        “Hikari,” Tailmon whispered. “The others… the Digimon Kaiser has…” Another cough broke up her words and Hikari called out her name. She squeezed the red-eyed girl’s hand as Hikari started to tell her not to talk and desperately forced out the words despite her partner’s protests. “He… he has them! The Digital World!”

        Hikari quickly connected the dots and felt the bottom drop from her stomach. “Agumon and the others have been captured?”

        Daisuke scratched his head and wondered if the soccer ball had hit him a little too hard earlier. “Am I missing something here?”

        Takeru peered over his D-Terminal to look at Daisuke after he sent his email to the other Chosen. There was no way they could hide Tailmon’s appearance or explain it away as nothing strange. He doubted that was a priority at this point, given the severity of the situation. The safety of their partners was far more important than trying to keep Digimon a secret. “I think we’re all missing something here.”

        Tailmon’s eyes skewed shut, her mouth twisting into an ugly grimace, her face a mask of agony, both emotional and physical. “The whole Digital World has… he’s taking over everything… and enslaving everyone!” She paused to take a shaky, rasping breath. “He puts this black ring around their neck, and then… it’s like they…” Her voice broke off into a crackly sound that turned into a cough as her ears canted back. She swallowed hard and forced her voice to work despite how much it hurt to speak. “Like they’re there, but their minds are gone!”

        Hikari sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth. In her mind’s eye, she replayed memories from that fateful August over two years ago, and the horrible things that happened to the real world and the Digital World. “That… that has to be why we didn’t see anyone when we went there yesterday!”

        Tailmon nodded then twitched as the movement aggravated her injuries. “He’s… using them as… slaves…”

        Hikari rose to her feet, careful not to jostle Tailmon in the process. She briefly looked to Daisuke before focusing on Takeru. “We need to see Jou. He can treat Tailmon’s injuries better than we can.”

        Takeru snapped his D-Terminal closed before tucking it back into his pocket. “I just got a response from Taichi. He’s heading back to your apartment. I’d told him we’d meet him there.”

        Daisuke’s gaze switched back and forth between Hikari and Takeru. He yanked sharply on his hair before scratching his head. “Would one of you _please_ explain just what the heck is going _on_! _?_ ”

        Takeru turned to Daisuke, feeling uneasy. He let out a quiet noise, a half formed syllable that was never able to transform into a word. He wondered if they should bother trying to explain, and if so, where they could possibly start.

        Hikari met Daisuke’s desperate gaze and found herself at a loss for words. She shared a look with Takeru, hoping that he would have some idea about how to deal with this, but his expression was a mirror of hers – upset and somewhat at a loss. To her alarm, she saw kids migrating towards the soccer field, their gazes fixed in the direction of the sky. They had obviously witnessed the strange phenomena earlier and were coming to investigate the area. Their presence did not trouble her because of what they might have seen, but she did not want them to come across Tailmon while her partner was in such a vulnerable state. Her mouth stretched into a thin line as she watched Tailmon take ragged, shallow breaths. “Daisuke, please, we need your help.”

        Daisuke jerked, surprised by both the request and the expression on Hikari’s face. He had _never_ seen her look that way at anyone before. He slowly lowered his hands from his head. “S-sure, Hikari-chan. What do you need me to do?”

        Hikari raised her head to look hard into Daisuke’s brown eyes, her own red ones smoldering with an intensity that made the goggle boy shiver. “I need you to not say anything about what you saw. I promise I will explain everything later, but right now Tailmon and our friends are in danger.”

        Daisuke felt his heartbeat quickening as he stared into Hikari’s eyes, transfixed. The sheer amount of emotion she expressed in the look she gave him made him tingle all over, creating an intense heat that flushed his cheeks. “S-sure. Okay.” He thumped his hand on his chest. “Leave it to me!”

        Takeru stuffed his D-Terminal into his backpack before he rushed to Hikari’s side. He looked at Daisuke, taking in the other boy’s dazzled expression, before he looked back at Hikari. He trusted Hikari’s instincts, so he saw no reason not to have faith in her judgment about Daisuke as well. “We need to hurry.”

        Hikari nodded before breaking eye contact with Daisuke, and darting after Takeru as he led the way back to her home. Daisuke felt off balance as he watched Hikari run off and teetered with indecision for only a moment before he gave in to impulse and chased after the two children and Digimon.

* * *

        Despite her injuries, Tailmon managed to sleep peacefully in Hikari’s bed thanks to the use of painkillers Jou had brought along with medical supplies. There had been a brief worry that human medicine might not work on Digimon, but those fears proved unfounded. Bandages covered virtually every inch of her body, which made her look somewhat similar to a mummy. Taichi had pointed that out in an attempt to ease the tension, but Hikari was not in the mood for jokes.

        Hikari watched Tailmon sleep. Though her partner’s expression was relaxed, Tailmon’s breathing came in and out in a rasping wheeze that hurt the Chosen of Light’s heart to hear. Hikari had barely managed the nerve to dare hold one of Tailmon’s hands in both of hers, her hold as light, as though the Digimon’s hand had turned into spun sugar, in danger of being crushed by too much pressure. “Tailmon…”

        Jou used Hikari’s desk to pack up his first aid kit. About half of the items inside it were acquired through purchases with his allowance while the other half, such as the painkillers, were donated by his older brother Shin for emergencies like this where going to a hospital was out of the question. He closed the kit with a sigh. “I did what I could,” he whispered. He looked at Hikari and Tailmon, his heart going out to the two girls. “She needs to just rest now and let her body take care of everything else.”

        Takeru stood behind Hikari, his eyes hard and his mouth set in a grim line as he stared down at Tailmon. It seemed as though all his misgivings were true and he could not stop kicking himself for ignoring them.

        Jou turned to Takeru and inclined his head towards the door, pointing with his thumb. “Let’s let her rest a while.”

        Takeru looked up and nodded before he left the room, joining the others in the Yagami living room. Jou was careful to close the door quietly behind them. They would leave Hikari to watch over Tailmon now.

        Taichi hissed a curse under his breath as he punched his palm hard enough to make it and his knuckles sting. He forced himself to ignore the pain as he looked around at the others, his eyes blazing. “I knew it was a mistake to leave them there alone. Without us they can’t evolve to defend themselves.” He cursed again and punched a pillow from the sofa. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!”

        Koshiro looked up from his laptop and grimaced at the naked rage on Taichi’s face. “We had no idea this would happen,” he said softly. “We didn’t find anything dangerous in the Digital World when we checked it yesterday. And none of the scans from my programs found anything strange.”

        A short distance away from the group, Yuko paced in the small kitchen, holding the phone to her ear. “Yes, yes, I’m afraid Hikari will be missing school today. You see, it’s a family emergency…”

        Takeru leaned back against the sofa, landing heavily on the cushions with a grunt. He folded his arms over his chest, his eyes skewing shut. “Damn it…”

        Daisuke felt out of place as he stood in the area between the living room and the kitchen. He spared a brief glance at Yuko then focused on Takeru and the older children in their school uniforms. He had been to the Yagami apartment before, if sparingly. He had met Koshiro a couple of times in the past when he and the older boy happened to be visiting at the same time. The older boy talked of programs and computers, which generally went over Daisuke’s head. Jou was someone the young goggle boy met less than an hour ago, and it startled him that someone only a few years older than him seemed to be such an expert on medicine, as Jou seemed to know exactly how to treat Tailmon and barked orders at everyone to assist him during the process. What troubled Daisuke more than being utterly lost by what was going on was the sheer amount of anger Taichi displayed. He had never seen the older goggle boy lose his temper so badly before. “Senpai, what’s going on? Why can Hikari-chan’s cat talk?”

        Taichi looked at Daisuke and the younger boy flinched under the weight of his stare. The Chosen of Courage sighed as he tried to relax his expression and rubbed his face. “It’s a long story.”

        The front door suddenly burst open, revealing Yamato, who was breathing somewhat heavily. “Sorry I’m late.” He hurried past the kitchen. “I came as soon as I could!” He stopped when he saw Yuko on the phone and blushed lightly before he quickly kicked off his shoes towards the entryway. He glanced around and spotted the other Chosen looking at him quietly, Taichi waving a hand in silent greeting. Daisuke’s presence caused Yamato to hesitate a moment, a frown tugging at his lips. He brushed it off and hurried past the young goggle boy to join the others. “How is she? What’s happening in the Digimon World?”

        Koshiro shifted his gaze back to his laptop. “According to what Tailmon told Hikari, the Digital World has been taken over by someone called the Digimon Kaiser. He’s apparently enslaved all the Digimon with black rings that seem to have similar properties to the Black Gears we encountered years ago.”

        Yamato glanced towards the closed door leading to Hikari’s bedroom and frowned. He stood behind the sofa near Takeru and Koshiro before glancing over his friend’s shoulder. The laptop showed lines of data whipping by at a pace too fast for him to keep up with, let alone decipher. “What the hell’s a Digimon Kaiser?”

        Takeru scowled, glaring off into the distance. “Our new enemy. He has Patamon and the others.”

        Taichi ground his fist into his sore palm. “It must be another evil Digimon like that Millenniumon guy. Maybe Ryo and his group weren’t able to defeat him after all and he managed to take over the Digimon World while we were still locked out.”

        Daisuke groaned before throwing his arms into the air. “ _What the heck is a Digimon_? Why are you saying all these names with ‘mon’ at the end? What’s a Digimon World and Digital World anyway? And why aren’t any of you surprised Hikari-chan’s cats can _talk_?”

        Nearby, the family cat, Miko, looked up from her food bowl and let out an impertinent meow before she resumed eating.

        “Ah,” Yamato muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. “I said it again, didn’t I? Digi _tal_ World, not Digi _mon_ World, right?” He paused for a moment then grunted. “Does it matter what I call it at a time like this?”

        Takeru paused to look at Daisuke. “First off, try to keep your voice down. Tailmon needs to sleep right now. Second, that ‘cat’ isn’t a cat, she’s a Digimon. The Digital World is where Digimon come from – it’s a world full of other beings just like her.”

        Taichi rubbed the bridge of his nose as he considered how best to condense an explanation about the basics of Digimon. “‘Digimon World’ is what we used to call the Digital World before Koshiro found out that’s what it was really called when he started hacking into its code.” He gestured towards Koshiro. “Digimon is short for Digital Monsters. They’re, uh, well…” He grasped for words, as he found himself at a loss for a way to summarize all of the different kinds of creatures Digimon could be. He let out a frustrated sound as he rubbed the back of his head.

        “Digimon are beings made of data,” Koshiro said without looking up from his laptop. “They’re alive like us and live in a world that’s parallel to ours. Both worlds are connected and have a sort of symbiotic relationship to one another.”

        Takeru nodded. “They can look like anything, from talking cats and dinosaurs to angels and…” He grimaced. “…Poop with eyes.”

        Daisuke turned a little green at the image then shook his head to clear the thought away. He considered everything they told him, but it was all too strange. “This is starting to sound like the plot of a video game…”

        Takeru gave Daisuke a sympathetic look. “It sounds really bizarre, I know, but you can’t deny that you saw a cat that talked.”

        Daisuke slowly shook his head. “I guess not… But I’m still not getting any of this. You guys are talking like you’re from some game or anime or something.”

        Yamato focused his attention back to Koshiro. “Is the Digital Gate open? Can we take a look around for ourselves?”

        “Just a sec,” Koshiro said. He stopped typing as a cheerful chime sounded from his laptop, the lines of code disappearing as an image replaced them. “Okay, I think I’ve found the location.” He pointed at the screen, which displayed a coliseum similar to ones found in ancient Rome. “This looks like the area Tailmon mentioned.”

        Daisuke moved to stand beside Yamato and peered on the computer screen. The image displayed just looked like a photograph from one of his textbooks. _Is that really another world?_

        Taichi punched his palm again. “Alright! Everybody ready?”

        The door flew open, banging hard against the wall, which caused the children and Yuko to jump. Standing in the doorway, gasping heavily and leaning against the frame as she struggled to catch her breath, was Sora. “S-sorry… I’m late!” She paused for a moment to straighten up, her face flushed. “I… I ran all the way here!”

        Taichi flashed Sora a smile. “Great timing, Sora! We just got the gate ready.”

        Koshiro’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “And I just sent Mimi the location.” He paused for a moment as his laptop chirped when he received a response in his private chat window with Mimi. “She says she’ll meet us there.”

        Sora nodded as she closed the door behind her and moved quickly for the living room, not bothering to remove her shoes. She hesitated and glanced towards Hikari’s room. “Should I stay here with Hikari?”

        “I’ll stay,” Jou said as he adjusted his glasses. “I need to be here in case Tailmon needs something.”

        Sora nodded to Jou before she pulled out her Digivice from her book bag. “Alright. I’m ready, then!”

        Taichi looked towards his sister’s bedroom, the muscles in his face tightening. He clenched his fists as he waited for Koshiro to set the laptop down on the coffee table. On the screen was a complicated program that showed a part of the Digital World. He whipped out his Digivice and aimed it towards the computer. “Let’s go!”

        Jou stepped back into the kitchen to join Yuko before Taichi opened the Digital Gate so that it would not pull him in like the others. He shielded his eyes as a bright light flashed from the Chosen of Courage’s Digivice to the computer, the beam engulfing the rest of the Chosen before disappearing along with them.

        Jou took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes to dispel the white spots that danced in his vision. He put his glasses back on before glancing towards Daisuke. “I know this might seem strange but… Huh?”

        The eldest Chosen stared blankly at the empty space where Daisuke had been standing only moments ago.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chosen Children must deal with complications that arise when they return to the Digital World to rescue their captive partners. An ally has become an enemy and a new, unexpected ally has emerged, while the cruel eyes of the Digimon Kaiser watches over them all.
> 
> * * *

        The first thing to greet the Chosen Children upon entering the Digital World was a massive black obelisk looming over them. The spire stood at least ten stories tall, its four smooth sides tapering off to form a small pyramid at the top. The sun did not reflect off the strange structure and it cast no shadow across the ground or the coliseum in front of it. The Roman-inspired stone coliseum was less than half as tall as the obelisk, carved from brown stone that appeared worn by the weather and age, some areas cracked or starting to crumble. The coliseum was as wide as a football field, surrounded by a dense but colorful forest with a high plateau not far away.

        Takeru stood at the edge of the grassy cliff overlooking the coliseum. The upward perspective gave him a good view of the stone structure. His mouth stretched in a thin line, as he noticed no sign of anyone nearby. “This is the place, Koshiro?”

        Koshiro took a good look at their surroundings before he nodded. “It’s the only place I found that matches the description Tailmon gave us.”

        Taichi barely spared the area more than a glance, as the gold-trimmed blue shirt and the jeans he was wearing distracted him. “Did anyone else notice we’re not wearing our school uniforms anymore?”

        Koshiro looked down at his own rather familiar state of dress consisting of an orange button up shirt and brown shorts then tapped his purple sneakers against the ground, verifying that they were not an optical illusion. “Fascinating… This didn’t happen to us last time we came here. Maybe it’s because we weren’t dressed to come this time. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I forgot to put my shoes back on before we opened the gate.”

        “Hey, isn’t this what we wore the last time we came to the Digital World?” Yamato asked as he tugged on his green turtleneck vest and blue jeans.

        “Strange as it sounds, I think so,” Takeru said, taking off the green hat off his head and looked at his outfit – a green zip up shirt with light green sleeves and khaki pants. “I don’t even own this outfit anymore. Cripes, what was I thinking?”

        “You were thinking, ‘I’m a kid, so I’ll let my mother dress me.’” Yamato said, with a smile. He laughed when Takeru lightly threw the hat at him.

        Taichi ground his sneakers into the grass then tugged at his t-shirt. It certainly felt more comfortable than his school uniform, so he supposed that he could not complain about the loss of his uniform. “Huh. That’s weird.” He turned to Sora then blinked. “Wait, Sora wasn’t wearing a dress last time we were here.”

         “Ah, my uniform,” Sora muttered as she noticed she was suddenly wearing more casual clothes. While she would have preferred pants over a pink dress decorated with red and white hearts she supposed that she would rather get this dirty than her school uniform. “Well, it’s better than–”

        A boy’s scream drowned out Sora’s quiet words. “ _What the heck just happened!_?”

        Takeru whipped around towards the voice and stared as he saw none other than _Daisuke_ standing close to the group. “What?”

        All eyes turned towards Daisuke, who was no longer in his soccer uniform, but instead wearing a bomber jacket with a flaming print over a white shirt, accented with yellow gloves. Daisuke alternated between gawking at their surroundings, the other children, and his different attire. “What? What? _What?_ ”

        Koshiro’s eyes widened. “I-impossible! Only Chosen Children can come here! Mimi verified that just yesterday when she tried to bring her parents here!”

        Sora briefly glanced at Koshiro before looking back at Daisuke. “Does that… mean…?”

        “He’s a Chosen Child too?” Takeru asked.

        Koshiro nodded slowly. “If he is then he should have a Digivice.”

        Daisuke blinked repeatedly then paused to pinch himself, flinching at the pain it brought. “Okay, so this isn’t a dream. Then could someone _please_ explain what’s going on? Where are we? What happened to my clothes? What is with this Chosen Child stuff? And what the heck is a Digivice?”

        Takeru held up his Digivice. “This.”

        Daisuke stared at the Digivice before he noticed that he was holding something. The sudden change in scenery and clothes had distracted him from realizing it before. He opened his hand in front of his face and jerked back to see that he was holding a Digivice that was identical to Takeru’s. “What the heck _?_! Where did this come from?”

        Taichi openly gawked at the Digivice Daisuke held. “You really _are_ a Chosen Child, Daisuke!”

        Daisuke pried his eyes away from the Digivice to look at Taichi. His brow furrowed while his mouth contorted slightly to the side as the situation slowly settled in. “That’s… a good thing, right?”

        Takeru frowned as he stared at Daisuke and considered the implications. He barely had a few moments to contemplate this new revelation when a strange noise caught his ear. It was a shriek of rusted metal scraping together and against rough stone. He and the others looked around quickly before finding its source down in the coliseum. At the lowermost level were barred gates that led into passages too dark for them to see inside past the bars. One of those gates was opening slowly. “Everyone! Something’s happening!”

        The group immediately ducked down onto their knees or stomach at edge of the cliff to lessen the risk of someone seeing them from down below. Daisuke spared a curious glance to the others before he moved to the edge and carefully leaned over to get a better view. “Hey, that’s a… you know. Those arena things where those old dudes in togas fought lions.” His eyes widened. “Wait, are we in _Rome?_ ”

        Taichi lashed out to grab Daisuke’s jacket and yanked the younger boy down to the ground. “Keep quiet!” he said, his voice coming out as a hiss between his teeth, which was ultimately drowned out by Daisuke when the newest Chosen crashed onto the grass with a yowl. Taichi held a finger to his lips and shushed Daisuke before he returned his attention to the coliseum.

        The gate disappeared into the wall of the coliseum with an ominous thud that hung in the air. A moment later, four-legged red Digimon with long pointed ears, a fanned tail, and purple stripes flew out of the darkness, as though something unseen had thrown it, causing it to tumble roughly across the ground until it eventually came to a stop at the center of the arena. The Elecmon laid there on its stomach, its mouth contorted into a grimace. It opened its eyes slowly, twitching its ears before canting them back as he looked around the coliseum.

        The gate behind the Elecmon closed while the one directly across from it opened. Past the bars was a pair of glowing red eyes that pierced the darkness. The Elecmon trembled and scrambled backwards until it reached the gate behind it and pressed its back against the bars. From the gloom before it, the Digimon with the blazing red eyes stepped into the light.

        A collective gasp resounded as the Chosen Children saw who those eyes belonged to. To their horror, it was none other than Palmon who exited the gate. A large black ring bound her around the neck, as though she were a collared pet. The Elecmon groped uselessly between the bars behind it as Palmon lunged towards it.

        A low and grating snarl erupted from Palmon’s throat before she slammed her head against the Elecmon’s face. The bars behind it let out a resounding clang as its head impacted against them due to the blow. The Elecmon slid to the ground, dazed. Palmon landed within arm’s distance of her opponent and brushed back the petals from her eyes. The formerly pink petals atop her head were dyed vibrantly in all colors of the rainbow, adorned with tiny glittering star ornaments. This, above all else, made the Chosen certain that the Palmon in the coliseum was their friend, as Mimi had been so proud of the makeover she gave Palmon a week ago, sending them all numerous photographs by email immediately afterward.

        Palmon growled as her vine-like fingers began to extend. “Poison… Ivy!” Her stretched out fingers lashed out at the Elecmon, scooping the hapless Digimon up into the air before she whipped the vines down on it hard, sending the red Digimon crashing into the ground. Her arms swung in quick, violent arcs, striking the Elecmon with a sickening crack against flesh that tore a scream of agony from the tortured Digimon.

        The horror had only barely begun to sink in for the Chosen who witnessed such a ghastly scene when another agonized scream pierced the air, much closer to the group, which caused them all to jump. “ _Palmon!_ ”

        Sora looked up in time to see someone rush past her for the edge of the cliff. “M… Mimi?” Her face was pale and her voice shook. “M-Mimi, wait!” She reached out for her friend to stop Mimi from doing anything rash, but came up short due to her crouched position against the ground.

        Heedless of the danger, Mimi climbed down the side of the cliff, using some of the many hanging vines located there to help keep her from falling. Under normal circumstances, she would have been against such recklessness out of fear, but the sight of seeing her precious partner being forced to brutally attack a helpless Digimon was more than she could bear. “I’m coming, Palmon!”

        Mimi’s voice did not reach the coliseum, or Palmon simply could not hear it. The partner to the Chosen of Purity did not falter for an instant in her merciless attacks, save to walk closer to the screaming Elecmon whenever it crawled too far away, or she knocked it beyond the reach of the vines. The Elecmon, bruised and bloody, could do little else but be knocked about like a ragdoll.

        Taichi scrambled over on hands and knees to where Mimi had gone, stopping short of the edge. “Mimi, wait!”

        For a moment, Takeru feared that Mimi fell over the edge and cried out her name as he jumped to his feet and ran to Taichi’s side. Seeing her climb down was only a small relief. “We’ve got to get to her before they catch her!”

        Koshiro anxiously peered down at Mimi. Though he worried for her and for Palmon, he felt dizzy looking directly down the side of the cliff. He estimated that they were at least six stories above the ground. “But we can’t all climb down, can we? Our combined weight might break the vines.”

        Taichi considered Koshiro’s words for only a moment before he followed the side of the cliff towards where the high hill sloped downward. “In that case we better find another way down!”

        Daisuke was up and racing after Taichi in a heartbeat. “W-wait for me, Senpai!” He still had no idea what was going on, but the last thing he wanted was to be left behind in such a strange place with weird monsters around.

        Sora hurried towards the cliff and grabbed a vine of her own. Without pausing to consider Koshiro’s warning she began the climb down the cliff. Seeing how far she was above the ground, dangling by a plant, made her stomach churn and her legs felt as though they had lost their strength around the knees, despite how she squeezed them around the vine for stability. Going rock climbing without any sort of safety harness was one of the last things she ever thought she would do, but her concern for Mimi somehow gave her the strength to move down despite the danger. “M-Mimi!”

        A sudden shock nearly caused Sora to lose her death grip on the vine as she saw Takeru fall past her. She nearly screamed his name when he saw that he held fast onto a vine of his own, which he used to catch himself. Distantly, she heard Yamato scream Takeru’s name in a mixture of horror, confusion, and anger. She felt the same emotions and redoubled her efforts to climb down quickly.

        Takeru did not stop long enough to feel fear for what he was doing and tuned out the sound of his brother’s voice as he paused to gather some slack in the vine before he made another jump downward, repelling his way to the bottom as though he had scaled cliffs all his life. The tricky part was making the jump from the cliff wall to the edge of the arena. The gap between the building and rock wall was only a meter wide. He landed on the top of the arena, his foot slipping briefly on the edge. He paused to pinwheel his arms in order to stabilize himself then gauged the next jump. Mimi was still ahead of him, already running down the stairs between the stone seats, leaving her vine behind. His expression tightened and he leapt down from the edge of the wall, landing in a crouch at the top row of the arena, then tore after the pink haired girl.

        Yamato cried out for Takeru once more, as he saw his little brother chase Mimi towards the bottom of the arena. With a grunt, he grabbed the vine that Takeru discarded and tried to imitate what his brother had done.

        Koshiro hesitated as he watched his friends scale the cliff, a distinct sense of morbid fascination mingling with fear that kept him paralyzed, unable to act. Only when he saw everyone touch down safely into the arena did he manage to clear his mind to think clearly. He looked at the vines, noting that they were likely much stronger than plants in the real world, as testified by his friends’ actions. The cliff appeared to be at a 90-degree drop, with the top of the stadium roughly three meters below, but that assumed that he could swing across the gap between the side of the cliff and without dropping an extra four to five meters to the ground. Despite the fact that four of his friends had accomplished such a task safely, he held far less confidence in his own physical abilities than they did, so he ran off in the direction Daisuke and Taichi went.

        Mimi screamed Palmon’s name as she ran down the steps towards the center of the arena, her voice creating a slight echo that hung in the air. “Palmon! Stop! Stop it please! Don’t hurt Elecmon anymore!” She dashed the tears from her eyes with the back of her sleeve and felt a surge of hope when Palmon paused, her vines laying slack across the whimpering Elecmon’s back before they retracted to their normal length.

        Sora cried out for Mimi, knowing that she was very likely wasting her breath. “Mimi! Stop! It’s dangerous!”

        Palmon slowly turned around to face Mimi as the Chosen of Purity climbed down into the arena from the lowest row of seats. Her expression was a neutral mask, completely lacking any emotion. She fixed Mimi with her glowing red eyes, which narrowed as the girl drew closer. “Poison Ivy.”

        Takeru reached Mimi in time to tackle her out of the way of Palmon’s elongated fingers as they scratched at the air just above their heads. Mimi cried out as she hit the ground hard, hot tears trickling down her cheeks. She cried out Palmon’s name as she struggled beneath the Chosen of Hope. “She can’t hear you!” Takeru said, his voice tense. “That collar… Tailmon said that it takes away their minds like a Black Gear!”

        A harsh growl resounded from Palmon’s throat as she approached the two Chosen. The neutrality in her expression disappeared as her face twisted, the corner of her large mouth curling upwards in a sneer that exposed her numerous sharp teeth. Her eyes were slits that seared like coals, filled with malice. The sight of tears on Mimi’s face and her Chosen Child’s cries seemed to do little more than agitate the plant Digimon.

        Mimi shook her head furiously as she skewed her eyes shut. “No! _No!_ I won’t accept it! Palmon wouldn’t… wouldn’t…!”

        Yamato dropped down into the arena and ran towards the pair as fast as his feet could carry him. “Takeru! Get her away from there!”

        Takeru returned to his feet, pulling Mimi up along with him. “I know she wouldn’t.” He kept his grip on her wrist tight as he tugged her backwards, away from Palmon. “Not if she had a choice.”

        Mimi dragged her feet as she turned back to Palmon. Tears blurred her vision, but she could still see the red glow of her partner’s eyes and hear Palmon snarl like a rabid animal. “Palmon! Snap out of it!”

        The Chosen of Purity’s pleas amounted to nothing. There was no flicker of recognition on Palmon’s face, no hint that she had heard her beloved partner. There was nothing but hatred. “Poison Ivy!”

        Yamato had taken advantage of Palmon’s focus on Mimi and circled around the plant Digimon so that he could charge at her from behind. “Palmon, I’m sorry!” He crossed his arms in front of him and rammed into Palmon from behind, knocking the crazed Digimon over and interrupting her attack.

        A shrill shriek tore itself from Mimi’s throat as she watched Palmon go down. She fought with Takeru as he dragged her to the side of the arena, slipping into hysterics at the thought of leaving her partner in such a terrible state. “ _Palmon!_ ”

        Sora reached the lowest row of the arena as Takeru made it to the wall and reached down to give Mimi’s shoulder a firm shake. “Mimi! We’ve got to go!” She grasped her friend’s arm and helped Takeru lift Mimi up out of the fighting area. “Palmon would never forgive us if we let her hurt you!”

        Palmon wobbled to her feet, tilting her head unsteadily from one side to the other. Her face lost all expression and she stared blankly at the space in front of her for a moment before the glow in her red eyes intensified and the hatred returned. She whipped around in an instant to face Yamato, another growl building up in her throat as she flexed her fingers. The quick movement caused her vibrantly colored petals to flutter in front of her face, the star ornaments tinkling as they hit one another.

        The rough voice of a young man echoed through the arena, unnaturally amplified to cut through the din of the battle and Mimi’s screams. “Palmon.” The voice caused Palmon to jerk before freezing completely.

        Yamato stood crouched in preparation to dodge the next attack, but was caught completely unprepared by the new voice and the way Palmon reacted to it after all of Mimi’s pleas had gone unanswered. “What?”

        The sound of slow clapping echoed through the arena, patronizing in its monotonous rhythm. The gathered Chosen Children sought out its source, barely noticing that Daisuke, Koshiro, and Taichi had managed to make it into the coliseum. The trio quickly joined Sora near the edge of the arena, just in time for the entire group to spot the person responsible for the mock applause.

        On virtually the opposite side of the coliseum, overlooking the arena, was the imperial box where the emperor would typically sit. A throne made of gold, decorated in jewels and plush red velvet, had been set at the center of the box with no seats surrounding it. A young man stood in front of the throne, adorned in an outlandish dark blue and white jumpsuit. A long purple cape trimmed in gold fluttered behind him, attached to a pair of golden shoulder guards. Pieces of oddly shaped silver armor were set around his wrists, ankles, and neck, their appearance reminiscent of segmented manacles rather than proper bracers. A pair of thick glasses trimmed in gold and tinted with purple masked his eyes, but it did nothing to hide the smirk on his face. The dark gray gloves he wore somehow did not muffle the sound of his clapping in the slightest before he finally stopped. “Bravo.” He chuckled before brushing back a few strands of his wild, spiky, two-toned blue hair. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more pathetic and _useless_ display of _heroism_.”

        Taichi took an immediate dislike to the young man in the strange outfit and glared at the stranger. “Who are you?”

        The young man standing before the throne curled the corner of his lip, trading his smirk for an ugly sneer. “I think the better question is who are _you_?” His tone was heavy with disgust and held more derision than his clapping. “Who do you think you are, trespassing in _my_ Digital World?”

        Takeru jerked his head back slightly, as though the question had struck him physically. “ _Your_ Digital World?”

        Daisuke wore a blank expression on his face as he stared at the strange new person. Everything was happening far too quickly for him to process, which left him at a complete loss. “Uh, what?”

        The young man curled his fingers into a tight fist. “This Digital World is _mine_ , and no one else’s.” His voice was colored with malice that grew a shade darker with every word he spoke. “I don’t recall giving you permission to be here.”

        Yamato clenched his fists as well. “Cut the crap!” He shook his hand towards the newcomer in a silent threat. “What did you do to Palmon?”

        “Give her back!” Mimi screamed. “Give Palmon back to me!”

        The young man opened his hands to touch his chin and let out a huff of air that carried a note of scorn. The smirk returned to his face. “You’re pretty brave, talking to the Digimon Kaiser like that.”

        Yamato shook his fist as his blood began to boil. “I’ll talk to you how ever I damn well want!”

        Koshiro’s eyes widened. “The Digimon Kaiser?” The implication was staggering. “Wait, does that mean that you’re… You don’t mean you’re trying to take over the Digital World? You’re a human!”

        A quiet note of laughter came from the Digimon Kaiser, and amusement erased all trace of irritation from his tone. “ _Trying_?” He moved his hand over his chest with a mock jerk and stepped back, as though the word wounded him. “Why, in case you didn’t notice, I already _have_!”

        Sora’s grip on Mimi’s shoulder tightened as she struggled with what the boy who called himself the Digimon Kaiser had proudly proclaimed. “You… you’re not a Digimon!” She thought back to all the past threats to the Digital World, mainly Virus types who grew mad for power, but in the end, they all served a broken program given sentience from the countless Digimon who died while failing to evolve. Somehow, this boy presented something more frightening than any of those things. “You’re a Chosen Child, like us! So… so why? Why would you do this?”

        Gone was the Digimon Kaiser’s mirthful visage. The muscles in his face drew into a tight expression as his voice became as cold as a blizzard. “I told you. This is _my_ Digital World. I will do as I see fit.”

        Once the initial surprise had passed, Taichi curled his fingers into tight fists as his eyes narrowed, fixing the Digimon Kaiser with a sharp gaze. “You…”

        Daisuke virtually mirrored Taichi’s expression as he glared at the Digimon Kaiser. “Hey!” He pointed at the arrogant young man. “I still don’t understand everything that’s going on around here, but I know this plant thing, er… _Digimon_ is important to her!” He gestured at Mimi, whose cheeks were still stained with streaks of tears. “And you hurt Hikari-chan’s cat – I mean Digimon!” He clenched his hand into a fist and thrust it up into the air. “I’m not going to let you get away with that!”

        The Digimon Kaiser slowly raised an eyebrow as he regarded the loudmouthed young man threatening him with a fist. A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but the loathing in his voice did not change. “Oh? And what exactly do you plan to _do_ about it? Point at me and yell like the useless insect you are?”

        Daisuke ground his teeth together and brought both fists near his body, crouching slightly, as though he might pounce despite the fact that the Digimon Kaiser was too far away for him to attack. “Why you!”

        Yamato cracked his knuckles. “I’ve had enough!” He went to the wall at the side of the arena and climbed up to the lower rows of the spectator seats.

        Taichi went to the Chosen of Friendship’s side as he smacked his fist into his palm. “You and me both.” He flashed Yamato a grin, which was grimly returned. “Let’s teach this brat some manners.”

        Koshiro expression was tense, a headache was forming as the more he thought about the implications of what the Digimon Kaiser said, the more they simply did not make sense. “Why are you doing this? If you’re a human and you’re here, then you must be a Chosen Child like us, but you couldn’t be a Chosen because we were selected to _save_ the Digital World, not conquer it! How can you just… It’s not possible.”

        The expression the Digimon Kaiser wore was a mask of pure disdain. The hatred hung around him like a dark cloud, something felt on an instinctive level more than it was shown in the sneer in his lip or the tension of his jaw. “Insects. You have no right to be in my Digital World.” He reached into his pocket and a strange black device. It appeared similar to the Digivices given to the Chosen Children, but it was at least twice the size of the normal ones. It was long, with rounded edges shaped to conform to a person’s hand, and more buttons on both sides of the rectangular screen. The screen itself seemed to be the same size as the normal Digivices.

        Daisuke blinked at the strange device that the Digimon Kaiser presented to them. “What’s that?”

        The Digimon Kaiser snorted then aimed his Digivice at Yamato and Taichi. The dull gray screen flickered to life, glowing briefly before it darkened. The shadow across the screen bled outward until it seemed to suck out the light surrounding it, swirls of darkness scraping at the sky with ethereal fingers. A black line shot from the Digivice, striking the Chosen of Friendship before anyone could blink. Yamato staggered back, opening his mouth to scream as the darkness overtook his body. A second later, the blackness dispersed, taking the blond with it. Taichi had only an instant to realize this before the Kaiser struck again, firing another beam of darkness at the Chosen of Courage. Taichi had barely started screaming Yamato’s name when he too was gone.

        Sora reeled back, gasping, as panic slammed into her with the force of a punch to the stomach. “T-Taichi! _?_ ”

        Takeru whirled when he saw the path of the dark beams and heard both Taichi and Sora scream. He instinctively cried out to Yamato, but there was no trace of his older brother to be found.

        Daisuke reeled back, nearly falling backwards. He had been close to where Yamato and Taichi had been standing, which gave him a perfect view of what happened to the older boys. “Senpai!” Surprise quickly gave way to rage, which he focused entirely on the Digimon Kaiser. “What did you do to them! _?_ ”

        The Digimon Kaiser chuckled lowly, amused by the reactions. “I simply removed those insects from my world.” He turned his Digivice in the direction of Sora, Takeru, and Mimi. “Just like I’ll do to you.”

        “Why! _?_ ” Sora screamed. The question barely left her lips when another blast of black struck, hitting her full in the chest. The echo of her cry was left lingering in the air after the darkness took her.

        Takeru seized Mimi by the arm and bolted towards Daisuke and Koshiro, practically dragging the stunned girl behind him. “Run for it!”

        Mimi reacted belatedly, still reeling from what had happened to Palmon and three of her dear friends. She stumbled as she tried to keep up with Takeru, but she could not stop herself from looking back over her shoulder towards Palmon. To her dismay, her partner had not moved a muscle and stared at the Digimon Kaiser with all the emotion of a mannequin. “But what about Palmon?”

        “We’ll have to come back for her,” Takeru said, even as the words pained him. “We’re in no condition to help her now.”

        The vicious laughter of the Digimon Kaiser rang through the arena, chasing after the Chosen Children as they fled from his Digivice. “Just where exactly do you think you’re going to go?”

        Mimi felt her chest constrict as she watched the distance between her and Palmon grow while reluctantly retreating with Takeru, until the tears clouded her vision completely. “We’ll come back for you, Palmon! I promise!”

        Daisuke had barely caught up to Takeru and Mimi when he glanced back and saw where the Digimon Kaiser was aiming. Instantly, he lunged towards the pair, knocking them apart as the three of them fell to the ground. “Look out!”

        A beam of darkness shot over their heads, but the Digimon Kaiser merely fired another one without hesitation. The cry Mimi gave after she crashed to the floor was cut abruptly as the tyrant did not miss a second time.

        Takeru yelped as Daisuke tackled him, sending him crashing to the floor roughly. He jerked back, eyes widening to their fullest when Mimi disappeared before his eyes. Fortunately, he was quick to recover from his shock, and he pulled Daisuke with him behind the dividing wall between the bottom most row of seats and the arena, effectively blocking the Digimon Kaiser’s attack with a stone wall while allowing them to hide from their enemy’s view. “D-damn it… where do we go from here?”

        Koshiro pointed towards one of the doorways out of the coliseum, the one he, Daisuke, and Taichi had used to enter. “This way!”

        The words had scarcely left Koshiro’s lips when the Digimon Kaiser turned his attention on the Chosen of Knowledge. A second later, Koshiro was gone before Daisuke or Takeru could make a move.

        The Digimon Kaiser’s smile might have appeared playful if it was not tainted with venom. “Yes,” he said, his voice laced with a strange mixture of mirth and disdain, “by all means, _do_ go that way, won’t you? I want to get a clear look at your faces before I purge you from my Digital World.”

        Takeru grunted as he pressed his back against the wall, then glanced at Daisuke. “Think we should run for it?”

        Daisuke mimicked Takeru’s action, a scowl on his face. “I think we should–” His idea was cut off as he saw the beam shoot over his head. He lunged quickly to evade it, diving down onto his belly. “Look out!”

        Takeru ducked and rolled to the side, then crouched low as he growled. He spotted cracks and gaps in the walls worn away by age, which left parts of their bodies exposed to attack. “That bastard…”

        “It’s useless,” the Digimon Kaiser said. “You can’t escape me.”

        Daisuke grit his teeth together hard enough to make his jaw hurt. Something inside of him snapped and he abandoned cover altogether to charge in the direction of the Digimon Kaiser. “Hey, Jerk! Try to hit me if you can!”

        Takeru looked up, alarmed. “D-Daisuke! _?_ ”

        The Digimon Kaiser blinked, surprised by the sudden foolish action, then scowled and aimed his Digivice at the goggle boy. “As you wish, _Insect_!”

        Daisuke tore off his goggles and flung them at the Digimon Kaiser with all his might, aiming for the Dark Digivice.

        The Digimon Kaiser yelped, startled at the sudden projectile that struck him, forcing him to drop his Digivice, which skidded across the floor away from him. He hissed as he held his hand where it was hit. “You!”

        Takeru gawked at Daisuke, startled that the goggle boy’s ploy had actually _worked_. A second later he was on his feet, racing towards the opening Koshiro had pointed out to them. “Daisuke!”

        Daisuke nodded to Takeru as he changed direction and bolted for the exit as well before the Digimon Kaiser recovered the Dark Digivice.

        The Digimon Kaiser grabbed his fallen Digivice and whirled to glare after the two boys. By the time he had turned around, they were already out the exit and gone from his sight. He glared balefully at the goggles resting on the ground in front of him. With a snarl, he slammed his heel into the goggles, shattering the reinforced plastic with a loud crack. “ _Insect_!”


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisuke and Takeru manage to escape, but are now far from the coliseum and their friends. They must find out what happened to the others, but reunions might not be as pleasant as they want. A Digimon has been waiting a long time for the arrival of someone special.
> 
> * * *

        The rough rocky wall of the cave dug into Takeru’s back as he leaned against it. He breathed heavily and wiped the sweat from his brow. Daisuke stood at the blonde’s side, bent over with hands grasping his knees, as he took deep gulps of breath. They had lucked out when they fled the coliseum in the direction of the cliffs and found a cave partially hidden by the lush foliage in the area. Takeru sighed as he peered past the hanging vines that obscured the cave. “I think we lost him, for the moment.”

        Daisuke straightened up with a pained groan that made Takeru turn towards him quickly. The brunette fell back against the wall before slowly sinking to the ground, hands covering his face. “Aw man… Hikari-chan is going to hate me. I threw away her gift!”

        Takeru stared at Daisuke, then shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I think she’d be proud of you.”

        Daisuke raised his head, his expression dubious, but there was an almost desperate glimmer of hope in his eyes. “You think so?”

        Takeru favored Daisuke with a grin as he nodded. “Yeah, that was pretty cool back there.”

        For a moment, Daisuke merely stared at Takeru, before a faint smile began to appear on his face. “You think so?”

        Takeru flashed Daisuke a thumbs up. “ _Very_ cool. The look on his jerk face was _priceless_.”

        Daisuke snickered at the memory. “You’re telling me. Too bad he’s wearing those goofy glasses. His eyes were probably bugging out when I knocked that, uh, whatever it was out of his hand!”

        Takeru chuckled along with the other boy. “Yeah. I bet he’s having a fit right now. Serves him right!”

        Daisuke felt rejuvenated by the conversation and was back on his feet in an instant, thrusting his fist into the air with a wide grin on his face and a determined glint in his eye. “Yeah! And we’re going to come up with a plan to kick his butt and get him back for what he did to Tailmon!”

        Takeru nodded as he straightened up as well. “And rescue the others, too! Making Palmon do such terrible things… He’ll pay for it!”

        Daisuke managed to hold onto his enthusiasm for a moment more before his smile began to waver, turning into a grimace as he rubbed his head where his goggles used to be. “I still feel kinda naked without my goggles though,” he muttered before he glanced over at Takeru. “So how are we going to–”

         _Daisuke…_

        Daisuke froze at the sound of his name. It was spoken in a soft whisper, the voice that of a young child, which held a strange quality to it, perhaps a figment of his imagination, or some distant echo that originated from deeper inside the cave. He craned his neck as he peered past Takeru, into the darkened tunnels, which somehow were not pitch black as he expected. He briefly wondered why there was enough light for him to see inside the cave without any real light source, when he heard the voice again.

         _Daisuke…_

        Daisuke jerked back, knowing now that the voice was not a figment of his imagination. “Huh? Who’s there?”

        “Hm?” Takeru blinked. “What?”

         _Daisuke…_

        Daisuke walked a little deeper into the cave, squinting into the dim light, but he could see nothing but rock. “Hello?”

        Takeru stared at Daisuke and let out an inquisitive hum as his confusion grew. He glanced around the cave then cocked his head slightly, listening for anything unusual, but all he heard was the sound of Daisuke’s feet against the floor of the cave.

         _Daisuke… I’m waiting…_

        Daisuke walked further down the passageway, his footsteps slow. “Someone… someone is calling me.”

        Takeru watched Daisuke disappear down a bend in the tunnel before he dashed after the other boy, slowing down only when he caught up. “I don’t hear anything.”

         _Daisuke… come find me…_

        A strange sensation stirred inside of Daisuke’s chest. There was something important about the voice. He could not call it a familiar voice, as he was quite sure he had never heard it before, but there was some sort of feeling that came when the stranger spoke that felt oddly similar to nostalgia. His feet moved faster towards the source, as a growing sense of urgency spurred him onward. “Who are you?”

         _Daisuke…_

        After a few more turns, the narrow cave corridor opened up, revealing a cavern as large as the interior as the school gym. The walls and floor were smooth, carved with grooves that gave the place the appearance of being forged by brick, but there was no mortar or cracks in the stone. The place was circular, arching up into a high dome, with a strange high pedestal at the center. A set of stairs led up at least two stories high to a beam of light that connected the top of the pedestal to the center of the ceiling. Inside of the beam of light was an egg that was large enough to belong to an ostrich, colored a beautiful shade of cerulean, accented with golden dashes that formed vaguely into the shape of a V.

        Takeru jerked to a halt after taking in the room, his wide eyes fixed on the column of light. “It’s a… Digimon egg!” He briefly looked to the walls, which were covered with faded markings of the Digimon language. It may as well have been squiggles for all he understood of it. “What’s it doing out _here_?”

        Daisuke did not falter as he arrived in the cavern, brushing off its strange appearance as unimportant. Everything he had experienced so far was like a dream, and this, he felt, was the all important climax of that dream, something he _needed_ to do in order for anything to make sense at all. “I’m coming.”

        Takeru noticed the intense expression Daisuke wore as the other boy ascended the stairs, brown eyes never wavering from the egg floating at the top. A thought struck him so hard that for a moment he was left speechless. _Could it be… Daisuke’s **partner**?_

        Daisuke halted at the top of the steps, and gazed at the egg with reverence. “Are you the one who’s calling me?” The moment the question left his lips, he felt an uncomfortable heat rise to his cheeks. It felt silly, expecting that an egg had been calling his name, and yet it felt more strange to believe that it did _not_.

         _Daisuke…_

        The tiny voice reverberated in the air in front of Daisuke, soft and quiet. He was drawn by the unspoken plea that was hidden in the way the one in the egg spoke his name. The tone held a desperate sense of need mingled with a swell of love so huge that the young man felt almost overwhelmed by emotion. He raised his hands tentatively towards the egg and gently drew it from the light.

        The moment Daisuke touched the egg, the pillar of light condensed around it until it formed a halo of light emanating from the egg. He marveled at the egg’s warmth and the heartbeat he could feel through the shell. With every pulse a crack appeared and lengthened along the shell, spilling light from within. Soon the egg shattered completely, the chunks of shell turning to data before they disappeared completely along with the strange light. A small blue blob-like Digimon sat between Daisuke’s palms, barely larger than a softball. Its eyes shined in the light like two black pearls, blinking blurrily until they focused on Daisuke. A wide, curved smile appeared on its round face as it squirmed and wiggled the tail-like flap on its head. “Daisuke~!”

        Takeru stared at the newborn Digimon in wonder before noticing Daisuke’s face in profile and the confusion etched on the dark haired boy’s features. “It’s a Digimon,” he said softly, not daring to raise his voice and ruin how special this moment was. “It’s your Digimon partner!”

        Daisuke’s eyes widened as he stared at the small creature he held in his hands, unsure of what exactly he was looking at, but a strange sense of excitement began to well up within him. “My… partner?”

        “Daisuke~!” the Digimon said again, happily. “I’m Chicomon! I was waiting for you!”

        Daisuke tilted his head slightly. “Chicomon?”

        “Chicomon, Chicomon!” Chicomon replied. “And you’re Daaaisuke!”

        Takeru chuckled softly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He felt gratified to see at least one good thing happened today. “Congratulations, Daisuke.”

        Daisuke briefly glanced back at Takeru before he returned his focus to Chicomon. “So, wait, you mean you’re like Tailmon? Hikari-chan and me both have Digimon partners? And you know my name?”

        “All Chosen have partners,” Takeru said, “and they’re born knowing who we are so they can find us and keep us safe.” He paused, his smile disappearing as a sour expression twisted the corners of his mouth downward. “That Digimon you saw in the arena, Palmon, is Mimi’s partner.”

        Chicomon giggled as he squirmed in Daisuke’s hand, practically glowing with joy. “I’m so happy to see you, Daisuke!”

        Daisuke laughed along with Chicomon. Somehow, despite all the strangeness, meeting the little Digimon felt utterly _right_. It was almost enough to make him not care about how many questions continued to bounce around inside his mind like pinballs. “I’m glad to see you too.” It took a few seconds for what Takeru said to sink in and he looked down at the other boy. “Wait, so does that mean you’ve got one too?”

        Creases appeared at the corners of Takeru’s eyes before he nodded, his jaw tightening. “I think the Digimon Kaiser has him–”

        A familiar shout cut off the rest of his words. “Air Shot!”

        An unseen force slammed into Takeru from behind, knocking the Chosen of Hope into the stairs, which jabbed into his ribs and knocked the breath from his lungs, cutting off his cry of surprise and pain. He held his chest and back as tried to gulp down air while his body reflexively forced it out with rough coughs.

        Daisuke jerked before whipping around. “Takeru! Are you okay?”

        Chicomon jumped up, frantically waving his small appendage around. “Daisuke! It’s another Digimon!”

        Daisuke dashed down the stairs, barely registering Chicomon’s warning as he rushed to Takeru’s side. He stopped just next to the other boy when he noticed the strange creature that flew into the cavern. At first, he thought it was an overly large orange and white bat when he realized that the wings were on the Digimon’s head and that its body reminded him more of a cross between a baby pig and a hamster.

        Patamon looked impassively at Takeru with his glowing red eyes, hovering above his partner. The black collar around his neck did nothing to hinder him as he inflated his chest with a deep breath before unleashing another attack. “Air Shot!”

        Takeru rolled out of the way, the pain making his movements slower than he would have liked. A fierce wind whipped his clothes and knocked the hat off his head, but he mercifully dodged the brunt of the blast of air. He recognized that attack, he would know it anywhere, and in any other situation it would have brought him immense relief, but now it made him sick to his stomach. “P-Patamon! Damn it…!”

        Daisuke jumped back up the steps when he saw the air distort in front of him, just barely dodging the attack as Takeru had done. He watched the small pebbles that had been on the steps go flying in all directions, some bouncing hard off his legs, before he cast a wary eye at Patamon. He held Chicomon close to his body, worried that this new Digimon would attack him and his partner next. “Is this another one of your friends?”

        Takeru finally managed to get his breathing back to normal, but his voice came out strained. “M-my partner…” He stumbled to his feet, trying to regain his strength. “Patamon’s my partner!”

        Another attack came before Daisuke could respond to this revelation. He barely had time to register that Patamon had turned directly at him after the flying Digimon shouted the name of his attack. The goggle boy jumped back in an effort to evade the unseen blast, but was unable to dodge completely as the wind struck his legs and sent him spiraling backwards onto the stairs. Daisuke instinctively protected Chicomon from the fall, but at the cost of banging his head on the steps. He yowled in pain and rubbed where his skull had hit the stone, stars dancing in his field of vision.

        Chicomon’s eyes widened as Daisuke fell and he called out his partner’s name. “Are you okay, Daisuke?”

        Daisuke hissed through his teeth before nodding, only to regret the action due to how his head swam. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ve taken a lot harder hits than that before.”

        Chicomon bristled as a growl emanated from him, too high-pitched to be considered threatening. He leapt from Daisuke’s hand as anger and the intense need to protect his Chosen Child swelled throughout his tiny body. “Chicomon, evolve!”

        The light from the Digivice Daisuke had tucked into his pocket earlier was too bright for him to ignore or pass it off as a pain-induced hallucination, particularly when that light shot out to Chicomon and engulfed the tiny Digimon. He pulled out the Digivice with fumbling fingers just in time for a new Digimon to emerge from the light – a tiny dragon with floppy ears that was no larger than a cat.

        The transformed Chicomon landed a few steps past Daisuke’s feet and posed with one stubby hand aimed into the air. “Chibimon!”

        Daisuke gawked at Chibimon, his mouth working open and closed for a few moments before he finally stammered out something that resembled a word. “Wh-wh-what?”

        Chibimon growled before racing down the steps. “I’ll protect you!” He leapt into the air as he came close to Patamon, attempting to strike down the flying Digimon “I won’t let you hurt Daisuke!”

        “Wh-wait!” Daisuke said as he reached out towards Chibimon. “Chicomon!”

        Patamon was already inflated with another deep breath when he turned towards Chibimon. “Air Sh-”

        “Hop Attack!” Chibimon shouted as his head collided with Patamon’s, knocking the flying Digimon downward. Patamon yelped at the blow, losing his surplus of air required for his attack as he flew unsteadily above Chibimon while the blue Digimon landed beneath him, readying for another attack.

        Takeru returned to his feet, which felt unsteady, his legs wobbling dangerously beneath him. The attack had left him reeling for many reasons, not simply because it left him weak and disoriented. He had never truly appreciated just how much damage a Child level Digimon was capable of, even though he had seen it countless times and had experienced a form of it sometimes while training with Patamon to become stronger for over two years now. He felt no small amount of respect for Patamon and the others managing to take so many hits from many opponents and shaking off the damage if this was what they were really like. He knew his partner had been holding back on hurting him when they trained, but now, thanks to the mind-controlling collar, he knew just how much. Patamon was showing no mercy to him, no love, and that hurt worse than the physical blow. “P-Patamon…”

        Patamon flew in a circle while shaking his head, trying to regain his bearings. Chibimon’s attack did little more than disorient him for a few moments. He recovered in time to dodge another jump from the little dragon Digimon and glared at Chibimon before he breathed deep.

        Daisuke sat up, his head swimming from the earlier blow. He felt angry with himself for moving so slow when his partner was in trouble, wishing there was some way he could help Chibimon. Panic joined the anger when he saw Patamon inflate like a balloon once more, as his Digivice began to glow a second time. “Look out, Chicomon!”

        Chibimon squeaked and quickly dove out of the attack, which struck the steps harmlessly in his stead. The light from the Digivice resonated with him, causing him to glow. “Chibimon, evolve…” The light became too bright to see his body as more than a vague shape that grew noticeably larger. “V-mon!” When the light disappeared, it left a stronger dragon-type Digimon, with hands and feet that ended in sharp claws, fangs, and a sharp but small horn at the end of his white muzzle. He was still blue with a white belly, but he also had a mark on his forehead in the shape of a golden V, with two golden triangles on his cheeks next to his large red eyes. The newly evolved V-mon wasted no time in lunging at Patamon. “V-mon Head!”

        V-mon slammed his head into Patamon’s chest, knocking the air out of the orange and white Digimon in a whoosh that ended in a wheeze, sounding not entirely unlike a balloon rapidly deflating. The momentum carried Patamon across the cavern, only to collide hard with the wall.

        Takeru felt sick while watching Patamon take the brunt of such a powerful attack, his chest aching in sympathy as he experienced a blow very similar only moments ago. “Patamon…” He hated seeing Patamon getting hurt, but having to watch his partner be the puppet of a cruel child’s brainwashing was just as terrible. There was no choice but to attack Patamon, they had seen just how far the black ring would take a Digimon in Palmon, but that did not stop him from aching with each injury his partner suffered.

        Watching rapid transformations Chicomon underwent to become V-mon was surreal for Daisuke, but by that point so many strange things had occurred since soccer practice had ended that he had given up understanding and decided to simply go with the flow. He thrust his arm into the air, shaking his fist with a wide grin on his face. “Alright, Chicomon!”

        V-mon crouched after landing from the attack, his tail lashing. He glanced back at Daisuke after hearing his partner’s cheering then pumped his fists in a clear imitation of Daisuke. “Alright~!”

        Patamon shook his head as he climbed up onto his feet. His lip curled up in a snarl as his eyes narrowed at the Chosen. His wings flapped furiously before he jumped up into the air and readied another attack.

        “Daisuke!” Takeru said. “Aim for that black ring on him! Maybe if it’s broken, he’ll return to normal!”

        Daisuke jerked towards Takeru. “Huh? Oh, okay, if you say so.” He climbed to his feet, ignoring the ache and lightheadedness that came from the bump he took earlier, and searched for a rock he could throw, or something else he could use as a makeshift weapon. Patamon was too high for him to jump like V-mon could.

        “Not you!” Takeru said, trying not to found as exasperated as he felt. Daisuke had no experience, especially in battle. Even if the other kids would have assumed Takeru meant the Digimon, Daisuke had no reason to do so. “V-mon!”

        Daisuke flushed lightly. “Ah, right, got it!” He turned to V-mon. “Chicomon, break the ring!”

        V-mon crouched. “Leave it to me!” He nimbly dodged another Air Shot that came his way and raced towards Patamon. As he drew near, he quickly lunged forward and punched at the dark ring on the winged Digimon’s body. “V-Mon _Punch_!”

        Patamon coughed as the punch landed squarely on the black ring, forcing it to buckle against his stomach before it shattered to bits. The red glow of his eyes instantly faded away, leaving behind their natural blue color. He staggered back from the blow before his wings gave out.

        Takeru cried out his partner’s name as he ran to catch Patamon before the orange Digimon hit the ground. He held Patamon close while looking his partner over, and for a brief moment the memory of the battle of Angemon and Devimon flashed into his mind, unbidden. “Patamon, say something! Anything!”

        Patamon stared off into the distance, his gaze unfocused and his breathing shaky. Slowly his vision began to clear, allowing him to focus on Takeru’s worried face. “T-Takeru? What happened?”

        Takeru felt a wave of relief when Patamon recognized him and his partner’s breathing evened out. “Patamon… you’re back…”

        Daisuke darted over to V-mon and picked up the blue dragon Digimon, holding V-mon up above his head as he let out a bubbly laugh. “You did it, Chicomon! You snapped him out of it!”

        V-mon blinked as he dangled above Daisuke, caught off-guard for only a moment before the boy’s good cheer spread to him as well and he beamed at his partner. “Yeah!” He paused, his smile traded for a more thoughtful expression. “But I’m V-mon right now. Chicomon’s my first Baby Form. I evolved!”

        Daisuke stared blankly at V-mon. “Evolved?” He shook off his confusion, deciding that it was not important. “Okay, got it. Great job, V-mon!”

        V-mon beamed, so thrilled by Daisuke’s praise that he could not stop himself from giggling.

        Takeru straightened up, carefully cradling Patamon in his arms. “Thank you, Daisuke, V-mon.” He smiled briefly at the new Chosen before he glanced back down at his own partner. “I think… Patamon’s going to be okay now.”

        Patamon shook his head, as though somehow the action would lift the fog that clung to his mind faster than it was evaporating as it was. He looked at their surroundings, not recognizing anything. When he tried to piece together where they were, another thought struck him, jerking him upright as his wings shot into the air, nearly slapping Takeru’s face. “Takeru! The others! They’re in danger! The Digimon Kaiser has them!”

        Takeru set his jaw in a grim line as he thought darkly of the Digimon Kaiser. “We know. But we need to regroup first, and make sure he didn’t do anything to Taichi and the others when he zapped them with his Digivice.”

        V-mon blinked, surprised by how quickly the celebration of his victory ended, and slouched a bit due to how alarmed and angry Patamon and Takeru looked respectively. The gloom only lasted a moment before he managed to perk right back up. “Okay, regroup first!” He swung his fists around. “Then, we’ll punch that Kaiser right in the nose!”

        Daisuke burst out laughing. He could not help himself, the image of a tiny blue dragon hopping up to punch that arrogant boy in the nose was too much for him to hold back. He barely managed to reign in his mirth so that he could speak. “Right!”

        Takeru nodded before he pulled out his Digivice. It seemed to him that it would be pointless waiting around in the Digital World for the others to come back, not with the Digimon Kaiser likely sending out more controlled Digimon in pursuit. There was too much of a risk that if Patamon did not return, then the tyrant would realize where they went. Besides, they had traveled so far away from the coliseum in order to escape that it was just easier to warp to Taichi’s room and then back to the coliseum using the coordinates again. He aimed the Digivice away from them. “Digital Gate open!”

        The Digivice’s screen flickered with light before projecting a beam that broadened into a square portal that looked hauntingly similar to a television or computer screen filled with static. Daisuke barely had a moment to gawk at the gate before the four of them were pulled through it at lightning speed. There was no chance to cry out as they flew back to the real world and flung head over heels back into the Yagami living room.

        Takeru groaned, his muscles in his chest and back twitching where he had been struck earlier, as he found himself on the floor with two Digimon and Daisuke sprawled out haphazardly on top of him. “I don’t remember it being _this_ rough to gate out.”

        V-mon blinked and glanced around, sitting quite neatly at the top of the pile on Daisuke’s back. “Huh?”

        Patamon squirmed out from underneath V-mon’s tail. “Takeru!” He hovered in front of his partner. “Are you okay?”

        Daisuke crawled off Takeru before rubbing his aching jaw where it had collided with the other boy’s knee when they went crashing down then let out a low grunt. “That was rougher than going in!”

        Takeru failed to hide his grimace as he used the coffee table as a brace to help him sit up. “I’m fine, I’m fine… just a bit bruised.” He refused to mention how the fall aggravated his injuries. The last thing he wanted to do was to let Patamon feel guilty about being forced to attack him.

        Taichi peered at the two boys and two Digimon over the back of the couch, brow creased at the sight of the arrival of the remaining members of their group. “Damn. I guess that jerk got you guys too, huh?”

        Yamato hurried around the couch to help Takeru up. “You’re okay!” He stopped just short as he saw Patamon hover above the couch and into view of everyone gathered in the kitchen. “Patamon _?_!”

        Daisuke whipped his head around, his eyes widening as he saw everyone gathering into the Yagami living room, including the pink haired girl he tried unsuccessfully to save earlier. Relief flooded through him so hard that he doubted that he could get stand back up immediately. Up until that point he had done his best to not think about what the Digimon Kaiser’s beam of darkness had done to the others, despite how a tiny part of him wondered, feared that maybe it had disintegrated them. He had never been so happy to be wrong about something before. “You’re all okay!”

        Takeru took a hold of Yamato’s outstretched hand and pulled himself to a standing position. “He didn’t ‘get us.’ We actually managed to escape, thanks to Daisuke.”

        Taichi blinked as he inclined his head towards Daisuke. “Oh yeah? That’s great!” He lightly bumped the younger boy’s shoulder with his fist. “Good job!”

        Daisuke laughed at the playful jab and rubbed his shoulder as his cheeks turned slightly pink. “W-well, yeah, I…”

        “Hey, hey, _hey_!” V-mon said, suddenly moving to grab Daisuke’s leg as he glared up at Taichi. “Don’t hit Daisuke!”

        Taichi stared at the little blue Digimon that was trying to bore holes through him with very angry red eyes. “Huh?”

        “Taichi, meet V-mon,” Takeru said, with a smile. “Daisuke’s partner. We found his egg after we escaped the Kaiser.”

        Taichi glanced at Takeru, his confusion quickly changing to a delighted grin before he looked back at Daisuke and V-mon. “That’s great! I was wondering when your partner was going to show up. Welcome to the team, V-mon!”

        Daisuke picked up V-mon and raised the little Digimon high above his head so that everyone could see his partner clearly. “V-mon was great! He evolved twice and saved Patamon!”

        V-mon’s hostility was quickly discarded, the little dragon Digimon smiling as he raised his fists skyward. “I’m gonna save _everyone_ , for Daisuke!”

        Taichi laughed lightly. “Sounds great!”

        Mimi’s eyes ceaselessly darted around the living room during the entire conversation, finally focused on Takeru when she found, to her dismay, that someone important was still missing. “But what about Palmon? Were you able to save her too?”

        The question was tentative, an almost a heartbreaking plea that made Takeru’s stomach clench, guilt taking the form of nausea. They had managed to save Patamon, but not Palmon. He waited for the sickly sensation in his gut to die down before he met Mimi’s gaze with his own. “We’re going to go back for her. We wanted to regroup first.”

        Daisuke flinched when he saw Mimi’s shoulders quiver, her eyes dropping to the floor as they shimmered with barely repressed tears. He set V-mon down and hopped up onto his feet. “Don’t worry! We’ll save Palmon from that jerk! Count on it!”

        V-mon jumped up as well, landing on the coffee table. “We wanted to make sure he didn’t do something bad to you all first!” The entire conversation was lost on him, but he was not about to let that stop him from supporting Daisuke.

        Koshiro cradled his laptop in one arm while he gazed at the screen, his expression clouded with concern. “Getting back to rescue Palmon and stop the Digimon Kaiser is going to be a problem. I can’t get the Digital Gate to open again. All I’m getting is a message telling us we don’t have access anymore.”

        Takeru whirled towards Koshiro, his eyes widening. “Wait, you don’t think he locked you out?”

        Koshiro nodded as he set the laptop down on the coffee table and pointed at the screen. The program he wrote to create the Digital Gate was open, displaying a complicated looking archway that normally framed live images of the Digital World. Within the frame was nothing but static and a small black rectangle that framed the word, ‘Forbidden.’ “He must have some sort of firewall blocking our access. We all tried using our Digivices on it already, and I’ve tried everything I can think of to hack it, but I’m not making any progress.”

        Taichi gestured at the computer. “But maybe you and Daisuke can open it, Takeru. Since you weren’t sent back like we were, right? I mean, if that beam might’ve scrambled something in our Digivices or something.”

        Takeru hesitated, feeling slightly sick with a sneaking suspicion creeping up at the back of his mind. He glanced at Daisuke then crossed his arms. “But it could explain why gating out was so rough.”

        “Please try it anyway,” Koshiro said. “We need to know if we’re completely cut off from the Digital World.”

        Takeru nodded and pulled out his Digivice, aiming it at Koshiro’s laptop. “Digital Gate, open!”

        Everyone gathered tensed, waiting for something to happen, but as the seconds ticked by, hope faded. There was no glow from Takeru’s Digivice to signal the opening of the gate, and the screen remained completely unchanged.

        Takeru clenched fist almost painfully tight around his Digivice and spat out a curse under his breath.

        Daisuke moved in front of Takeru as he pulled out his Digivice from his pocket. “Let me try.” He thrust his arm outward in an overly energetic imitation of Takeru’s pose, his legs spread and shoulders squared as he glared at the screen, willing with all his might for the gate to open and pull them back into that strange other world, as he practically deafened the others with his scream. “Digital Gate, _open_!”

        A few of those gathered cringed or covered their ears due to Daisuke’s shout, particularly Takeru since he had been standing right beside the newest Chosen. Unfortunately, Daisuke’s energy seemed wasted, as he got no better results than Takeru.

        Daisuke muttered a curse and tried again, throwing his arm towards the screen. “Digital Gate, open!” He gritted his teeth when nothing happened and shook his arm. “I said open!” A growl rumbled at the back of his throat and he shook the Digivice wildly in every direction “Come on and open already!”

        Takeru moved back quickly before Daisuke accidentally hit him and rubbed his forehead. “He locked us all out!”

        Koshiro sighed and shook his head. “That’s enough Daisuke. It’s clear that none of us are going to be able to get back to the Digital World as easily as we did the first time.”

        Daisuke hung his arm at the side, finally giving up. He clenched his fist around the Digivice so tightly that his hand faintly trembled. “That damn brat! Just who the hell does he think he is! _?_ ”

        A feminine voice cut through the tension. “Let me try.”

        Everyone turned towards the speaker, Hikari, who she stood in the doorway to her room holding the door halfway open in one hand and a strange device in her opposite hand. Tailmon limped as she followed her partner, looking as though she might collapse at any moment, yet somehow she managed the strength to hold her head high as the pair walked into the living room. Hikari held up the mysterious object for everyone to see – it was a Digivice identical to the Digimon Kaiser’s, only it was predominantly pink with a pearl-like sheen and white detailing.

        Taichi’s eyes widened. “That’s…!”

        Hikari held the Digivice towards the laptop. “Digital Gate, open!” Light came from the screen of her Digivice, banishing the static as soon as it touched the program, displaying the coliseum the group had entered only minutes ago.

        Sora raised her hand halfway to her mouth as she gasped. “It… worked…”

        Daisuke’s jaw dropped. A moment later he shook his head vigorously to clear it before pumping his fist into the air. “Alright! You did it, Hikari-chan!”

        V-mon mirrored Daisuke’s action and jumped up in an attempt to raise his fist just as high. “We can go back now and rescue Palmon!”

        Koshiro focused on Hikari’s Digivice, his mind racing. “Hikari, where did you get that?”

        Hikari shook her head as she looked at her Digivice. “My Digivice transformed into this, but I don’t know why.”

        The answer made Taichi feel uneasy for a reason he could not quite pin down and he examined the Digivice with a critical eye. “It looks just like the one the Digimon Kaiser had.”

        “We need to go save Palmon,” Tailmon said, her voice catching with heavy breaths, but there was an unyielding undertone of steel. “Before he takes her elsewhere.”

        Jou sputtered for a moment. “But, but… you’re still too hurt! You shouldn’t even be up out of bed! Your injuries–”

        “The Digimon Kaiser won’t wait until I’m well,” Tailmon said, roughly, cutting off further protests. “As we speak our friends are being tortured and used to torture others.”

        Hikari bent down to gently scoop Tailmon up into her arms. “Tailmon…”

        “Leave it to me and V-mon,” Daisuke said as he jerked a thumb at himself and winked. “We’ll protect Hikari-chan and Tailmon and save Palmon!”

        Takeru cast Daisuke a brief glance before he gazed at Tailmon intently. A long moment later he turned towards his partner. “Patamon, do you feel up to fighting?”

        Patamon nodded and held his paws up, digits curled into fists. “Of course!”

        “Wait!” Mimi said as she stepped forward, hand raised. “I’m coming with you too!”

        Takeru was ready to protest, but the words would not come. He set his jaw and nodded. He could not deny Mimi’s request, regardless of the danger. It was her Digimon they were going to rescue – he would have done the same if their roles were reversed.

        Taichi crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. “I want to come too, but without Agumon…” He sighed and shook his head. “Without our Digimon we don’t stand a chance. It’ll be better if just a few of us sneak back in while he thinks we can’t open the gate again.”

        Takeru turned to Hikari, brow furrowed. He cast a significant gaze towards Tailmon before he met his friend’s eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

        Hikari barely resisted the urge to move her gaze away, to look again at Tailmon and see how injured her partner was, and nodded. “I’m the only one who can open the gate right now, so I have to. Besides…”

        “I’m fine,” Tailmon said. “Don’t worry about me.”

        Hikari finally broke eye contact with Takeru to give her partner a wan smile.

        Takeru sighed, then turned to the laptop. “Alright, let’s do this then!”

        The living room was cleared out, save for Hikari, Tailmon, Takeru, Patamon, Daisuke, V-mon, and Mimi. The small group gathered around the laptop and held out their Digivices, activating the open Digital Gate to be pulled back into the Digital World once more.


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rescue of Palmon is underway, but the Chosen are not quite prepared to find what the Digimon Kaiser has been doing with the Digimon he captures. The Chosen Children and Digimon must fight to free the captives without the ability to evolve.
> 
> * * *

        Takeru crouched amidst overgrown bushes, his expression grim as he peered past the trees towards the coliseum. He could see the entryway leading inside the monstrous building, guarded only by a couple Gazimon. The Gazimon, while typically the minions of most evil Digimon, were clearly not doing the job willingly – the vacant stare of their red glowing eyes and black ring latched around their throats told that much.

        An alarmingly loud whine made Takeru jerk and duck back into hiding quickly.

        “Aw man,” Daisuke said. “My clothes didn’t change to the cool ones.” He tugged at the sleeves of his soccer uniform, as though expecting them to somehow grow longer if he did and gain a flame pattern.

        Takeru held up his finger and shushed the other boy, who jerked then had the good grace to look sheepish for speaking too loudly. Once satisfied that Daisuke remembered where they were and the seriousness of their situation, he checked to make sure that the Gazimon guards had not overheard the noise.

        Daisuke craned his neck, struggling to peek around Takeru while still keeping low to the ground. “So what’s the plan?” he whispered.

        Takeru did not take his eyes off the controlled Digimon as they stood at their posts, their posture unusually rigid, their eyes wide and unblinking. “I don’t think the Kaiser knows Patamon’s been rescued yet. We could pretend he’s still being controlled so he can ‘escort’ us in as prisoners.”

        Daisuke let out a low hum, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the Gazimon. “Sounds like a good plan to me, but we’re gonna need to put a black collar on him like the ones they’re wearing.”

        Takeru moved back so that he was completely hidden by the foliage and took the time to survey their surroundings carefully. His eyes eventually settled on Daisuke’s left leg, specifically on the shin guard, which had been halfway exposed by a sagging sock. “What about that? Can you get the straps off?”

        Daisuke blinked at Takeru then leaned back before he followed the other boy’s gaze. His eyes lit up at the sight of the black Velcro straps holding his shin guard firmly in place, and he wasted no time in unlacing them from the plastic. “Great idea!”

        Tailmon watched as Takeru accepted both straps and attached them together into one long strip before fastening them snugly around Patamon’s waist. From a distance, it was almost impossible to tell that the ‘collar’ was made out of fabric. “You could also mention you recovered the ‘escapee.’”

        Patamon nodded. “I just hope no one looks me in the eye when they ask.”

        Hikari tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowed in thought. “Try flapping your wings in front of your face and keeping your gaze away from them as much as you can. That should make it less noticeable.”

        Tailmon glanced in the direction of the Gazimon, taking particular note of their glass-eyed stare. “I doubt they’re in a state to pay too much attention to details like that.”

        “Mimi,” Takeru said, “you should keep watch out here.” He saw Mimi flinch and felt a wave of guilt at the look she sent his way. “The Digimon Kaiser will suspect something if he sees you, since he already sent you back earlier.”

        Mimi felt her chest constrict painfully tight. “I can’t just stay out here and wait while Palmon is in there being forced to…” Her voice wavered until she choked, unable to force the words past her lips.

        Hikari did her best to smile at Mimi, though she doubted that the gesture would give the older girl any real sense of comfort. “It’ll be okay.” She reached out to give Mimi’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “We’ll bring Palmon back with us as soon as we can. Then we can all go home together.”

        V-mon pumped his fists high above his head. “You can count on us!” He yelped when Tailmon shushed him, his ears drooping briefly. “Oh, right, it’s sneaky time.”

        “Hey,” Daisuke said, raising his voice as much as he dared to get the others’ attention. He tore vines free from the trees with a grunt then tossed one to Takeru. “We better act like we’re really prisoners now.”

        Takeru caught the vine easily and looked it over for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, you’re right.”

        It took a while of awkward fussing with the vines, but eventually the majority of the group managed to tie their hands in a way that appeared secure, but were loose enough for them to squirm free. Mimi served to give the group a once over to make sure their bindings appeared convincing enough to fool the guards. “Don’t forget to struggle a bit or they’re not going to fall for it.”

        Takeru turned to Patamon, holding up the end of the vine for his partner to take. “Ready, Patamon?”

        Patamon nodded before quickly replacing his nervous smile with a disdainful sneer. “Okay, prisoners, march.” He lowered his voice into a growl as he spoke, trying his best to appear more fearsome, but he wound up sounding as though he was suffering from a particularly nasty sore throat.

        Mimi watched the others leave their hiding place, crouching down behind the bushes so she could remain out of sight while still seeing them off. The tethered group had to be careful how they moved – walking too closely risked knocking one or more of them down, and too far apart meant risking the vines coming undone and unraveling their disguise. The Chosen of Purity felt her stomach twist as she noticed the Gazimon turning their dull eyes towards her friends when they drew closer to the coliseum. She had hoped that they would simply stand there and accept the charade at face value, but they crouched, their muscles tense and ready to spring, claws and glittering in the light. They flashed their large fangs in vicious sneers that were perfectly mirrored.

        The Gazimon to the left was the first to speak with a voice that was high-pitched and slightly strained with a growling undercurrent that was uncomfortably reminiscent of stone scraping glass. “What’re you doing?”

        Patamon suppressed the urge to gulp and glared back at the Gazimon. “I’ve captured prisoners for the Digimon Kaiser.”

        The Gazimon on the right perked his ears and straightened up, his eyes darting between Patamon and the tied up Chosen, as though he had no idea who to focus his attention on. “Prisoners?”

        The first Gazimon barked out a laugh that sounded both cruel and forced. “I don’t think they’ll last that long in the pit fights.” She walked along the line of alleged prisoners before jabbing a claw into V-mon’s stomach with mercifully not enough pressure to cut him. “This one especially.”

        V-mon yelped in pain and surprise, jerking back. “H-hey-!” He bared teeth at the Gazimon. “What’s that supposed to mean! _?_ ”

        “Hey!” Daisuke shouted. He moved in front of V-mon to prevent the Gazimon from getting to him again, forcing Hikari and Tailmon to follow quickly, lest their bindings be tested by the yanking of the vine. “V-mon can kick your butt!”

        The Gazimon raised her eyebrows at Daisuke and took a moment to rake him with her unnaturally colored eyes. She let out a hollow laugh, her lips pulled back in a smile as convincing as one painted on a patchwork doll. “Stupid human! No one can take down the Digimon Kaiser or his followers.”

        For one terrifying moment, Patamon feared that Daisuke was ready to break free and blow their cover. He gave vine a tug and raised his voice in a cutting tone. “No back talk, prisoners!”

        A grimace marred Takeru’s features as he glanced back at Daisuke. It was a tricky thing trying to walk the line between protesting prisoners and people who were suspiciously mouthy to their jailers. He pulled lightly on the short length of vine tethering him to the dark haired boy, careful not to loosen the bonds holding their hands supposedly secure. He tried to silently convey the urgency of their situation with his eyes as Daisuke looked his way, hoping that the newest Chosen remembered to play along so that they could get inside before they generated too much trouble.

        The Gazimon still standing near the door pointed towards it. “Take them to the prison. The Digimon Kaiser will want to deal with them personally.”

        “Of course,” Patamon said. “You heard him, prisoners! Get moving!” He led the group forward, forced to blindly guess the direction they were supposed to go, as he knew that asking would be terribly suspicious. Once they were safely out of sight of the guards down one of the adjoining hallways, he let out a deep sigh, his body sagging with relief. “That was close…,” he whispered.

        Daisuke blinked. “It was?”

        Hikari held up a finger in front of her lips and let out a hissing breath between her teeth while taking care to make as little noise as possible. “We don’t know if there might be guards patrolling the halls too.”

        Daisuke scratched one of his faintly pinked cheeks. “Oh, right,” he whispered. “Sorry, Hikari-chan.”

        Takeru surveyed their surroundings with a wary eye, searching for any sign of controlled Digimon wandering around as they tried to make their way to the prison. Fortunately, there was little more for him to look at than brownish gray stone and the occasional flickering candle set into tiny alcoves in the walls. “Let’s keep going. I don’t know how long we have until the Kaiser gets wind of us.”

        V-mon grumbled under his breath, his lashing tail smacking loudly on the ground with each step he took. “I _so_ can kick their butts.”

        Daisuke nodded, his expression an almost perfect imitation of the scowl firmly set in the dragon Digimon’s face. “That’s for sure.”

        Tailmon’s ears canted back as she looked around. She walked at the end of the train, sporting a slight limp that she did her best to conceal from her comrades. The air was tinged with the faint scent of blood, and she could detect the faint sound of someone crying far off – no, there was more than one, their pleas and sobbing overlapping to a wordless noise that was despair personified. “This place is… where the Digimon Kaiser has Digimon fight for his amusement.”

        A faint tremor ran through Hikari’s body at Tailmon’s words. She could not hear the Digimon’s suffering – her ears were nowhere near as sharp as her partner’s – but a part of her, some mysterious place in her heart that was irrevocably tied to the Digital World, ached with their pain. It tugged at her chest, as though someone had tied an invisible string around it. She trusted this instinct without question, inclining her head towards the right when they came to an intersection of the hallway. “Let’s go right here.”

        Takeru glanced back at Hikari, but she was not looking at him. “Do you think Palmon’s still in the arena?”

        Daisuke cocked his head slightly, perplexed at the question. “What do you mean? Where else would she be?”

        Takeru switched his attention to Daisuke. “The Kaiser might’ve sent her after us like Patamon.”

        Daisuke creased his brow. “So you think she might be wandering around out there looking for us?”

        The thought left a sour taste in Takeru’s mouth, causing the corner of his mouth to curl. “Maybe. I– “

        A sharp gasp from Hikari snapped the boys’ attention away from their conversation. As one, Daisuke and Takeru looked at her wide-eyed expression then followed her gaze ahead of them. At the end of the hall was bend, leading to an area that was poorly lit, save for the gleam of light that shone off metal bars and created vague figures of shapes of various sizes huddled in the dark. Whispers, whimpers, and crying grew more noticeable as the group drew closer to the cellblock, as well as the sickening smell of blood, waste, mold, and spoiled food that assaulted the senses of the Chosen Digimon especially hard.

        Takeru snatched one of the candles so that they could have better lighting when they entered the cellblock, Hikari and Daisuke quickly following suit. Wide, fearful eyes of all sorts of Digimon, mostly Adult and below, watched them, the whispering growing to an almost fever pitch. Ugly purple bruises and red welts marred the skin of virtually every prisoner. The clothing of the few dressed Digimon were stained and in tattered, the torn strips being remade into makeshift bandages to patch up bloody cuts. Only a handful of Digimon were brave enough to go closer to the bars, but most retreated. Baby Digimon huddled together in the corners, while many sat quietly in the darkness, their faces masks of despairing resignation, and more than a few lay sprawled on the floor, unable or unwilling to so much as lift their heads to see the Chosen as they entered the corridor.

        Hikari’s bound hands moved to cover her mouth. Her stomach churned, threatening to purge its contents. She held back the urge, but she could not stop the tears that blurred her vision from spilling down her cheeks. “How… how could he…?” Her voice wavered until she choked on a sob.

        Daisuke looked through the cells, struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. The strangeness of the Digimon, of the very Digital World itself, still left him off balance, but the sight of such brutality was an entirely different alien element. He had heard about cruelty, experienced some first-hand, but the level was different from mere bullying. This was something he only heard about on the news or in history books, somewhere so far away that it could never really touch him, which meant that he did not need to think about it. This was one of those far-off places and these were people suffering right before his eyes. They were not human, but that did not matter. Once the shock wore off, his rage burned so bright that it exploded like dynamite, and he tore the vines from his wrists. “We need bust them all out of here!

        Takeru clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth so tightly it ached. He forced the dark feeling inside of him in to a little ball and shoved it deep inside; he did not have time to deal with it right now, and he did not dare let it distract him. These Digimon did not need his anger, they needed his _help_. He glanced around for guards and then nodded when he saw that the coast was clear. Slipping out of the vines, he moved over towards the cell doors and checked the locks. “Patamon, can you break these?”

        “I’ll try,” Patamon said. He flew over to the nearest cell. “Stand back!” He waited until the few Digimon that had been lingering near the bars to retreat, some scrambling back with fearful cries that made him wince in sympathy. “Air Shot!”

        A blast of air struck the cell door, creating a loud clang that resounded through the prison with all the finality of a church bell rung for a funeral. Some Digimon screamed at the sound, causing many in the rest of the cellblock to retreat to the back of their prisons. A handful of the more listless Digimon raised their heads. As the echo of the attack faded, the crying of fearful baby Digimon replaced it. Unfortunately, the door remained standing without a single dent to show for all the commotion.

        Daisuke glared at the door as though he could somehow destroy it with an angry stare alone before finally tearing his gaze away to look at V-mon. “Think you can break down that door, V-mon?”

        V-mon nodded. “Yeah!” He crouched, tail lashing eagerly behind him before he charged at top speed towards the door, head bowed in front of him to take the brunt of the attack. “V-mon Head!”

        The results were the same – just like Patamon’s attack, the door remained completely unscathed and the imprisoned Digimon reacted with alarm. V-mon bounced off the bars with a loud clang and landed roughly on the floor. He grimaced then rubbed his forehead and whined. “Ow…”

        “It doesn’t work,” Takeru muttered as he crossed his arms. “I guess we should have expected that.”

        Tailmon narrowed her eyes. “If a Child attack could damage the bars, the Digimon would have escaped by now.” A bitter knot of resentment tightened in her gut as she turned her glare to the bandages that covered her wounded body. “It has to be a stronger attack.”

        “Child attack?” Daisuke said as he turned towards Tailmon, his face still twisted in rage. “What do you mean?”

        Hikari felt a bit awkward trying to figure out how to explain evolution simply, particularly in such a terrible place. Now was not the time for a long explanation, but this was information Daisuke needed to know. “Child level is an evolution stage for Digimon. They’re stronger than either baby level but not as strong as an Adult.” She shifted uncomfortably after she saw the uncomprehending look in Daisuke’s eyes. “It’s probably easier to show you or let Koshiro explain it when we get back.”

        “I’m a Child Digimon,” V-mon said, helpfully. “Chicomon was my first Baby form, with Chibimon as my second.”

        “Patamon’s also a Child Digimon,” Takeru said, “but I’m going to evolve him to Adult to break the bars.” He drew his Digivice and turned it towards his partner. “Ready, Patamon? Evolve!”

        Patamon nodded, expression grim then thrust his arms and wings high into the air before shouting at the top of his lungs. “Patamon, evolve!”

        Silence lingered as the group watched Patamon, the air charged with tense anticipation. Seconds ticked by as nothing changed, no glow of evolution, no mystical transformation, and no change in his posture. A slight quiver ran through his body as beads of sweat collected on his forehead, willing with all his might for his body to transform.

        Daisuke looked from Patamon to the others and back before scratching his head. “Uh, was something supposed to happen?”

        Takeru was unable to respond at first, confusion preoccupying his thoughts as he stared unblinkingly at Patamon. Reluctantly he lowered his arm and relaxed his stance. “Yes… Something was supposed to happen.”

        Patamon finally opened his eyes so he could look down at his small, slightly tubby body with dismay before he turned towards Takeru as panic began to bloom inside his heart. “Something’s wrong! I can’t evolve!”

        Tailmon canted her ears back until they pressed hard against her head, ignoring the minor pain that sparked from her injuries. “What… what’s happening?” She forced her gaze away from Patamon to look at her partner and comrades, but found only anxious and confused looks that mirrored her own. “Did the Kaiser do something to keep us from evolving?” Her eyes drifted down to her bandaged arms as she wondered if she would be unable to evolve, or worse, that should she lose any more of her power she might revert to Plotmon and never change back. “Is that even _possible_?”

        The very idea caused Hikari’s insides to clench. She slowly shook her head, more from denial than knowing the answers to her partner’s questions. Given what they learned so far from the Digimon Kaiser, it was not outside the realm of possibility, and that made the evil Chosen Child an even more terrifying an opponent. “Maybe you’re just hungry?”

        Patamon shook his head and threw his arms out to his sides. “I’m a little hungry, but not enough that I can’t evolve!”

        “I was able to evolve earlier,” V-mon said, his voice bright and cheerful despite the anxiety in the air.

        Takeru took his moment to consider the situation, lightly touching his hand to his chin. “It might be a side-effect from that dark ring? Patamon _was_ wearing one earlier.”

        Daisuke broke out in a wide grin. “And V-mon hasn’t ever been collared by that creep so he can still evolve!” He turned to his partner. “Then why don’t you show us how it’s done, V-mon?”

        V-mon blinked at Daisuke. A nervous glint came to his eyes before he hesitantly nodded. He did not feel confident that he could evolve on demand; it was instinctive, so knowingly invoking it was new to him. Still, he refused to disappoint Daisuke. “R-right! You bet! I’ll evolve to the best Adult you’ve ever seen!” The small blue dragon raised his arms. “V-mon, evolve!”

        An unpleasant sense of déjà vu settled over the Chosen as the seconds ticked by and V-mon remained unchanged. He held his posture for nearly a moment before a scowl appeared on his face and he began to pump his fists frantically while hopping in place. “Evolve! E-evolve, evolve, evolve!”

        Takeru sighed as he looked away from V-mon then slowly shook his head. “I don’t think this tells us anything. V-mon is a newborn, so it’d stand to reason he wouldn’t have the power or experience to evolve to an Adult yet _anyway_.”

        V-mon finally stopped flailing about to jut out his lower lip as he crossed his arms. “I… I’m sure it’s the Kaiser’s doing! There’s nothing wrong with _me_!”

        “Hey!” Daisuke shot Takeru a glare as he placed his hand on top of V-mon’s head. “V-mon already evolved twice in a row and that was after he first hatched! It’s gotta be that darn Kaiser messing with him!”

        Takeru touched his hand to his chin, his gaze going distant as he thought back to their first meeting with V-mon. “That’s possible,” he said after a moment. “When V-mon evolved, we were in a different area.” His eyes turned towards Patamon. “There must be something in _this_ area that’s preventing evolution.”

        Hikari shook her head. “It doesn’t matter right now if this is the Digimon Kaiser’s fault or not. We need to figure out a way to open these cages before we’re discovered.”

        Tailmon limped away from the group towards one of the cages. “Let me try.” She held up her hand and watched as she clenched it into a fist. It almost felt ironic that her hands were the only place where she was not badly injured – her gloves had taken the brunt of the damage. The memory of how she was attacked was still fresh in her mind, how all seven of her comrades were manipulated by the Digimon Kaiser like mindless marionettes. He taunted her when she hesitated to attack them at first, and then for pulling back her strength so that she would not hurt them so badly. A couple cheap shots with that whip of his only made the ugly feelings towards him burn more, as it reminded her far too much of _him_. Her lip curled upward to expose her fangs and she barely suppressed the urge to growl as she drew back her fist and unleashed every ounce of her anger towards the Digimon Kaiser at the bars. “Cat Punch!”

        The cell door collapsed inward with a shrieking of metal that tore through the eardrums of everyone gathered as it echoed through the cellblock. The prisoners cried out in pain and fear as they fled to the far wall. The Chosen could not help but flinch back from the sound, save for Tailmon. The door, nearly folded in half, teetered for a moment, before it fell, bursting into data as it crashed to the floor with a resounding clang.

        “Alright!” Takeru said. “That works!”

        Tailmon nodded, her mouth set in a thin line, as she took a moment to survey her work as well as her hand before she limped her way to the next cell. Hikari followed her, keeping a slight distance so as not to interfere with the feline Digimon’s work. One by one the doors fell and were deleted. The rest of the Chosen were left with little more to do but watch her work or keep an eye out for guards. Some of the captives stirred, a few brave enough to dare inching their way to the door, but none made a move to leave their cells.

        V-mon blinked at a small cluster of Digimon who stared back at him with eyes filled with uncertainty. “C’mon!” He made wide gestures around him before pointing towards the way they came. “Let’s go before the guards show!”

        A child size Digimon made from gray rock with large gold eyes – a Gotsumon – spoke in a quiet, timid voice that was as rough as sandpaper. “Is… is this a joke?”

        Hikari did her best to appear reassuring as she smiled at the Digimon. “It’s okay. We’re taking all of you out of here.”

        Daisuke rubbed his nose and grinned. “Don’t worry about the Digimon Kaiser.” He thrust out his thumb before pointing it towards the ground. “We’ll handle that jerk if he dares show his face.”

        The air was thick with tension as the seconds ticked by in silence. A handful of the prisoners managed to gather their courage and carefully stepped out through the empty doorways, as though cautious of a trick or a trap. When no unfortunate fate befell them, a swell of energy overcame the others watching from within the cells and countless voices clamored all at once as Digimon rushed towards freedom.

        “L-let me out, let me out!”

        “I want to escape too!”

        “I don’t want to be here anymore!”

        “Calm down!” Takeru said, raising his voice above the din of the numerous near hysterical cries. “Don’t panic, you’re going to be fine now!”

        Hikari held up her hands in an attempt to get the attention of the Digimon scrambling from their cells, some clawing over or trampling each other in their desperation to escape. “We’re going to make sure you all get out of here. Just keep your voices down before the guards hear us.”

        Tailmon ignored the chaos, her eyes narrowed as she focused on the last cell. Light from the outside spilled into the otherwise gloomy room from a large passageway in the opposite wall. Through it, she saw stone seating in the distance. “This cell’s empty and the door leading to the arena’s open.” She swept her gaze briefly through the stands, seeking any sign of the Digimon Kaiser, before she focused on the arena proper. A splash of color amidst the gray-brown stone made her eyes widen. “It’s Palmon!”

        The rest of the Chosen rushed to Tailmon’s side and quickly saw what she did. To their horror, Palmon was still acting under the Digimon Kaiser’s thrall, using her Poison Ivy attack to whip an Elecmon without mercy. It lay on the ground, unmoving, save for an instinctive flinch accompanied by a pitiable yelp that came with each strike that added a new cut, welt, or bruise to its battered skin.

        Takeru felt his insides clench at the sight. “Patamon!” He turned to his partner. “I know she’s our friend but… you’ve got to attack that dark ring on her! That’s the only way to wake her up!”

        Patamon nodded, his expression grim. “I understand, Takeru.”

        “Daisuke!” V-mon said as he crouched forward and balled his fists, ready for permission to attack.

        Daisuke nodded and thrust out his finger in the direction of the arena. “Go get her, V-mon!”

        “Right!” V-mon said. He charged through the cell and into the arena, Patamon following right behind. Only a meter away from Palmon, he lunged for her before she could spot either of them coming. “Hopping Kick!”

        The attack cry caught Palmon’s attention. She turned in time to receive V-mon’s kick directly into her stomach. She let out a choked cry as the air rushed out of her and her body was sent flying backwards. She hit the ground hard, skidding for a few moments before she slowly slid to a stop. “U-Urgh…”

        Daisuke jumped as he pumped his fist into the air. “Alright!” he cheered. “Go for the ring, V-mon!”

        Patamon gave Palmon no time to recover from V-mon’s attack, unleashing one of his own as his friend was crawling to her feet. “Air Shot!”

        Palmon barely had a chance to pull herself up onto one knee before she was hit again, the blow sending her flying into the arena wall. The black ring cracked, due to the impact, the attacks, or a combination of both. The fractures quickly spread until the collar broke apart, the pieces shattering into bits of data that quickly disappeared. She grimaced and rubbed her stomach as she leaned against the wall. “O-ow…”

        Patamon felt a wave of relief when he saw Palmon blink open her eyes, which were their normal dark green once again, and landed beside her. “Are you okay, Palmon?”

        Palmon rubbed her stomach and let out a plaintive whine as she turned her teary eyes to Patamon. “M-my tummy hurts…”

        “Palmon,” Takeru said, the name coming out like a sigh. He hurried out into the arena to Palmon’s side, closely followed by the rest of the Chosen. He extended his hand to her with a smile on his face. “Let’s go, Mimi’s waiting for you.”

        Hikari took a moment to savor the feeling of relief after they freed one of their captive friends then pulled out her D-Terminal. “I’ll let Mimi know that Palmon is safe.”

        A loud voice suddenly boomed through the arena as powerfully as an explosion. “Hunting Cannon!”

        “Look out!” Tailmon cried out as she tackled Hikari to the ground, saving her partner from an object that whizzed just barely over Hikari’s head. An explosion immediately followed, destroying a large portion of the arena walls. Large chunks of rock that used to be the seating caused the cell they came from and those adjacent to it to cave in, cutting the Chosen off from the prison.

        Takeru jerked his head, whirling towards the explosion. “What! _?_ ”

        “Hikari-chan!” Daisuke shouted after he realized how close the attack came to hitting his friend.

        Hikari shook her head slightly then focused on Tailmon. She noticed some of the white bandages had turned a dark shade of pink. “Tailmon! Are you okay?”

        Tailmon’s breath came between her teeth in a pained hiss as she held her side, her muscles tense. “I’m fine.” She paused to swallow hard. “This is nothing.”

        Takeru sought out the source of the attack and quickly saw the opposite gate into the arena was open. A lone red eye glared from the dark. A tall figure stepped out from the shadows, revealing an armored Digimon with one eye, chains around its wrist, and a centaur body. The Chosen of Hope reeled as he immediately recognized their attacker. “Centarumon! _?_ ”

        “Look!” Patamon said as he pointed towards Centarumon’s neck. “There’s one of those black rings!”

        Daisuke looked from V-mon to Centarumon then Hikari and Tailmon before focusing on the collapsed wall. A large portion of the seating, about half the size of the soccer field he practiced on that morning, had been reduced to little more than rubble. He found his mouth suddenly far too dry as he slowly turned back to face the brainwashed Digimon. “Th-that’s an Adult, right?”

        Takeru nodded as he backed away slowly, his body tense, ready to dodge another attack. “Yes, that’s an Adult.”

        Palmon shook slightly as she looked around. “W-what’s going on?” Tears spilled down her cheeks as she began to tremble. “M-Mimi!”

        Centarumon swept his gaze across the arena, focusing on each Chosen in turn. “You have been found guilty of treason against the Digimon Kaiser.”

        “Digimon Kaiser?” V-mon scoffed. “You mean Digimon _Keister_ , right! _?_ ”

        Tailmon’s tail puffed up despite the bandages when she saw V-mon pat his rump. “Be careful!” she shouted, her voice slightly strained due to reopening her wounds. “He’s still an Adult!”

        Centarumon’s gaze focused on the small cyan dragon that taunted him. Sparks danced across the barrel of his arm cannon as he dug at the dirt with one hoof a moment before he charged at V-mon. “Jet Gallop!”

        V-mon yelped as he leapt out of the way of Centarumon’s attack. His eyes flew open wide as he watched the ground explode where he had been standing only seconds before. “Yow!”

        The near miss made Daisuke’s chest lurch, his body flooding with adrenaline. “Careful, V-mon! That guy’s fast!”

        “Keep your distance, Patamon!” Takeru shouted.

        Patamon hardly needed the warning, but he nodded as he flew high above Centarumon. He took a deep breath then blasted it at the Adult, aiming for the black ring around Centarumon’s neck. “Air Shot!”

        Centarumon turned in time for the air pressure to hit his helmet with a resounding clang. His narrowed eye focused on Patamon as he took aim with his sparking arm cannon. “Hunting Cannon!”

        “V-mon Head!” V-mon shouted his attack at the same time as Centarumon, lunging forward to ram his head into the Adult Digimon’s leg. Centarumon teetered off balance as V-mon’s head collided with the side of his knee, nearly falling over. The shot went wild, arcing high into the air before it obliterated rows of seats far from any would be victims. When the one-eyed Digimon recovered he swung his arm at V-mon, but the little dragon ducked back and out of the way.

        Hikari cradled Tailmon in one arm as she ran over to the fallen Elecmon, picking it up as quickly as she could manage while still being mindful of the injuries both Digimon sported. She darted for Palmon, knowing that she could not carry all three at once, but she saw no place that would be safe for them to hide from Centarumon’s deadly attacks. The door the Adult Digimon came through had closed sometime during the battle, leaving them with only the option of climbing out of the arena, but that would leave them completely vulnerable to attack. She turned to Takeru as she huddled by the wall, shielding the three Digimon with her body. “We have to find a way to get Tailmon and the others out of here!”

        Takeru spared Patamon a quick glance as his partner dodged a wild swing from Centarumon before he hurried to Hikari’s side. He picked up Palmon before taking Elecmon from Hikari. “We’ll just have to hold onto them for now.”

        Daisuke focused entirely on the battle, feeling a rush of excitement and pride as V-mon dodged around Centarumon’s legs, striking them as often as possible, and rendering it impossible for the controlled Digimon to fire the cannon or charge. The newest Chosen Child jumped in the air, waving his fists around and whooping wildly. “Go V-mon! Kick his butt!”

        Tailmon grimaced as she squeezed Hikari’s arm, practically sick with frustration. “If only I could…!” She had used a lot of her energy breaking the cell doors, and the tackle she made earlier aggravated her wounds. It was a struggle not to give in to the instinctive urge to go unconscious. There was nothing left in her to assist this fight.

        V-mon hopped out from beneath Centarumon when the larger Digimon split the ground with a violent strike of hooves where he had just been standing. “Boom Boom Punch!” He spun his fists around in a windmill as he pummeled the Centarumon in the chest and collarbone, aiming at the black ring as best he could, but the Adult reared back, letting the front legs take the brunt of the blow.

        Takeru’s eyes darted about the arena until he saw Patamon soaring in an arc to come up behind Centarumon. “Don’t give him a chance to retaliate!”

        Patamon nodded and went into a nosedive, colliding into the back of Centarumon’s head and striking the helmet with a loud clang. “Air Slam!”

        Centarumon thrashed and staggered back from the attacks before drawing back on his hind hooves and slamming his front ones down, forcing V-mon to jump back with a yelp. He lashed out at Patamon with both arms once he recovered his bearings, forcing the flying Digimon to take a sharp arc to avoid the blow. “I will crush you gnats!”

        Daisuke tensed as he watched V-mon barely evade Centarumon’s attack, the ground cracking where his partner had been previously standing. “Get on his back, V-mon!” he shouted. “Ride him!”

        V-mon yelped as he failed to dodge one of Centarumon’s swipes and was backhanded onto his tail. He skidded across the ground with a grunt, but was quick to return to his feet. He glanced over at Daisuke then nodded sharply. He charged at the Adult Digimon then leapt upwards, flipping over Centarumon’s head so that he could land on the controlled Digimon’s back. “Gotcha!”

        Centarumon bucked his hind legs in an effort to dislodge his unwanted rider. “Get off of me!”

        V-mon nearly fell, but managed to hook his legs around Centarumon’s middle so that he would not be sent flying. Once he recovered, he shot the Adult a cheeky grin and slapped Centarumon’s flank. “Not a chance!”

        Centarumon swung his cannon back at V-mon, only for the Child to duck his attack. “I’ll delete you into data!”

        “Thousand Wing!” Patamon spun around in the air until he became a miniature tornado and collided with Centarumon. The centaur-like Digimon was caught completely off-guard by the attack and howled in rage, as he was sent staggering back by the blow to his neck. A crack appeared on the dark ring’s surface that spread until the wicked device crumbled to pieces and disappeared into data.

        Takeru could not help but grin from ear to ear, as he watched the ring disappear. “You got it! Alright!”

        Daisuke pumped his fists into the air. “Alright! You did it!”

        Hikari exhaled as the tension left her. “Thank goodness.”

        Centarumon ceased his struggling and blinked his red eye repeatedly as it ceased to glow. He shook his head to clear it then looked around at everyone. “Chosen Children. You’ve finally returned.”

        Takeru was the first to approach Centarumon. “Centarumon! Thank goodness, you’ve returned to your senses.”

        V-mon blinked as he looked around, still straddling Centarumon’s back. “Huh? Fight’s over?”

        Hikari smiled as she moved to join Takeru by Centarumon’s side. “I’m so glad you’re back to normal, Centarumon.”

        “I apologize for attacking you,” Centarumon said. “I’m afraid the Digimon Kaiser’s Evil Ring made it impossible for me to disobey him.”

        The term caught Takeru’s attention. “Evil Ring? Is that what that thing that was controlling you is called?”

        Centarumon nodded as he brought is armored hand to his neck where the dark ring used to be. “Yes. The Digimon Kaiser’s Evil Ring controls Digimon absolutely. The more we resist, the more we lose ourselves to their evil power.”

        Palmon fidgeted, anxiously. She was not sure of what was going on anymore, though she was somewhat reminded of their first adventure in the Digital World. However, there was something else far more pressing on her mind. “What’s going on? Where’s Mimi?”

        Hikaru smiled gently at Palmon. “She’s waiting for us outside. We’ll go meet up with her once we free the guards too.”

        Takeru frowned, wondering just how many guards there were in the coliseum. “But how? We can’t fight everyone when we can’t evolve.”

        Hikari turned to Centarumon. “Could you help us, Centarumon?”

        Centarumon scraped the dirt with his hoof before bowing his head. “It would be my honor, Chosen Child.”

        Tailmon looked at her paw for a long moment before redirecting her attention to the others. “We need to do this fast, before the Kaiser returns.”

        Patamon and V-mon nodded vigorously and replied in the same instant. “Right!”

* * *

        The squeal of joy Mimi made as she saw Palmon almost caused the gathered Chosen to wince as they watched her lunge for her partner, scooping Palmon up in a tight hug as tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. “Palmon! Palmon, you’re safe!”

        Palmon sobbed with relief as she clung to Mimi just as fiercely as her partner did to her. “M-Mimi-!”

        Hikari smiled, enjoying the wonderfully warm moment of reunion between Chosen Child and Digimon. She hesitated to interrupt it, but she could not help but think of the rest of their friends who were still lost to the Digimon Kaiser’s control. “Now we just have to find the others so we can free them too.”

        Daisuke felt a great sense of satisfaction at his string of victories and cocked a crooked smile as he straightened up, eyes bright and energetic. “Yeah, and V-mon and I can break their Evil Rings too! Come on, let’s go looking!”

        Takeru looked over at Daisuke, his smile fading as he shook his head and made a negative noise. “For now, we should head back. The Digimon trapped here have already fled and the Digimon Kaiser might show up at any time, so we shouldn’t stick around either.” The Chosen of Hope glanced at Tailmon, who was visibly sagging against Hikari. He hesitated say it aloud, but it was obvious Tailmon was still greatly suffering from her earlier injuries and would not be able to handle any more.

        Hikari nodded as she followed Takeru’s gaze to her partner. She pretended not to notice that Tailmon’s tough act was no longer working, but it was hard to keep her worry from showing. “Right. Koshiro can use his laptop to search the Digital World faster than we can on foot.”

        Daisuke looked around at the others, surprised to see the joy from moments ago replaced with unease and concern then let out a groan that came rather close to sounding like a whine. “Aww… come on, really? We’re on a roll here!”

        Palmon rested her damp cheek against Mimi’s collarbone as she closed her eyes. “I want to go home,” she said, her voice coming out as a tiny plea laced with exhaustion and strained due to stress.

        Mimi stroked the petals atop Palmon’s head gently. “I want to go home too, Palmon.” She turned her eyes to the others in a silent plea.

        Daisuke stared at Mimi and Palmon, their tear filled eyes wrenching something in his chest, then quickly looked away. A surge of guilt hit him so strongly that it left him flustered and rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay, okay, fine.”

        Takeru looked at Daisuke with a small smile on his face before he drew out his Digivice. “Digital Gate, open!” He had barely finished speaking when he realized his error. “Oh wait, Hikari has to–”

        A flash sparked from the Chosen of Hope’s Digivice, engulfing the entire group in an instant, leaving no trace of them behind in the Digital World.

* * *

        The Digimon Kaiser stood silently on top of an Airdramon’s head as he surveyed the damage from high above the coliseum. His Dark Tower was still standing, but all his prisoners and guards had escaped. Even his new toys Patamon and Palmon were gone, and it did not take much effort to figure out what had happened.

        A low growl rumbled at the back of the Digimon Kaiser’s throat. “When the cat is away, the mice will play.” He tapped his leg lightly with his coiled whip. It was going to take time and resources to recapture all the little mice the children set loose and put them back in their cells. He needed to punish them, and especially the guards. Those traitors fled with the rest of them once the collars were gone. Not that he expected loyalty from a Digimon.

        The Digimon Kaiser’s eyes narrowed, the muscles in his jaw tightening. “Those insects think this is anything more than a nuisance to me? That’s more insulting than anything else they’ve done today.”

        With a snap, the Digimon Kaiser lashed out his whip at thin air. The Airdramon cringed back, even though the strike had come nowhere near its skin. “Get to work! A thousand lashes to whoever catches the fewest escapees!”

        A mighty roar rumbled up from down below – a large group of controlled Digimon ranging from Child to Adult had been gathered outside of the coliseum, their eyes piercing red in the gloomy twilight. In the dim light of evening they looked like living shadows as they spread out, disappearing into the forest around the coliseum to become monsters that hunted the innocent and unwary in the dark.

        The Digimon Kaiser watched his minions disappear with his arms tightly folded across his chest. Once they were gone he tilted his head, directing his gaze to some point in the distance. “Hmph. They think they can just come in and challenge me in my own game?” A smile that was mostly teeth slowly appeared on his face. “Those newbies have no idea who they’re dealing with.”


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the real world, things are no less troubling for the Chosen Children than they are in the Digital World. Unnerving new details come to light about the newest Chosen, who might not be as nice as he first appears.
> 
> * * *

        The Yagami apartment was filled with chatter from Daisuke as he stood in the kitchen and excitedly told all who would listen about the events that took place in the Digital World. The group was divided, some listening to the newest member of their group, a few had gone to Hikari’s bedroom, and the rest focused on Koshiro in the living room as he sat in front of his laptop. With a weary sigh, the Chosen of Knowledge leaned back and closed his computer. “It’s no good. I can’t just search the Digital World at random and expect to find the others. We were just lucky to stumble across Patamon and Palmon. I need to try and make a program that will track down the others’ unique data signatures.”

        Taichi inclined his head towards Koshiro. “You mean sort of like how our Digivices can track each other down?”

        Koshiro nodded as he rose from the sofa with his laptop tucked in the crook of his arm. “Exactly.”

        Daisuke slapped his hands together. “Wham! V-mon was on Centarumon’s back and riding him like a cowboy breaking in a bronco!” He jumped around in place and made exaggerated motions, as though riding an invisible horse around the kitchen counter. “It was amazing!”

        Chibimon looked rather pleased with himself, his chest somewhat puffed up as he mimicked Daisuke, hopping around after his partner while waving his tiny paws. “Yeah, yeah~!”

        Sora held back the urge to laugh at Daisuke and Chibimon’s antics, feeling somewhat guilty about the urge, yet she could not stop herself from smiling. “It really sounds like it.” She held doubts about how accurate Daisuke’s account was, but the pair were obviously having fun telling their version of the story.

        Takeru leaned against the back of the sofa, tuning out Daisuke’s enthused chatter. “Can you figure out any reason why we couldn’t evolve?”

        Koshiro shook his head. “I have a few theories, but I need to test them before I can say for sure what caused it.”

        Takeru glanced back at Daisuke, recalling how Chibimon had evolved earlier while the rest of them could not, including the small dragon Digimon later on. After a moment, he looked back at Koshiro. “Well, we managed for now, but if we run in to anything more powerful, we’re in for a lot of trouble.”

        Jou knelt in front of Hikari’s bed as he taped down the last of the fresh bandages he had applied to Tailmon’s wounds. He could not hide his grimace during the treatment. “You’ve _got_ to rest, Tailmon. You opened your wounds and made a few of them worse. If you push yourself too hard like this, you’re going to do some real damage to your body and don’t have a _real_ doctor to treat you if that happens!”

        Tailmon’s ears canted back as she kept her gaze focused anywhere but towards Jou, Hikari, or anyone else who cast a worried glance her way. She hardly saw the point of coddling her given her history. She knew just how much her body could handle and had suffered far worse in the past. She had told them as much, but it did not stop their concern and only served to make her partner melancholy. That fact just added to her sour mood and made her feel inclined to sulk about her circumstances.

        Hikari lightly ran her fingers across the top of Tailmon’s head, gently smoothing back the fur where there were no injuries. She wanted to hold Tailmon close, but it would interfere with Jou’s treatment, and she was worried that she might aggravate the feline Digimon’s wounds. “It’s okay to rest for a while, Tailmon,” she said softly. “Our friends are going to need you to recover your strength so we can rescue them.”

        Koshiro entered the bedroom. “Hikari-chan, is it alright if I borrow your Digivice for a while?”

        Hikari looked up at Koshiro, blinking. A moment later, comprehension dawned and she quickly pulled out her Digivice. “You want to examine it, right?”

        Koshiro set his laptop down on Hikari’s desk so that his hands were free to accept the Chosen of Light’s Digivice. “Whatever changed your Digivice must be related to the Digimon Kaiser somehow. Your Digivice is the only one that can take us into the Digital World right now, and it looks almost identical to his.”

        Taichi tucked his hands into his pockets as he followed Koshiro into the bedroom, a frown on his face as he got a good look at his sister’s newly transformed Digivice for the first time. “Do you think the Digimon Kaiser changed Hikari’s Digivice?”

        Takeru shook his head. “I doubt it. He didn’t want us there, so giving Hikari a way to enter the world after he locked it down wouldn’t make sense.”

        Yamato exhaled roughly in an almost snort. “Yeah, no kidding. With all the trouble he went through to kick us out of the Digital World there’s no way he could’ve known that Hikari could just let us back in.”

        Hikari furrowed her brow. “But I never even saw him before it transformed.” She paused for a moment, her gaze distant. “I don’t even know how it happened. I’m sure it was normal this morning.”

        Koshiro let out a quiet hum as considered the possibilities while examining the Digivice from all angles. He pressed the buttons next, not expecting the holy device to give him access to the features, as it was not his, but it did not hurt to test the buttons in case that feature had changed as well during the transformation. “Then it might have something to do with Tailmon’s appearance at the soccer field.”

        Sora peeked into the bedroom, one hand pressed against the doorframe. “If you can figure out how it happened, maybe we can all change our Digivices too. Then any of us can go in.”

        Koshiro nodded and tucked the Digivice into his pocket. “That’s what I’m hoping for. I’ll let you all know if I find out anything useful.”

        Takeru entered the bedroom. “Koshiro, I want to try something.” He opened up the laptop without waiting for a response and waited for the Digital Gate to reappear on the screen before pulling out his Digivice. “Digital Gate open!”

        Silence lingered for a long moment as the rest of the Chosen watched. Despite the fact that no one expected anything to happen, there was still a sense of tension, as the others wondered if the Chosen of Hope had noticed something they had not. Disappointment replaced this fleeting feeling as the gate remained closed. Yamato was the first to speak, regarding his brother with an arched eyebrow. “We already know about that.”

        Takeru focused his gaze on his Digivice. “Yes, but I was able to open a Digital Gate in the Digital World.” His grip tightened on the Digivice. “Both times.”

        Sora stared at Takeru. “What? But... it wouldn’t open before.”

        “And it won’t open now,” Takeru said. He all but glared at the Digital Gate. “And yet, not even five minutes ago, I could. And I also could when we first got V-mon and decided to regroup.”

        Jou cast Takeru and the laptop a thoughtful look. “So you... _could_ open a Digital Gate while in the Digital World, but _can’t_ in our world?” He scratched the back of his head. “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

        “I don’t know,” Takeru said.

        Yuko’s voice cut into the Chosen’s conversation. “It’s getting late.” Her eyes focused on the clock as she leaned back against the kitchen counter, a dishtowel in one hand and a half-dried bowl in the other. “I know you’re worried, but shouldn’t you call your parents?”

        Mimi put her hand to her cheek and sighed. “I just know my parents are going to be _so_ worried about me. I told them I was going to the Digital World to get Palmon and now we’re stuck back in Japan!”

        “Huh?” Daisuke looked at Mimi. “What do you mean?”

         “Mimi is actually from America,” Sora said before glancing the Chosen of Purity. Mimi’s new look – the pink dyed hair adorned with yellow stars and wardrobe themed with red, white, and blue – was a tribute to the big move to the United States just last fall. “Mimi, you’ll be staying with me tonight, and then tomorrow we’ll try to do some gate bouncing to get you home.”

        Mimi smiled at Sora, her expression bright despite her concern for her parents. “At least that’s one good thing about all this. We can have a sleepover!”

        Sora let out a soft giggle. “Right.”

        Palmon quietly gave Mimi’s arm a squeeze as she leaned against her partner, still looking rather sullen.

        Mimi turned to Palmon before sweeping the plant Digimon into her arms for a hug. “It’s okay, Palmon. We’ll be back home with Mama and Papa soon.”

        Koshiro cast a thoughtful gaze towards the closed Digital Gate. “We’ll need to be careful when we try sending Mimi home through the Digital World tomorrow. The Digimon Kaiser will probably try to interfere.”

        Takeru frowned as he looked at the laptop screen. “Right now, he’s probably just waiting for us.”

        Daisuke scratched his cheek. “So, wait, there’s other kids with Digimon and Digivices like us all over the world?”

        “Nah,” Taichi said. “Mimi used to live in Odaiba like us, but a few months back her parents got transferred to America.”

        Daisuke considered this bit of information before nodding. “Got it. So only kids from Odaiba like us can be Chosen Children, right?”

        Jou let out a thoughtful hum as he slid his glasses upward. “We don’t really know what makes someone a Chosen.” He paused to run his fingers through his hair. “We haven’t figured that out yet, to be honest.”

        Koshiro turned his gaze to the newest member of their team as his fingers lightly rubbed his chin. “Daisuke, have you ever lived in Hikarigaoka?”

        Daisuke blinked, casting a blank look at Koshiro before shaking his head. “Nope. I’ve only ever lived in Odaiba.”

        “Is that so…” Koshiro said before exhaling loudly, his shoulders dipping downward. “Then there must be another reason why you’ve been chosen too.”

        Mimi looked from Palmon’s weary face to the others and puffed air into her cheeks before letting it out in an annoyed huff. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow, okay? Palmon needs to rest and I’m tired and I want to take a bath.”

        Daisuke rubbed the back of his head chuckled softly, hoping to disperse the tension, but it just came out awkward. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just new to this Chosen Child stuff, you know? I’ve got so many questions I feel like my head is gonna explode!”

        Takeru glanced towards Daisuke before his gaze drifted down to Chibimon. “That reminds me…”

        As if on cue, Chibimon jumped up into the air with a burst of excited energy. “I want to see Daisuke’s house! I want to go home with Daisuke!”

        Daisuke grinned as he caught Chibimon in midair when his partner made another jump. “Sounds like a plan to me!”

        Hikari’s brow furrowed. Reluctantly, she left Tailmon’s side to peer outside her bedroom, leaning against the doorframe. “Daisuke, do you want me to come with you and explain Chibimon to your parents?”

        A dark look passed over Daisuke’s features. A heartbeat later, it was replaced with a cheerful smile, as though such an expression could never exist on his face in the first place. “Nah, it’s fine, Hikari-chan. I already know if I show my parents they’re going to freak out about Chibimon, or worse, they’ll make me share him with Jun.”

        Takeru noticed the odd look Daisuke had, but what troubled him more was how Hikari directed her worrying gaze towards the newest Chosen. “Jun?”

        Daisuke gave up on smiling and let out his breath in a mixture of a grunt and a growl. “My stupid older sister.” He wagged a finger at Chibimon. “No matter what you’ve got to make sure Jun and my parents don’t see you, Chibimon. If they catch you, Jun will snatch you up and probably take you away and force you to wear makeup and dresses or cram you into her closet or something.”

        “Huh?” Chibimon blinked as he stared at Daisuke, his bright red eyes wide with confusion.

        Yamato’s cheek twitched when Daisuke’s insult registered, tension creeping into his muscles. “What?”

        Daisuke’s expression grew severe. “That’s right. Jun is the worst. She’s the reason why our cat ran away. She always hits you whenever you get her mad, and insults everyone behind their back, so you better not let her see you, Chibimon.”

        Yamato lashed out with the speed of a cobra striking, snatching Daisuke by the collar to yank the younger boy upward closer to his eye level. His face flushed with anger and his eyes narrowed into slits, as he carved into Daisuke with a look that was practically lethal. “What did you say! _?_ ”

        Daisuke yelped and accidentally dropped Chibimon when Yamato jerked him about. He grabbed the older boy’s hands on instinct before trying to pry them away from his shirt. “What’s your problem _?_!”

        “What’s yours! _?_ ” Yamato snapped. “What’re you doing, talking trash about your sister like that! _?_ ”

        Takeru, like most of the people gathered in the Yagami apartment, gawked at Yamato’s sudden display of aggression. “Big Brother! _?_ ”

         Chibimon squeaked when he hit the floor, dazed for a moment. “Daisuke?” He hopped up, growing increasingly alarmed as he saw his partner being threatened. “Daisuke!”

        Yamato shook Daisuke roughly, countering any attempts the younger boy had in trying to force him to let go. “If you were my brother, I’d never forgive you!” Rage bubbled over inside of him. To hear someone say such things about their siblings, it was just unforgivable! Daisuke was spitting on the very bond that siblings shared! “You’re supposed to look out for each other, and here you are talking crap about her just like that?”

        Taichi moved to stand behind Yamato, his expression twisted in rage as he glared past his friend’s shoulder, unmoved by the startled look he saw on Daisuke’s face as he locked eyes with the newest Chosen. “You’ve got a lot of nerve insulting your sister, Daisuke. I thought you were better than that.”

        Daisuke flinched as if Taichi struck him. “S-Senpai?”

        “Hikari’s a sister too you know,” Taichi said. “How would you like it if I kept insulting her in front of you, huh?”

        Chibimon’s reaction was immediate and intense. His eyes narrowed, devoid of their adorable nature and instead thin and focused like a predator’s. The tiny dragon Digimon bared his razor sharp teeth for a brief second before he lunged forward, digging them violently in to the Chosen of Friendship’s leg.

        Yamato howled in pain, letting go of Daisuke as he fell backwards. Chibimon held on to Yamato’s ankle, digging his teeth deeply in to the teenage boy. The little dragon Digimon shook his head, tearing the fabric of the Chosen’s pants in a frenzy.

        Takeru cried out for Yamato and hurried over to his brother’s side. “Chibimon! _?_ ”

        Taichi grabbed Chibimon and attempted to pry the angry Digimon off of Yamato. “That’s enough!”

        All Taichi succeeded in doing was turning the baby Digimon’s anger on himself. Chibimon whirled to snap his jaws in the Chosen of Courage’s face, causing Taichi to jerk backwards and drop the baby Digimon. Chibimon bristled as he crouched, digging his tiny claws in to ground so deeply it shredded the linoleum tile like toilet paper. “ _I won’t let you bully Daisuke_!”

        Daisuke stared at Chibimon. He was taken aback by his partner’s anger and violence, yet he was deeply touched that Chibimon would defend him so passionately. “Chibimon…”

        A loud clanging resounded through the apartment, instantly drawing the attention of the chosen to Yuko, who held a sopping wet ladle in one hand and a dirty pot in the other. She stopped striking the pot with the ladle as she cast a disapproving gaze upon the group. “That’ll be enough violence in my home.”

        Chibimon scooted over to Daisuke and grasped his Chosen by the leg, though he kept his angry glare focused on Taichi and Yamato. “Bullies!”

        Yamato grimaced as he checked his leg, where the Digimon’s teeth had shredded his pants leg and broke the skin. It was not bleeding heavily, and he counted himself lucky for that. The Digimon’s teeth could have done a lot worse.

        “That goes for you too, young man,” Yuko said as she pointed the ladle at Chibimon. “Er, I mean, ‘mon. There will be no biting in my home, even if someone is behaving badly.”

        Taichi rubbed the back of his neck as an embarrassed heat rose to his face. He forgot that his mother had been watching the entire time. He chose instead to focus on Yamato and the wound left by Chibimon. “Um, maybe you better have a look at that, Jou.”

        Jou fidgeted anxiously as he seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack. Taichi’s words snapped him out of it and he nodded sharply before bolting out of the room to get his medical supplies.

        Chibimon’s ears canted back and gripped Daisuke’s leg, but he at least stopped baring his teeth at the other Chosen. “Mmmff...”

        Daisuke rubbed his cheek as he looked at Yuko. “Sorry about that. Chibimon was just trying to protect me.” He reached down to pick his partner up, giving Chibimon a hug. “Thanks for having my back, Buddy,” he whispered in the little Digimon’s ear.

        Chibimon’s hostility was instantly replaced with overflowing affection. The tiny dragon Digimon nuzzled Daisuke, purring happily, as he gripped the front of his Chosen’s shirt. “Daisuke~!”

        Mimi moaned as she pulled Palmon closer, burying her face in her partner’s petals. “No more fighting, please. I just want to go to bed and forget about today.”

        Takeru helped Yamato over to the couch, looking down at the injury. He was still a bit taken back that Chibimon had attacked so aggressively. Still, he could see why it had happened. The little Digimon had no way of knowing that the other Chosen were not enemies given how little Chibimon knew of them – as far as he was aware, Daisuke was in trouble and needed to be protected. Takeru could not begrudge that natural instinct.

        Sora hesitated to speak up, as the earlier scene caught her quite off guard, but she managed to gather her bearings enough to give Mimi a nod. Concerned weighed heavily in her expression as she looked from Taichi to Yamato then Daisuke and Chibimon before focusing on Mimi and Palmon. The plant Digimon let out a plaintive whine as she clung to Mimi, obviously just as distressed as her partner. “Yes,” Sora said softly. “We should go now.”

        Yamato grunted as he wobbled a bit and more fell backwards onto the couch than sat down. He glanced over to Chibimon, his eyes locking with the little Digimon’s. Chibimon’s expression turned ugly as he directed a challenging look towards the Chosen of Friendship.

        Taichi crossed his arms over his chest as he gave Daisuke a piercing glare. He was not about to get over this incident so easily. “Daisuke, don’t _ever_ talk that way about your sister again.”

        Daisuke started to look towards Taichi, but stopped short of making eye contact. He hesitated only a moment before he turned his back on the rest of the Chosen. “Yeah,” he muttered. “Got it, Senpai.” He left apartment without another word, his footsteps heavy against the floor.

        Chibimon peered over Daisuke’s shoulder, staring hard at Taichi and Yamato. He reached up one paw to point at his eyes before pointing back at the two boys, seconds before he disappeared out the door with Daisuke.

        “I think we’re on notice,” Yamato said.

        Taichi’s exhale almost sounded like a chuckle. “Seems that way.”

        The rest of the Chosen Children dispersed to their homes in an awkward silence. Yamato and Takeru were last after the Chosen of Friendship was patched up, departing with a slight limp. It was not until everyone had gone that Hikari finally spoke. “Big Brother, you shouldn’t get too angry with Daisuke.”

        Taichi stared at Hikari, his eyebrows shooting up. “What? You heard him! He was spreading lies about his sister in front of everyone!”

        The way Taichi raised his voice at her made Hikari cringe inside, though she did a decent job of hiding it as she shook her head. “Daisuke… doesn’t have a relationship with his sister like the one we have, or the one Takeru and Yamato have.”

        Taichi’s expression contorted into a distasteful grimace. “I’m not surprised if he’s always insulting her like that.”

        “I’ve met Jun before,” Hikari said. “She… well, she _really_ doesn’t treat Daisuke well at all.”

        Taichi leaned back a bit. “Maybe if Daisuke wasn’t spreading rumors about her she’d be nicer to him.”

        Hikari sighed and closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Just, please, don’t be so hard on him. For me?”

        Taichi grunted and scratched his head beneath his goggles. “ _Fine_. Chibimon would probably bite me too anyway. But I’m not going to just stand around and listen to him badmouthing his sister.”

        “That’s enough now,” Yuko said, her expression troubled. The sooner she directed her children away from this topic, the better. “I need you two to help me set the table and make dinner.”

        Taichi felt fed up with the entire incident and was more than eager to drop the subject. “Okay, Mom.”

        Hikari slowly shook her head, trying to ignore the feeling of guilt that gnawed in her chest. The last thing she wanted to do was get involved in an argument with her brother, yet she knew that his stance on the matter was wrong. She felt that she owed it to Daisuke to stand up for him. As she went through the motions of helping prepare dinner and slipped into the usual evening banter as though nothing had happened, she could not shake the feeling that she should have done more.

* * *

        The early morning air brought a chill to Takeru’s skin as he made his way to school. He exhaled a foggy cloud of warm breath that quickly dissipated from sight. He rubbed his arms through his sleeves, which suddenly felt as thin as paper, and wished he had not relied on the weather forecast that predicted a sharp rise in temperature later in the day – he could have really used his jacket about now. The only place on his body that felt warm was the top of his head, where a familiar weight rested.

        Standing outside the school grounds brought Takeru an extreme sense of déjà vu, as the sight of it dredged up all the feelings of uncertainty he had the day before about attending someplace entirely new, with people he did not know. Yesterday was supposed to be his first day of classes at this school, but he had never gotten past the soccer field. It left him wondering what sort of impression that left on his teachers when he never showed up, or if anyone saw him running off with Hikari and Daisuke.

        Despite this, Takeru felt more at ease than he did yesterday because now Patamon was with him. The thought brought a smile to his face as his eyes drifted upward. He saw Patamon’s wings occasionally tremble, probably from the chilled morning air, and was about to say something, but his partner spoke up first.

         “I see it!” Patamon said, before peering down at his partner. “That’s your school, right, Takeru?”

        Takeru met Patamon’s eyes and his smile broadened. “Yes, that’s right.”

        Takeru recalled how his mother told him that she had quite a time explaining why he never made it to class. It was possible that the teachers would administer some sort of punishment for his truancy, such as making him hold a bucket in the hallway or something to that extent. Whatever the price he had to pay, it was worth it to save Patamon, Palmon, and many other Digimon. His duty as a Chosen always came first.

        As Takeru passed through the gates, he noticed soccer practice was once again taking place on the dew-covered practice field. He scanned the bleachers, but did not see Hikari anywhere in sight. “She must be staying home to watch over Tailmon.”

        Patamon’s wings lowered slightly. “Yeah,” he said, his voice quiet.

        Takeru cast his gaze upward for a moment before he focused his attention back on the soccer field. The players blended together with their similar uniforms, but after a few moments, he spotted Daisuke. Relief rushed through him as he saw the bright smile on the other boy’s face, which grew bigger when Daisuke stole the ball away from a teammate and rushed it towards the goal. “I guess he didn’t take things too hard the other day.”

        Patamon looked around the field until his eyes fell upon a duffle bag resting on one of bottom row of the bleachers. “There’s Chibimon!”

        Takeru quickly spotted the small blue dragon watching his Chosen play with wide, excited eyes. The blonde chuckled softly. “So he is. I can’t believe he bit my brother, though.” He paused, recalling the ferocity Chibimon displayed yesterday – it was a sharp contrast to how the young Digimon was acting now. He turned his gaze towards Patamon. “But I guess you would bite someone if you thought they were picking on me, too.”

        Patamon chanced to flash a grin down at Takeru. “Nah, I’d give them a thousand wing slaps instead. Their cheeks would be so swollen by the time I’m done they wouldn’t be able to say another bad word about you.”

        Takeru covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. “That’s what I thought.”

        Patamon let out a small giggle. “And if that didn’t work I’d hit them with an Air Shot or evolve into Angemon and scare them off.”

        The attack name sent a ripple of pain through Takeru’s the bruises lining his back and chest as he remembered the injuries he sustained from his partner. He felt better after a good night’s sleep, and some over the counter pain medication allowed him to forget that he had been hurt at all – except for when he was reminded of it. He forced a convincing laugh as he tried not to dwell on injuries or the reason why he had them. “Just don’t overdo it, okay?”

        Patamon giggled until he spotted a couple of kids around Takeru’s age coming their way. Instantly he froze in place, staring straight ahead, as did his best stuffed animal impersonation, and hoped that they did not notice him moving.

        Takeru noticed his partner’s sudden silence and spotted two boys walking in his direction. They moved slowly, their eyes fixed to the soccer field, until coming to a halt only a meter away from him. One boy had fair hair and a green shirt while the other dark hair and a red shirt.

        The boy in the red shirt wore a sneer, as though he caught wind of some foul odor. “Ugh, look, it’s that jerk Motomiya.”

        The boy in green snorted. “I can’t believe the coach is letting him back on the team this year after what happened.”

        The boy in red briefly stuck out his tongue. “ _I_ can’t believe Yagami hangs out with him after what he did in the girls’ locker room.”

        The boy in green had been about to reply when he spotted Takeru. He looked over the Chosen then focused on Patamon with one eye squinted and the other wide with a raised eyebrow. “What the heck is up with your hat?”

        Takeru flashed the other boys a smile. “It’s very unique, huh?”

        “I guess,” the boy in green said. “What is that thing?”

        A burst of laughter from the boy in red prevented Takeru from answering. “Hah! Motomiya just fell flat on his face! What a loser.”

        “No way,” the boy in green said as he focused on the field. “Hah! Look at that, he’s spitting grass! What a loser.”

        Takeru let out an inquisitive hum as he looked towards the soccer field. He watched as Daisuke scrambled to regain his footing and chase after the ball like the rest of his team while swiping bits of grass off his face. “Ah, you’re talking about Daisuke?”

        The boy in the green shirt gave Takeru an odd look. “Wait, are you new around here or something?”

        “Yep,” Takeru said. He smiled as Daisuke reclaimed the soccer ball then turned to face the two boys again. “Nice to meet you.”

        The boy in the red shirt moved to Takeru’s side, cupping his hand around his mouth as he leaned in close to the blonde’s ear. “Look, since you’re new we’re going to give you some really good advice. If you want to avoid trouble you’re going to want to stay far, far away from Motomiya.”

        Takeru blinked, looking at the two boys with innocent eyes. “Huh? Why? He seems nice.”

        The boy in green scowled. “Trust me, you don’t want to be near him. He’s the biggest troublemaker in school.”

        “Everyone around here hates him,” the boy in red said. “Even the teachers. He cheats on tests, peeps on the girls in the locker room, picks fights, booby traps shoe lockers, and spreads nasty rumors about people behind their backs!”

        Takeru found himself without an immediate response, save for a quiet hum, as he drank in the irony.

        The boy in green threw his arms out to his sides. “And that’s not even the half of it! You won’t _believe_ some of the crap he does!”

         “I hear he also beats up girls,” the boy in red said. “And he steals their panties and sniffs them and even _wears_ them!”

        “The worst part is he’s got a really _nasty_ temper,” the boy in green said. “He’ll hit you just for lookin’ at him funny!”

        The smile on Takeru’s face stretched further, to the point that it was nearly ready to snap, though he made sure to keep his tone light. “Oh, that can’t be right. I’m sure those are just silly rumors that someone made up.”

        The boy in red shook his head. “It’s all true! We swear! He gets into fights all the time. Just ask anyone.”

        The boy in green nodded vigorously, fists clenching in front of his chest. “That’s right! Even his family agrees he’s no good.”

        Takeru’s eyes widened slightly, his smile faltering. “His family?” The memory of the incident between Daisuke, Yamato, and Taichi from yesterday popped into his head. “What’re you talking about?”

        The boy in red took on a severe expression. He glanced around, as though afraid someone might overhear, then spoke in low, angry tones. “The dude beats his sister. One time she came to drop off his lunch and he punched her! Right in the face!”

        The accusation painted a sickly picture in Takeru’s head, but somehow he managed to force out a laugh, though it sounded terribly strained to his ears. “Oh come on. If that were true, he would have been expelled.”

        The boy in green pierced Takeru with a glare. “It _is_ true! The teachers would’ve jumped at the chance, but they didn’t actually see it happen. Besides, I heard his parents begged the school to let him stay since they’re afraid of him too.”

        Takeru shook his head slightly. It was true that Daisuke said bad things about Jun, but that was hardly the same as beating her. Although Takeru had barely known the newest Chosen for more than a day, what he learned so far about Daisuke did not match the things the boys told him. In any case, the most convincing argument towards Daisuke’s innocence was Hikari. Takeru knew that although she showed amazing amounts of kindness to just about anyone, she would not have called Daisuke friend if he were a bad person. Not to mention, Tailmon would have never allowed such a terrible person anywhere near her dear partner. Those two facts spoke volumes of his innocence. “Daisuke doesn’t seem like the kind of person to do all that. I’m sure they’re just rumors.”

        The boys stared at Takeru, their expressions contorted with confusion and suspicion. The boy in green spoke up first. “Are you naïve or something?”

        “I thought you said you just transferred in,” the boy in red said. “How would _you_ know what he’s like?”

        Takeru wore a placating smile. “Yes, I did say that, but Hikari wouldn’t hang out with someone who would do all those things.” He gave a casual shrug. “So there’s no way any of it could be true.”

        The boy in the red shirt jerked, his eyebrows shooting upward. “Hikari? You mean Yagami? You _know_ her?”

        The boy in green rolled his eyes, the corner of his mouth pulling back from his teeth as he let out a short derisive snort. “Oh, that explains everything. If you trust someone like _her_ it’s no wonder you don’t know anything.”

        The reaction was far from what Takeru expected. It prickled a sense of unease at the back of his neck. He did his best to keep his face unchanged and cocked his head ever so slightly as he let out an inquisitive hum.

        “Yagami ain’t exactly unbiased about Motomiya if you know what I mean,” the boy in red said.

        “They have a thing, see,” the boy in green said.

        Takeru blinked slowly, eyes wide, with an expression that was the very air of innocence. “A ‘thing’?”

        The boy in red crossed his fingers and held them up in front of Takeru’s face. “A _thing_. You know?”

        The boy in the green shirt made a circle with one hand and moved a finger in and out of with another. “Do we gotta spell it out for you or what?”

        The unease plaguing Takeru exploded into a burst of white-hot anger, cracking his poker face with a twitch of his cheek. The sudden tension in his body aggravated his bruising and made it difficult to keep smiling. He tried valiantly to remain unaffected and not let the boys know of his emotions, but the corners of his mouth were stretched too high and wide to be quite so convincing anymore. Fortunately, the boys seemed completely oblivious to his change in mood. “Hey, now.”

        The boy in green scoffed. “Yagami has a _thing_ with the gym coach too.” He moved two fingers in his lewd pantomime. “And at _least_ two other students.” A grouping of three fingers slid in and out of the O shape he formed with his hand. “Some girls who wanted to use the bathroom heard them all going at it right there in the stall!”

        “That’s how Yagami talked the coach into letting a violent jerk like Motomiya on the team,” the boy in red said.

        It took every ounce of willpower Takeru possessed not to give in to the shockingly tempting urge he had to punch the boy in green until his hands stopped making their crude puppet show. The Chosen of Hope tried to keep calm, but his breath came in short bursts through his teeth with a quiet hissing. His jaw twitched with the suddenly monumental effort it took to keep himself smiling despite the fact that it was making his face hurt far worse than either his back or chest. Although was trying to keep up the appearance of civility, a part of him was vexed by the fact that neither boy seemed to notice his anger.

        Takeru was not the only one struggling with restraint. Patamon quivered atop his partner’s head, but he no longer felt cold. The Digimon gave up the pretense of keeping his expression neutral, his hostility laid bare in his stance for all to see, as he glared at the two boys through narrowed eyes.

        A long moment and a few forcefully deep breaths later, Takeru finally managed to speak, his voice as tight as his expression. “Sounds like someone’s having a fun time making things up about other people.”

        The boy in green finally stopped the pantomime and waved his hand carelessly by his face as one eye closed. “Nah, man, it’s all true, I swear. It’s how she can afford to put jewelry on her _cat_ of all things _._ Guess it’s advertising or something?”

        “She’s also always carrying around tons of electronics,” the boy wearing red said. “See, her family is strapped for cash, but we saw her with this expensive camera, PDA, and even a pocket computer!”

        The boy in green let out a quiet snicker. “Bet you didn’t think about _that_ , huh?”

        “If you like her you’re better off getting to her outside of school,” the boy in red said. “Don’t bother trying to talk to her about it when Motomiya is around. He punched out the last guy who did. That guy is _super_ jealous ‘cause you know he _knows_ she’s already sneaking around on him behind his back, so he stalks her all the time.”

        Takeru forced his mouth to work, venom creeping into his voice. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

        The boy in green raised an eyebrow. “What, you’ve never heard of compensated dating before?”

        Takeru could practically hear his patience break with a sharp snap. His body moved of its own volition, striking out to snatch the boy who dared to spout such lies about Hikari by his green shirt. He gripped the collar tight around the boy’s neck and lifted, forcing the boy to stand on tiptoes to avoid choking. The Chosen of Hope moved in close, a shadow cast over his narrowed eyes from his bangs as he glared into the frightened brown eyes of his struggling captive. Somehow, he managed to continue smiling, though it was so strained and unnatural that it was more unnerving than any scowl he ever wore. “Want to say that again?” He spoke slightly slower to annunciate his words and fill them to the brim with his rage.

        The boy in green grabbed Takeru’s hands and attempted to pry them off, but his efforts proved ineffective. He sputtered out curses between choked breaths, as he was too caught up in his attempts to escape to react.

        The boy in red reared back, as though afraid that Takeru would attack him next. “Wh-what’s your problem! _?_ ”

        Takeru tightened his grip, forcing out a choked gasp from his captive. He focused his gaze on the boy in red and was rewarded by a quiet yelp, but even the satisfaction that the two were now aware of his anger could not diminish it. “You are.” His voice was practically a growl. “And I’m about to become yours if you keep talking that trash around me.”

        The boy in green wheezed, not quite in danger of suffocation, but each breath was a struggle. “L-lay off!”

        “Let him go!” the boy wearing red said. “What, are you crushing on Yagami too? Don’t go taking it out on us just because she’s not what she looks like!”

        Takeru hefted his captive higher, hoping to see the boy turn blue in the face. The boy in green let out a choke and dug his fingers into the blonde’s hand, his nails scraping red lines into his captor’s skin. Takeru did not notice any pain. “ _You_ lay off. Off of Hikari, and off of Daisuke.” He lowered the boy in green, allowing his captive a breath. The moment the two thought he was backing down afford him the opportunity to catch the boy in red off guard and grab him by the collar as well. The Chosen of Hope banged his forehead against the boy in red’s, who yelped and jerked back, but could not escape his grip or his glare. “And if I _ever_ hear you, _either_ of you breathe this _trash_ about either of them ever again…”

        The presence of a hand on Takeru’s shoulder jarred him, putting the Chosen of Hope on full alert until he heard a familiar, oddly cheerful greeting. “Yo, Takeru!” Daisuke said. “What’s going on?”

        Takeru felt caught in the moment, his intense rage cut with a strange sense of awkwardness. Ultimately, his desire not to upset Daisuke made him unclench his muscles to a degree, just enough to allow the two boys to stand fully on their feet and take breath more easily. His fingers were reluctant to let go, but he forced himself to put his hands on his hips. He could not look the other Chosen in the eye, not trusting that he could wear a normal expression just yet. Instead he focused on evening his breathing and returning his voice to a somewhat more even and natural tone. “Oh, nothing much. I’m just having a talk with these guys.”

        Both boys staggered back, coughing between deep gulps of air, as they rubbed their abused throats. The boy in red managed to speak up first. “This guy tried to kill us! He’s a maniac!”

        The boy in green glared at Takeru. “W-we’ll tell–”

        Patamon struck abruptly, cutting off the boy in green’s words with a smart slap of his wings that left red marks on both the boy’s cheeks. “You’ll listen to Takeru,” he said. Although his voice was low, nearly a growl, it was too high-pitched to sound successfully threatening. Fortunately, the look in his eyes more than made up for his voice. “Don’t you _ever_ badmouth Hikari or Daisuke ever again!”

        The two boys stared at Patamon, who growled at them, crouched atop Takeru’s hat. “Wh-wh-what the heck is that thing! _?_ ”

        Patamon sent an Air Shot at the pair, holding back on the amount of power he put into it so that it merely made the two boys stagger back a few feet due to the slap of air in their faces. A moment later they were running, shrieking about a monster hat attacking them.

        Daisuke stared at the two boys, then at Takeru and Patamon, his expression blank. After a moment, he burst out laughing. The expression on the two boys’ faces was too funny for him to hold himself back.

        After a moment, Takeru joined in with a quiet chuckle that held very little mirth, his voice thick and rough with emotion. “Cowards.”

        Patamon let out a soft chuckle similar to that of his partner, as he savored the feeling of satisfaction. “Let’s see what happens when they spread rumors about _that_.”

        Chibimon watched from the open duffle bag Daisuke carried, his eyes bright and curious. “They run very fast.” He paused for a moment before he turned to his partner with a smile. “But Daisuke’s faster.”

        When Daisuke managed to calm down his laughing fit, he grinned at Takeru and Patamon, though there was a hint of sheepishness to his expression. “Thanks for standing up for me, Guys. I’m glad you’re not listening to those crappy rumors.”

        Takeru blinked. He wondered just how long Daisuke had been watching the conversation. In the end, he decided it did not matter. He managed a slight but genuine smile as he looked back at his fellow Chosen. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not stupid enough to believe that bunch of crap.”

        Daisuke snorted as he looked off where he last spotted the two boys. “Yeah, I figured you’d at least not believe the rumors about Hikari-chan. I can understand why they’re saying crap about me, but why do they have to spread those lies about her too?”

        “Because they want to hurt you,” Takeru said, both to Daisuke and to himself in an effort to calm down. “And you don’t care that they’re saying bad things about you.” His breath came out in a quiet grunt as his smile faded away. “It’s pure cowardice.”

        Daisuke considered Takeru’s words for a moment before he nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “Yeah, there weren’t any rumors at all about Hikari-chan before we became friends.” He kicked the dirt. “Just ‘cause she’s the only one who’ll be nice to a ‘delinquent’ like me doesn’t mean she’s one too! She’s, like, the opposite to the extreme!”

        Takeru scowled as he glared after the boys. “They’re just bullies, and they’ll do whatever they have to in order to get a rise out of you. They’re petty cowards, plain and simple.”

        Daisuke sighed. “Yeah.” The corner of his mouth turned up in a crooked smile. “But I don’t have to like it or let them get away with it.”

        Takeru returned the expression. “Of course not.”

        Seconds ticked by in an unpleasantly tense silence. Daisuke started taking special notice of his feet as he shifted them awkwardly. Takeru waited until he could gather up the nerve to speak. “So, uh… are Taichi-Senpai and your brother still mad about last night?” The Chosen of Hope had barely opened his mouth to speak when the brunette talked over him, the words gushing out in a rush. “I mean, I didn’t mean to make them mad or anything or to make Jun look bad before you know her, just if you know her you know she’s kinda, well, she’s exactly like those guys, see? Oh, wait, crap, I can’t talk about her being bad, can I? Sorry, I mean, just, well…” Daisuke trailed off with a groan and hung his head. “Look, just, I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have said anything.”

        Takeru thought of Yamato and Taichi’s reaction and compared it to what he had just gone through with the two boys. He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I know that we have a much better relationship with our siblings than most kids have, and I’m sure they know it too. The Digimon Kaiser has us all stressed out right now.”

        Daisuke nodded as he rubbed his head where his goggles used to be. He sighed and slumped his shoulders. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m still bummed that I lost my goggles to that creep.”

        Takeru tilted his head slightly. “Well, think of it this way. You can get them back once we beat some sense in to his empty head.”

        Daisuke raised his eyes to Takeru and managed a grin. “Yeah! All we need are some Digivices like Hikari-chan’s and we can invade the Digimon Kaiser’s face!”

        Takeru let out a soft chuckle at Daisuke’s attitude, but at the same time, it brought a hint of sadness to it. He found it amazing that the other boy could still be so cheerful despite having such a dark cloud of rumors and hatred hanging over him.

        Patamon noticed the face of the school clock and gasped. “Takeru, I think it’s almost time for the bell to ring!”

        Takeru looked up. “Ah, you’re right.” He turned back to Daisuke and managed to smile just a little bit more easily. “We’d better hurry!”

        Daisuke jerked back and whirled around to face the clock, his eyes bugging out. “Oh crap! I didn’t even get changed yet!” Without another word, he dashed towards the locker room as fast as his feet could carry him.

        “I’ll meet you in class!” Takeru shouted as he waved after Daisuke. He waited until the other boy was out of sight before he jogged towards the school building. His expression grew thoughtful, almost amused, as he let out a quiet hum.

        Patamon peered down at his partner. “What are you thinking about, Takeru?”

        Takeru met Patamon’s gaze with eyes that grew brighter by the moment. “I definitely see what Hikari sees in him.”


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A message from a friend leads to the discovery of new powers, as well as another confrontation with the cruel Digimon Kaiser.
> 
> * * *

        Sora sighed softly as she headed to her locker, adjusting the skirt to her white tennis uniform. Practice was long, as always, and the uniform did not help. It was nothing as comfortable as the one she wore when playing soccer, where the uniform at least prevented others from getting a glimpse of her underwear. It was nearly impossible to catch a peek through pants, after all, and the frilly gym bloomers meant to be worn under the skirts were almost as bad as having her panties blatantly on display. Sadly, there were no girl soccer teams in Middle School or above. Just as she had left her childhood behind, so she had to leave soccer behind and join the more ‘girl appropriate’ clubs.

        Her mother had been very happy about the change. At least _someone_ was happy about it. As it was, Sora was just trying to learn to like it, even if that task was proving to be more difficult than she ever anticipated. It lessened the odds of going crazy.

        Sora let out her breath in a great whoosh, her entire body slumping as she allowed herself a chance to relax. If nothing else, she was still keeping physically active, but tennis exerted a different set of muscles than soccer, so she was left quite sore after each session. She set down her racket by the lockers before mechanically working the combination lock on her locker as her mind drifted. She wondered if she could convince the coach to let her wear different shorts underneath the skirt, perhaps something that looked less like fancy underwear and more like _pants_. Given that the coach was a man who snapped at anyone who complained too much, such as wearing summer tennis outfits when the weather was still too cold to reasonably switch from the winter uniforms, she doubted it. “Another day done…”

        Sora felt far more weary than normal, but it was not exactly the tennis team’s fault for that. As her thoughts took a more somber turn, her gaze grew distant. What she saw in the Digital World was a nightmare. It was hard to sleep knowing that Piyomon was out there somewhere, the Kaiser doing all sorts of awful things to her. When she did manage to drift off, she was haunted ghastly nightmares of Piyomon replacing Palmon in the coliseum, beating and deleting innocent Digimon, even hurting herself on the Digimon Kaiser’s command. It took so much strength for the Chosen of Love focus on anything at all when her mind kept returning to Piyomon in an endless cycle of fear and worry.

        The ironic thing, at least as far as Sora saw it, was that she was certain that if Piyomon knew how troubled she was, her partner would say something like ‘cheer up!’ and do everything possible to make that happen. Normally, such thoughts would make her smile, but even brief daydreams of a cheerful Piyomon quickly turned dark.

        The sting of tears barely registered as Sora’s vision began to waver. “…Piyomon.”

        A slamming locker caused Sora to flinch, instinctively looking back towards the source after quickly swabbing the moisture from her eyes with her wristband. Dismay turned to displeasure as she caught sight of a brown-eyed girl sporting long hazel hair tied back in twin pigtails. Once upon a time, Sora would have been happy to see the other girl, but those days were gone. Rie, like many of her former soccer teammates, never forgave her for missing that important game.

        Rie flashed her teeth in a wide smile. “Nice game today, Sora.”

        Sora suppressed the urge to flinch at the nasal whine Rie’s voice took on whenever the twin tailed girl tried to sound sarcastic. It was one thing she did not miss when she quit soccer, and it made her sometimes regret not choosing to join the volleyball team instead. The redhead tried her best to smile, but she was unable to put any sincerity into it. She simply was not in the mood to deal with Rie. The best she could do was hope that if she ignored the sarcasm, she would not have to address it. “Thank you.”

        The smile slipped from Rie’s face and she blinked exactly three times before her cheeks puffed up with air and her brow furrowed into a glare that pierced through Sora. The Chosen of Love hoped that Rie’s confusion towards the missed sarcasm would linger long enough for Sora to finish changing and escape the locker room. Sadly, luck was not with Sora that day. “Oh yeah, you’re _so_ good.” Rie said, raising her voice so that everyone in the locker room could hear her. “The way you got three faults was _so_ cool. You play tennis even better than you play soccer. Just how _do_ you _do_ it?”

        Sora felt her insides twist, but she hid the displeasure from her expression. She knew that Rie was in the mood for a fight today and would not be deterred. A fight was the last thing the Chosen of Love wanted, especially if it was as pointless as the passive-aggressive needling of a whiny girl who could not let go of petty grievances. Of course, she was _never_ in the mood for a confrontation with Rie, but she had never been less willing to be in the other girl’s presence than she was at that exact moment.

        Sora opened up her locker without looking at Rie. She snatched up her belongings and stuffed them into her bag before slamming the door shut with a loud bang that made Rie and the other girls standing near her flinch back. She would change in one of the restrooms in the main building or go back home in her tennis uniform if she had to. She refused to waste any more time with Rie breathing down her neck, and she did not trust her former friend not to try anything underhanded. The memory of one such incident from a month ago was still fresh in her mind. Her mother had to take her to a salon to dye her hair back to its natural color after Rie snuck green food coloring into her shampoo bottle.

        Sora made a dash for the door, her bag clutched awkwardly in her arms along with her racket. She kicked the door open and barely spared a backward glance at her tennis teammates. “Bye!” She felt a small measure of satisfaction when another kick to the locker room door cut off whatever Rie tried to say in response with a mighty slam.

        Once free of social obligation to linger in the locker room, Sora found herself hesitating. What little pleasure she felt in her escape left her, as she realized that she had outright fled from her former friend and likely everyone inside understood that as well. She could faintly hear their muffled voices through the door and caught her name once or twice along with laughter. She hugged her belongings to her chest and forced her feet to move, leaving the locker room behind her.

        Sora hated this part of herself, a part that shied away from confrontation so strongly. Back then, after she had let her team down, she was unable to face them, their disappointment and accusing looks. She chose to leave the team rather than deal with their anger towards her. It was no different when she avoided the other Chosen upon learning about her Crest. It was a problem she knew she had, but it was still there, plaguing her life.

        “I can’t believe she still cares about that,” Sora muttered, though a part of her wondered if that was really the case. The sheer amount of animosity felt disproportionate to one missed soccer game, especially due to an unavoidable injury. There was something else there, but she could not fathom what it was, and Rie was certainly not going to tell her. She sighed and shook her head slowly. “But I guess… even if I knew, it wouldn’t change anything.”

        It was becoming all too clear to Sora that, as she got older, her world became far more complicated. Suddenly, it felt like her peers had an increasingly oppressive affect on her behavior. That was not to say that she had never experienced peer pressure in elementary school, but it felt far less forgiving now than it had been then. Being denied a chance to return to the sport she loved and instead forced to join a more ‘womanly’ sport was only the beginning.

        Sora shook her head, trying to dismiss the darkness plaguing her thoughts, and quickened her pace to put more distance between her and Rie. She had more important things to do than feel sorry for herself or let bullies bother her. She was the Chosen of Love – it was her duty to save the Digital World and, more importantly, her partner, as well as the rest of her friends. She needed to hurry and get back to the things that _really_ mattered.

        Even if it felt like all she was doing was still running away.

 

 

* * *

 

 

        Koshiro leaned back in his chair, which creaked in time with his weary sigh. Through heavy-lidded eyes, he watched strings of data compile on a large wide-screen monitor placed on the left side of his desk. The monitor to the right displayed the Digital Gate, which displayed nothing but static where it should have shown a clear image of the Digital World. His computer set up had become impressive over the years. Every birthday, every holiday, he requested parts to upgrade and add to his system, which took over about half of his bedroom with large bulky boxes of state of the art electronics. Despite all this hardware and software at his command, and the years he spent researching computer programming, nothing he did seemed to make a dent in the firewall the Digimon Kaiser used to lock him out of the Digital World. He ran his thumb across his Digivice, which rested between his keyboard and mouse, hooked up to his computer by wires. “I suppose these results shouldn’t be unexpected…”

        With another sigh, Koshiro stopped the data feed with a single click of the mouse and rubbed his weary eyes. He was used to reading streaming data and absorbing information at high speed, even for prolonged periods of time, but six hours was a bit much even for him. It was all so frustrating that he had spent so much time working over the problem, yet he felt no closer than when he had started.

        A gentle voice made Koshiro snap his head up. “Be careful, dear,” his mother Yoshie said as she pushed open his bedroom door with her hip, carefully balancing a tray of snacks and tea. “You might go cross-eyed.”

        Koshiro blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes again. His mother’s interruption reminded him just how weary his body was from sitting too long and he stood up to stretch. “Thank you for the snacks, Mom.”

        Yoshie set the tray down on a small end table beside Koshiro’s desk then let out a small gasp. Her expression grew troubled as she looked at the snacks she brought. “I did it again. I brought something for Tentomon as well.”

        Koshiro looked at the two glasses of tea and extra snack cakes, his expression solemn. Normally at this time of day, Tentomon and he would thank his mother and then they would discuss the latest project they were working on. After spending so much time together, he taught his partner many things, including his passion for computers. It was wonderful having someone who understood him and the terminology he used, who was eager to help him with his latest ideas. They had grown so close and that fact made the knowledge that at this very moment Tentomon was now the Digimon Kaiser’s slave, brainwashed into doing terrible things for the Kaiser’s amusement…

        It was too much for Koshiro. It took him a moment before he managed to give his mother a wan smile. “It’s okay, mom. We’ll get Tentomon back soon.”

        Yoshie’s gaze lingered on the extra food for a moment longer before she nodded. She knew this was harder on Koshiro than it was on her. She made sure to wear a bright smile when she turned to her son. “Yes, that’s right. I’m sure you’ll save him.”

        Koshiro smiled back at his mother, the gesture just as tinted by a lack of cheer as hers. “Thank you for the snacks.” He took a bite of one of the cakes, but barely tasted the sweetness of it. The tea he drank to wash it down could have been water or something utterly vile and he would have barely noticed the difference. His mind was too full with thoughts of Tentomon, the Digital World, and the Digimon Kaiser to pay much attention to anything else. When he was not focused on his work, his thoughts continued to stray back to what terrible things Tentomon might have been experiencing at that very moment. Even contemplating this corrupted Chosen Child’s motivation was something he could not bear to entertain, as it drew his mind back to his partner. Worrying was not going to bring Tentomon back. Hacking into the Digital World and understanding how it had changed in the last two years was their best hope of saving all of their partners and the Digimon.

        Yoshie watched as Koshiro’s eyes unfocused. She could see he was already a million miles away from her, so small talk was a futile gesture. Her expression softened as she felt an almost out of place swelling of pride when she thought of how dedicated and focused her son was, how readily he faced such a monumental task with maturity most children simply did not possess. Somehow, he managed to keep strong when the stakes were unimaginably high and everything seemed to go wrong. Some days she could scarcely believe that her little boy had already grown up so much.

        The rhythmic chirp of an electronic device cut into the silence. Koshiro mechanically worked his way through another cake. He heard the noise, but it barely registered.

        Yoshie blinked and let out an inquisitive hum as she looked over to the bed and spotted the source of the noise – Koshiro’s D-Terminal. “Ah, it must be your friends.”

        Koshiro nodded as he swallowed the cake he had been eating. He lingered on his thoughts a moment more to sip his tea before he moved to the bed. “They must be wondering if I found out anything.” He flipped open his D-Terminal, already preparing a brief response in his head. Those thoughts disappeared instantly as he noticed that the email he received was not from any of the Chosen, but Centarumon. His eyebrows shot up as he read short message.

        

        

>        &nbspI have found something of interest to you.

        

        Koshiro read the message a second time, his already racing with possibilities and questions, but he forced himself to send a reply that asked simply what it was. The response came quickly.

        

        

>        &nbspIt is a sacred treasure my clan has guarded for centuries. They bare the mark of the Chosen.

        

        Koshiro could barely contain his excitement, his fingers flying across the keyboard of the D-Terminal as he asked for more information. The reply he received was simply coordinates to somewhere in the Digital World. He paused for a moment to remember the location by number alone, but gave up quickly and darted over to his computer to bring up the simple map of the Digital World he used a program to create just before the Chosen Children made their initial entry and lost their partners. The place was a rather innocuous looking rocky canyon.

        Koshiro quickly sent an email to the others with the coordinates. His mind was already abuzz with possibilities and an almost desperate hope that this sacred treasure could give them the edge they needed to take down the Digimon Kaiser and reclaim the Digital World. “Maybe…” he muttered.

        Yoshie lingered a moment more to watch her son before she quietly slipped out of the room, leaving him to work in pace. She knew from his expression that something important was happening, so it would be best to leave him to it. He needed space to concentrate and her presence would only serve as a distraction. Ultimately, she could do little for him but offer refreshments.

        It struck Yoshie as a rather ironic situation. Children were supposed to focus on school and playing with their friends while the adults took care of the important tasks. She, like the other parents of the Chosen Children, were left with little option but to get out of the way and let their children bear the burden of far more significant duties. Maintaining a house and going to work practically felt like the busywork of children when comparing it to the most important job of all – saving the world.

 

 

* * *

 

 

        The Chosen were making another trip into the Digital World, but with a significantly smaller group. With the presence of the Digimon Kaiser as a looming threat, the Chosen decided that it would be best if only the children who had Digimon to protect them should go. The only exception was Taichi, who refused all attempts to dissuade him from going in spite of the danger he would be in.

        The Digital Gate appeared in a flash of light and closed a moment later, leaving a group of Chosen Children and Digimon in the Digital World at the bottom of a massive canyon. Filled with nothing but dirt and rocks, the canyon felt lifeless. Massive walls of jagged brown rock spanning hundreds of meters into the air loomed above them on both sides, cutting off much of the sunlight. The blue sky looked more like a distant river that snaked its way in front of them, directing them on the path they were to take. The walls were peppered with dozens of caves. Narrow paths carved into the cliff side connected the caves higher up, while the ground below showed signs of wear from countless footsteps. The caves, at first glance, appeared completely dark, but a cursory glance into a couple of the ones on ground level gave a hint of some light source further in.

        The small group of Chosen had arrived in the Digital World without any trouble. However, they did not expect to receive another unexplained outfit change upon their arrival – and the outfits seemed even more outlandish than the previous set. Takeru could never remember owning a full-length leather bodysuit, let alone wearing such an outfit. And yet, as soon as he arrived in the canyon, he found himself decked out in leather like some sort of outlaw biker from a movie rather than the clothes he wore during that fateful day in August two years ago. The Chosen of Hope shifted uncomfortably as he tugged on the leather top. _I’m going to roast in this thing._

        “Alright!” Daisuke shouted as he tugged on his jacket complete with flame pattern. “I’ve got my cool jacket back.” He paused for a moment then tugged at the goggles resting atop his head. “And Hikari-chan’s goggles are back too!” He turned to Hikari, eager to show her then stopped, outright gawking at her change in apparel.

        Hikari noticed the look Daisuke gave her then glanced down at her new clothes. Her outfit had changed to a lovely off-white dress, layered with ornately patterned lace underneath the skirt that went well with the white tights on her legs and the elegantly shaped off-white boots that came up almost as high as her knee. She reached up to feel the pin that held back her bangs, now ornamented with a flower shaped like the crest of light, its petals holding an iridescent sheen and adorned with small pearls at the center. Over her heart was a hand-sized emblem of the Crest of Light, shimmering in the light in a similar pearl-like sheen as her hairclip. She did a small twirl, which made her skirt flare up a bit, giving her a better look at the subtle patterns in the stitching that were too complicated for her to make out, yet held a strange sense of familiarity. It took her a moment to find her voice, which came out hushed in slight awe. “So pretty…”

        Mimi cast an envious gaze towards Hikari that mixed with a sense of genuine delight and sighed. “Ahhh... Hikari, I’m so jealous! Your dress is so beautiful!” She looked down at her clothes, the red, white, and blue color scheme of her t-shirt and jeans were fashionable and reflected well of her enjoyment of her new home in America, but that was not the point – the problem was that this was the same outfit she had picked from her closet this morning. Her cheeks puffed out as she looked around at the others. “Why does everyone get new clothes except _me?_ ”

        Taichi shrugged, back in the clothes he wore during the days of their initial adventure back in August, though better fitting than the real clothes his mom donated once he grew out of them. “Dunno. What I’m wondering is why Takeru looks like a biker now instead of wearing his old clothes.” He cast a disapproving look in Hikari’s direction. “And why Hikari looks like she’s ready for a wedding.”

        “W-wedding?” Daisuke said in a voice that carried a hint of a tremor to it. Heat rose to his face as his imagination ran wild, adding a veil to Hikari’s outfit that he could see himself removing from her face at a church in front of all of the other Chosen. A goofy smile slowly spread across his face. “Hikari-chan would make a beautiful bride...”

        Mimi covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. “Hikari’s dress is pretty, but it’s _not_ a wedding dress just because it’s white. A wedding dress is much, much, _much_ more elegant and sophisticated.” She turned to her partner. “Right, Palmon?”

        “That’s right!” Palmon nodded sagely as she crossed her arms. “There’s so much more to it than color!”

        “It doesn’t matter!” V-mon said. “Daisuke looks so _cool_!”

        Daisuke snapped back to reality and beamed at his partner. “Really? You think so, V-mon?”

        “Of course!” V-mon said, with a bright smile on his face.

        Taichi fixed eyes on V-mon as his eyebrows raised. “Hey, wait. When did you evolve to V-mon? You were still Chibimon when we came here.”

        V-mon was about to respond when he realized who it was that spoke to him. He instead clamped his mouth shut and stared _hard_ at Taichi before turning his back to the Chosen with an audible snort.

        Daisuke blinked at Taichi, thoughts of exploring the cave completely forgotten. “Eh? What do you mean, Senpai?”

        Hikari noticed the confusion in Daisuke’s expression. “You didn’t make Chibimon evolve?”

        Daisuke felt acutely uneasy when everyone focused their attention on him and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, no.” His nervousness grew as the group continued to stare at him and V-mon, guessing his answer was insufficient. “Was I supposed to?”

        Taichi scratched his head. “Huh. Weird.”

        A familiar masculine voice brought the Chosen’s attention away from Daisuke and V-mon. “Chosen Children, it is good to see you.” The group turned to see Centarumon walk out from one of the caves lining the canyon floor.

        Hikari was the first to approach the Adult, her footsteps light and careful as she cradled Tailmon in her arms. Back in the real world, she had initially wanted to stay behind to tend to her injured partner, but Tailmon had been just as stubborn as Taichi was to come as well. “It’s good to see you too, Centarumon.”

        Taichi perked up at the sight of their friend. “Yeah. So what are the sacred treasures you were talking about?”

        Centarumon turned about and looked back at the Chosen only briefly before he walked back into the cave. “Follow me.” The group did as they were told, entering the cavern and allowing the Adult to navigate them through a network of passages illuminated periodically by torches that lined the walls. The multitude of branching pathways soon left everyone feeling lost as they were led ever upwards. The worst part of the trek was when they were required to leave the cave system briefly to navigate the narrow paths along the cliff to reach the next cave. Everyone felt overwhelmed with relief once they finally reached their destination at the top of the canyon wall. The Chosen barely had time to catch their breath before it was taken away at the sight waiting for them.

        A monument of sandstone had been built atop the cliff. It had four sides that tapered off into a point high up into the sky, making it look almost like a pyramid or an obelisk. Each brick was carved with countless elaborate symbols that formed an intricate pattern too complex to figure out its meaning. The pathway was lined with polished white stones that reflected the sunlight to such a degree that they were difficult to look at directly without the children hurting their eyes.

        Takeru was the first to find his voice. “Wow…”

        Hikari’s eyes were wide with curiosity. “It looks like a… shrine?” Her gaze drifted to Centarumon, who nodded slightly in confirmation.

        Mimi focused on the artful designs etched into the sandstone and stepped closer to get a better look. “Those drawings are so pretty!”

        Daisuke blinked and tilted his head, but the only thing he found impressive was the size of the structure. “It’s… big, I guess.”

        Taichi raised his eyebrows. He felt a sense of wariness from pyramids in general after the last time they visited one. “What’s it for?”

        “Our sacred treasures,” Centarumon said. “Though this is just for the ones in this area.” He resumed walking, leading the Chosen down the path towards the shrine’s entrance. “There are many other temples just like this one.”

        Takeru forced his gaze away from the pyramid and hurried to catch up with Centarumon along with the others. “So there’s more than one sacred treasure?”

        “Yes,” Centarumon said. “The ones in this particular temple have been guarded by my people for a very long time. My clan is numerous and spread out across the Digital World, with a different faction protecting each shrine and the sacred treasures housed within them until their true owners come to claim them.”

        “Sacred treasures…” Mimi said quietly. “It’s almost sounding like when we first got our crests, doesn’t it?”

        Hikari glanced down towards her chest where her crest used to be before focusing back on Centarumon. “Does this mean these treasures might be something like our crests?”

        “I believe so, yes,” Centarumon said.

        The interior of the shrine was well lit despite not having any noticeable light source. The walls and floor were blank, with no other entrances within the large chamber. The dimensions of the chamber were about the size of a school gym, making it almost oppressively empty, as the only thing there was a rectangular stone altar at the center that was no bigger than a kitchen table. The Chosen barely had time to take this in before Centarumon stopped abruptly and pointed to the altar. “Look.”

        The Chosen drew closer and saw two colorful egg-shaped objects resting atop the altar. The most striking thing about the artifacts were that one bore the mark of the Crest of Love while the other sported the Crest of Hope. The egg marked with Love was silver with twin bladed wings on either side of it. The one with the symbol of Hope was gold with a pair of wings that bore a striking resemblance to Patamon’s.

        Takeru gasped, his eyes immediately drawn to one of the artifacts in particular. “It’s… Hope!”

        Patamon flew after Takeru when his partner dashed off for the altar. He hovered over the egg-like object, examining it from all angles. “It kind of looks like me!”

        Takeru briefly glanced up at his partner before looking back at the strange item. “It does, doesn’t it?”

        The rest of the Chosen were quick to join Takeru and Patamon at the altar, with Centarumon following at a more sedate pace. He waited until they were all gathered around the artifacts before speaking again. “When you mentioned that you could not evolve, it made me remember an ancient prophecy of our clan. It said that these sacred treasures are to be guarded until they are needed by the Chosen in order to combat the monumental power of evil.” He paused, his front hoof digging into the ground. “When I asked our elder if this could be that time, he–”

        A coarse voice cut off Centarumon’s words, too loud to ignore, which created an echo off the shrine’s high ceiling. “I said that if those giant towers ain’t monumental powers of evil, then they’re the Kaiser givin’ us the middle finger! Either way, it pisses me off.”

        Centarumon and the Chosen turned towards the entrance and saw a Digimon shaped and sized much like a human, an old man to be specific. His body was covered in long, scraggly gray hair to the point that his eyes and most of his body were no longer visible. He wore a ragged brown tunic that did nothing to hide his gigantic hairy feet. His hands were large as well and covered with vibrant red gloves, one hand clutching a staff with am oversized bright yellow cat’s paw attached to the top, which he used as a walking stick. He moved with a slight limp, which created a galloping pace as he crossed the span of the shrine to join the group.

        The hairy Digimon, Jijimon, slammed his staff against the floor once he was within arm’s length of the group. “So get off your ass and give ‘em to the Chosen.”

        Centarumon bowed the front half of his body as his eye drifted towards the floor.  “Elder,” he said, his voice heavy with respect.

        Jijimon barely paid Centarumon a glance before focusing on the Chosen. “They look like monuments, they’re evil, and it’s givin’ off a helluva power.” He made a broad sweep at the air with his staff. “Voilà, monumental powers of evil.”

        Taichi blinked then scratched his head as he took in Jjijimon’s words. At this point he was no longer surprised when Digimon suddenly showed up to give them important information. “I guess that makes sense.”

        Centarumon shifted, his words coming with an underlining sense of unease. “Elder, I believe it was meant more in a metaphorical–”

         _Whack._ Jijimon smashed Centarumon upside the head, his staff striking the taller Digimon’s helmet with a resounding clang. Centarumon staggered back before tumbling backwards onto his hooves and collapsed into a heap.

        Jijimon tapped his staff against his shoulder, tilting his head back as he turned towards Centarumon. He gave the impression of staring down at the fallen Digimon despite the fact that his hair completely hid his eyes. “ _I’m_ the elder.” He knocked the end of his staff against the floor. “ _I_ get to decide if it’s literal, metaphorical, physical, or metaphysical.” He turned the head of his staff towards the Chosen, pointing towards them. “And I’m sayin’ that there’s no better time than the present.”

        The Chosen Children looked awkwardly at one another after Jijimon’s display of violence, uncertain of what to make of it.

        Hikari looked at Centarumon in sympathy and decided that it would be best to redirect Jijimon’s attention before the elder Digimon decided to strike someone else. She nodded her head towards the objects. “What are they? They look like Digieggs, but…”

        “Digimentals,” Jijimon said. “They’re like primitive Crests, and supposedly help you evolve when normal evolution is impossible.”

        Takeru gasped, his eyes widening. “Like what happened at the arena!” A surge of hope shot through him and he leaned forward. “How do we use them?”

        Jijimon threw his arms outward. “Damned if I know!”

        The group groaned, some nearly falling over. Taichi grunted and scratched his head beneath his goggles. “Why am I surprised? I should be more surprised whenever someone _does_ know anything for sure about ancient artifacts and stuff.”

        Mimi sighed and placed a hand to her forehead. “Well, at least we know they’re supposed to help us evolve.”

        Takeru looked over the Digimentals and tapped them lightly before letting out a quiet hum. The others joined him in examining the artifacts more closely, but they saw nothing to indicate how they were supposed to use the Digimentals.

        A chime from Taichi’s D-Terminal caught his attention. He pulled it out to read the email, surprised to see that it was from Sora. “I guess Koshiro has the video feed working back in the real world again,” he muttered. He raised his voice and looked towards the other. “Guys, Sora and the others see the Digimentals too and she says something’s weird with hers. It doesn’t look like any of Piyomon’s forms and they’re not covered in metal like this.” He lightly rapped the egg for emphasis, but instead of making a metallic chime, as he expected, the sound was more like a dull thud. “Eh?”

        Hikari took a closer look at the Digimental of Love. She had to admit, it did not remind her anything of Piyomon, unlike the Digimental of Hope, which seemed perfectly suited to Patamon. “Strange…”

        Daisuke scratched his head. “So what’re we supposed to do? Crack the eggs open and see what’s inside?”

        Mimi covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. “That would be funny if our Digimon evolved by eating super powered omelets, right, Palmon?”

        Palmon blinked as she looked up at Mimi, then tilted her head. “I’d rather have your Mom’s omelets.”

        “Me too!” Mimi said.

        Hikari let out small giggle tinged with nervousness as she looked towards Mimi and Daisuke. “I don’t think breaking the eggs is a good idea.”

        Another chime of the D-Terminal drew Taichi’s attention. He looked over the new email and a light flush appeared on his cheeks after he read it. “Uh, yeah, Sora agrees.” He decided the others did not need to know that her exact wording was a reprimand towards him knocking on her Digimental and risking it breaking.

        Takeru shook his head. “We couldn’t even if we wanted to.” He rapped his knuckles against the Digimental of Hope, which resulted in a dull thumping noise. “This looks really fragile but it’s actually hard as a rock.”

        Jijimon snorted and banged his staff against the ground. “Ain’t it your job to figure it out for yourself? You’re the Chosen.” He sighed and shook his head. “Damn kids these days, wantin’ everythin’ figured out for ‘em.”

        While Jijimon’s words were caustic, the group reluctantly conceded that old Digimon had been immensely helpful. Even if they did not know _how_ to use these Digimentals, they at least _had_ something that would help them. It was simply a matter of time before they could figure out the artifacts’ secrets.

        Takeru shook his head before furrowing his brow as he gazed intensely at the altar. He reached for the Digimental of Hope, and started when he felt how light it was. “It doesn’t weigh anything at all!”

        Daisuke picked up the Digimental of Love and examined it from all angles. “Huh. You’re right. It’s like I’m carrying a bubble.”

        “It’s just one more thing about the Digital World, huh?” Takeru said with a chuckle. “Even physics can’t argue with Digimon logic.”

        “Damn right it can’t,” Jijimon said. “This is the Digital World, not the Logical World!”

        Taichi took the Digimental of love from Daisuke. “I’ll hang onto that until we get it back to Sora.”

        Daisuke blinked, startled, and felt somewhat sheepish. “Oh, okay.”

        V-mon’s cheek twitched as he glared at Taichi, then muttered under his breath. “Don’t tell Daisuke what to do.”

         “I guess we’re just going to have to keep the Digimental of Love safe until we rescue Piyomon,” Hikari said with a touch of sadness in her voice.

        A voice dripping with venom broke into the conversation. “I don’t think so.”

        The Chosen jerked and looked around blindly at first, as the new voice echoed off the walls, but soon their attention focused on the entrance to the shrine. Standing just outside, wearing a vicious grin, was the Digimon Kaiser.

        The young dictator drank in the group’s shocked expressions before snapping his fingers. The wall in front of him shattered into countless pieces as a giant insect Digimon destroyed it. The group instantly recognized the Digimon and only Daisuke and V-mon were spared from recoiling instinctively. Their enemy was Kabuterimon. Around the insect Digimon’s neck was another of the black rings. There were no eyes that they could see glow red like the other controlled Digimon, but the way he salivated and stood hunched over hinted that his mind was gone.

        The Digimon Kaiser pulled out his whip and snapped it at the air in front of him before pulling it taut between his hands. “What did I tell you about trespassing in my world?”

        Mimi screamed. “Kabuterimon!”

        Taichi hissed a curse under his breath as he saw Kabuterimon looming over them. He opened his mouth and began to speak his partner’s name, but the words died on his lips as he remembered that Agumon was not there. His insides twisted and his anger grew, both for the Digimon Kaiser for stealing their friends away, and for the poor choice he made to leave Agumon and the others at the mercy of the Digital World without any means of evolving to defend themselves.

        Hikari shuddered at the sight of their brainwashed friend. “He… he can evolve our partners too?”

        The Digimon Kaiser barked out a mocking laugh that rang through the partially destroyed shrine. “Of course I can! Far better than any of you could!”

        “You…!” Takeru clenched his fists until they were so tense they trembled. Though anger was quick to color his thoughts, a terrible hypothesis formed in his head – if the Digimon Kaiser could still evolve Digimon, that meant the tyrant was most assuredly responsible for why the Chosen could not. “What have you done _?_!”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s upper lip curled in a faint sneer as he directed his gaze towards Takeru, his eyes almost completely obscured by the outlandish tinted glasses he wore. “I don’t need to answer _you_ , Insect.” He cracked his whip against the ground, cracking the tile and sending tiny shards of sandstone in all directions. “Except with a lash of my whip against your back!”

        “Hey!” Daisuke said. “Just why are you stealing other people’s Digimon for anyway? If you’re supposed to be a Chosen kid like us, doesn’t that mean you got one of your own you can boss around?”

        A quiet, but dark chuckle rippled through the Digimon Kaiser’s body. “This is _my_ Digital World.” A smirk played across his lips as he spread his arms out wide to his sides. “That means everything in it is _mine_.”

        The words turned the anger in Takeru’s heart to hatred and he spat out a curse at the Digimon Kaiser before he turned towards his partner. “Patamon!”

        Patamon snapped out of his stupor. He had been so caught up by the surprise of Kabuterimon’s appearance that he tuned out much of the conversation. He nodded to Takeru, his body tensing up. “Right!”

        The Digimon Kaiser hummed out a strange little melody as his smile took on a twisted note of pleasure. He waited for signs that all the Chosen were tense and ready before he threw his arm out towards the group. “Go, Kabuterimon!”

        Kabuterimon let out a high-pitched hiss as he hovered forward into the temple. His head scraped against the ceiling and widened the cracks he made earlier, causing more blocks of stone to fall.

        “Scatter!” Tailmon shouted. The Chosen did not hesitate to do as she ordered, each running in different directions to avoid the chunks of stone raining down upon them or the swiping hands of Kabuterimon as he lashed out for them.

        Jijimon hurried to the altar and ducked behind it, with Centarumon close behind him. The elder Digimon raised his head over the stone structure, just barely enough to allow him to watch the battle. When a large stone fell towards him and Centarumon, he batted it aside easily with his staff, his eyes never leaving the battle.

        Centarumon crouched behind Jijimon, his eye shifting from the stone that nearly hit them and the older Digimon. “Shouldn’t we help, Elder?”

        “No,” Jijimon said, his voice calm and carrying the weight of authority behind it. “This is a Chosen fight.”

        Centarumon rose to his feet. “But if they lose–”

        Jijimon thwacked Centarumon in the shoulder with just enough force to drive the other Digimon to his knees. “Then they’re not very Chosen, are they? Even after I went through the trouble of givin’ them those Digimentals. So sit down, shut up, and watch.”

        Centarumon grunted from the impact, but did not utter a word. His body was tense with disapproval and the desire to act, but ultimately he did as his elder ordered him and remained still.

        The Digimon Kaiser’s laugh echoed through the remains of the shrine as he watched the Chosen scramble away from Kabuterimon and the rocks, hesitant to attack their friend. “Yes, run! Run, _Insects_!” He cracked his whip in the air, which served as a signal for Kabuterimon to launch a breath attack that tore through the floor, barely missing the fleeing children and Digimon.

        Daisuke took a single step out from behind the large rock he used to take shelter from the attack so that the Digimon Kaiser could see him shake his fist. “Big talk coming from a guy who’s can’t even fight his own battles!”

        The Digimon Kaiser focused on Daisuke as his laughter died down and a sneer soured his expression. “So says the little bug hiding behind a rock.” A heartbeat later his cruel smile returned. “It suits you.”

        Tailmon leapt from Hikari’s arms, aiming her fist at Kabuterimon’s neck. “Cat Punch!” Unfortunately, her movements were slowed due to her injuries and the giant Adult countered her attack with a vicious swipe of his giant hand. The impact of their fist against his palm racked through her bones, but, ultimately, her diminished strength gave out first and she was sent flying. Her back collided with the wall, creating a spider web of cracks in the stone. She grunted, biting back the urge to scream due to the pain, and slid to the ground, slumped over and breathing heavily as she hissed out a curse.

        Hikari felt her heart leap into her throat as she saw Tailmon hit the wall and ran to her partner’s side. “Tailmon!”

        Tailmon’s ears twitched at the sound of Hikari’s voice. She whispered her partner’s name in a shaky breath as she clawed at the wall for purchase, trying to pull herself back onto her feet before Hikari made it to her side. “If only I weren’t… I’d be able to…!”

        Hikari shook her head as she took Tailmon into her arms. The feline Digimon tensed at first, as though she considered trying to escape, but ultimately slumped against the Chosen of Light with a defeated sigh. “It’s alright,” Hikari whispered, her voice as gentle as a caress. “You’re still injured. Let the others handle this.”

        Daisuke noticed that Hikari and Tailmon were out in the open and Kabuterimon had turned in their direction. They were too far away to reach his position behind the boulder without opening themselves up for attack. He dashed out of hiding in the opposite direction from the girls, waving his arms around and making crude gestures at the Digimon Kaiser. “Hey!” he shouted. “Digimon Keister! Bet you couldn’t hit me before I get over there and punch your stupid nose in!”

        The Digimon Kaiser directed his narrow gaze towards Daisuke, his cheek twitching. He cracked his whip to catch Kabuterimon’s attention and pointed towards the insulting boy with the handle of his whip. “Get him.”

        Kabuterimon answered with a roar before he lumbered towards Daisuke, breaking off more of the shrine’s ceiling. Daisuke yelped and scrambled back to avoid falling rocks and a swipe of the giant insect Digimon’s hand.

        V-mon felt his heart leap into his throat as he saw Daisuke in danger and cried out his partner’s name as he ran at top speed for Daisuke. He dove into the dark haired boy, knocking them both to the floor just in time for Kabuterimon’s hand to swipe over their heads and send the boulder they had been using for shelter into a high the wall. The giant rock splintered to pieces upon impact, forcing the other Chosen deeper into the shrine to avoid the rock shrapnel.

        Daisuke propped himself up onto his elbows as he stared at what remained of the boulder. Broken chunks of it were embedded in the wall, surrounded by a spider web of cracks that let in thin streams of light. “Whoa…” For a moment, he could imagine what would have happened if he had remained behind the boulder or if V-mon had failed to save him, but almost as quickly, he chased the image away, unwilling to picture such a grizzly fate. “Th-thanks, V-mon.”

        V-mon nodded, but his eyes were not focused on Daisuke. He stood crouched between his partner and Kabuterimon, his glare boring into the enslaved Adult Digimon. He watched as Kabuterimon’s wings began to move and the insect took to the air. “It’s an Adult Digimon. I…” He was young, but he knew the difference between his power and Kabuterimon’s was vast. Even still, he knew that Daisuke was depending on him. “I’ll try my best, though!”

        Daisuke got back onto his feet and clenched his fists. “Right. Think you can evolve to Adult too, V-mon?”

        V-mon balled his hands into fists as well. “I… I’ll try!”

        The Digimon Kaiser chuckled, idly twirling his whip in slow circles. “Forget about it.” Kabuterimon hovered above his head, casting a dark shadow over the tyrant. “You can’t evolve. None of you can.”

        Daisuke directed a baneful gaze towards the Digimon Kaiser. “Oh yeah? And why is that?”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s smile slowly stretched, showing off his teeth. “Because I won’t let you.”

        Daisuke’s glare faltered due to his confusion. “Huh? You won’t _let_ us? What’s that supposed to mean?”

        “It means,” the Digimon Kaiser said, his voice slow and patronizing, “that so long as I am in control of this area, you’re completely useless.”

        “Hey!” Daisuke pointed at the Digimon Kaiser. “You’re not the one in control here! Centarumon told us that this place belongs to him and his clan! You’re not the boss of them or anyone else!”

        The Digimon Kaiser regarded Daisuke, his eyes unreadable due to his glasses, but the twist of his mouth clearly conveyed his disgust for the other boy. “Of course I am. I own the entire Digital World. My Dark Tower proves my control over this whole region.”

        Daisuke blinked, as the retort he half formed in his mind was chased away by the strange new term. “Dark Tower?”

        Tension crept into the Digimon Kaiser’s face and stance. He snapped his whip taut between his hands, the sound echoing through the shrine. “Surely you’ve noticed the giant monoliths to my greatness.”

        Taichi stumbled back a step when he realized Kabuterimon had gone still. He cast a suspicious gaze towards the Digimon Kaiser. “What’re you talking about?”

        The memories of the arena were still fresh in Mimi’s mind after what happened to Palmon. She remembered the giant black obelisk that loomed over the coliseum, but had barely given it much thought. “You mean that big black building that looked like the Washington Monument?”

        Suspicion prickled at the back of Takeru’s mind. The tower had seemed strange when he first laid his eyes on it, but so many unusual things appeared in the Digital World almost at random that it did not stand out terribly much to him. “So you made that?” That fact bothered him quite a bit, as it begged the question of what the obelisk’s purpose was and how many more there were. Were they a sign of the Digimon Kaiser’s control, or did it serve a more sinister purpose?

        Daisuke’s eyes drifted to the ceiling and after a moment’s thought, he realized what the Digimon Kaiser was talking about. He arched an eyebrow, one eye squinting slightly as his mouth twisted into an odd expression. “Oh, you mean those big black stones. I thought you were just compensating for something. You know, like those guys who buy big fancy cars because they’re too ashamed to shower with other guys.”

        The Digimon Kaiser jerked back, his jaw dropping in shock as he gawked at Daisuke. His surprise only lasted a moment, an ugly snarl marring his features as he struck the ground with his whip, leaving behind a deep groove in the floor in front of him. “Compensating! _?_ ”

        Daisuke’s expression smoothed out, save for a wry grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You heard me.”

        The Digimon Kaiser tensed until his body began to twitch. He cracked his whip into the air and raised his voice into a ragged, almost bestial snarl. “Kabuterimon!”

        Kabuterimon reared back and turned in Daisuke’s direction as he curled up, building a massive ball of crackling energy in front of him. “Mega… Blaster!”

        Daisuke yowled as the giant ball of energy flew towards him and grabbed V-mon’s wrist, dragging the little dinosaur Digimon along as he retreated as fast as he could. He barely dodged the blast, which created a large crater as it impacted with the floor. The air pressure and chunks of rock knocked into his back, sending both him and V-mon skidding across the ground with a cry.

        Takeru tensed, his breath caught in his throat when he saw how close Daisuke and V-mon came to being hit and turned to his partner. “Patamon!”

        Patamon knew what Takeru wanted from him, which pained him. “I’m sorry, Takeru. I can’t.”

        Takeru jerked slightly, not expecting that response. “What? Why?”

        “I can’t feel your energy,” Patamon said. “I’ve been trying, but I can’t find it. I can’t evolve!”

        Takeru reeled at the news. “It’s just like before…” he muttered.

        Patamon turned his disheartened gaze towards Kabuterimon, who was reading another attack on Daisuke. “What are we going to do, Takeru? I don’t think we can defeat Kabuterimon even if we all work together as long as Tailmon is hurt and the rest of us are stuck in Child level.”

        “We might not have to,” Takeru said. “We only need to destroy that Evil Ring around his neck.”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s wicked laughter barely carried over sounds of destruction as Kabuterimon tore through the shrine in pursuit of Daisuke. “You run almost as fast as you run your mouth, _insect_.” He placed his hands on his hips, watching the devastation from a safe distance. “Keep running, for all the good it will do you!”

        “Daisuke!” Taichi shouted. “Duck left!”

        Daisuke pulled V-mon against him as he changed direction abruptly, taking a blind leap to his left, tumbling across the floor. The action barely saved him not only from a sideways swipe of Kabuterimon’s hand, but a giant slab of stone that fell from the ceiling and collided where he had been running. The large Adult batted the stone away, sending it crashing through one of the walls only a couple meters away from Mimi, who shrieked and darted in the opposite direction. Daisuke scrambled onto his feet quickly, shaken from the near miss, but kept running, only sparing a brief glance towards Taichi over his shoulder. “Thanks, Senp–”

        Another swipe of Kabuterimon’s hand cut off Daisuke’s words as the tip of his fingers collided with the boy’s back at the arc of his next attack, sending the boy tumbling end over end across the room.

        V-mon cried out Daisuke’s name then cast an angry and suspicious gaze towards Taichi. then snorted before focusing on running with his partner.

        The Digimon Kaiser smirked as he pulled his whip tight with his hands. “Thank you for your assistance, _Senpai_.”

        Taichi cringed as he watched Daisuke fall and jogged over to Takeru, lowering his voice. “We’ve got to distract Kabuterimon and the Kaiser. It’s the only way to give Daisuke a chance to get away.”

        Takeru nodded, his expression grim. “Maybe it can give our Digimon an opening too.”

        Sweat trickled down the back of Daisuke’s neck. His breath was rough from exertion. Though he was in good shape from playing soccer, running for his life drained far more energy than a simple game. “V-mon,” he said between pants, “think you can break the ring with your head butt next time he takes a swipe at us?”

        V-mon nodded sharply. “You bet!”

        Taichi put some distance between himself and the others before waving his arms wildly. “Hey! Hey! Over here, Tough Guy! Did you forget about the rest of us or what?”

        “Go for it, Patamon!” Takeru said in a harsh whisper.

        Patamon nodded and flew towards Kabuterimon.

        Taichi frowned when Kabuterimon paid him no mind, so he refocused his attention. “Hey! Digimon Kaiser!” He pulled down an eyelid and stuck out his tongue when he saw the other boy look his way. “If you were really any good Chosen you wouldn’t _need_ to steal someone else’s partner!”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s cheek twitched again, his lips curling up in a snarl. “I don’t need to take that from the likes of you! You, who _abandoned_ your Digimon in enemy territory without a second thought!” He pulled out his whip and pointed. “Get him, Kabuterimon!”

        Kabuterimon whirled about before charging at Taichi with a feral snarl.

        Taichi felt as though the Digimon Kaiser had struck him someplace deep and vulnerable. Unfortunately, he had no time to stand reeling from the verbal jab, as Kabuterimon was coming for him. A yelp slipped out before he ran in the opposite direction of his controlled friend as fast as his legs could carry him.

        Daisuke slowed to a halt when he realized that Kabuterimon was no longer after him and eagerly took the moment to catch his breath. “G-go for it, V-mon!”

        V-mon nodded and chased after Kabuterimon. Patamon flew around the large Adult’s head, but the fact that Kabuterimon would not hold still made it difficult for either Child Digimon to catch up with him.

        Mimi felt as though her heart was caught in her throat as she watched Taichi barely evade repeated attacks from Kabuterimon. She stood with Palmon at her side, a growing sense of helplessness keeping her still. She, like Takeru and Patamon, had found out only minutes ago that none of them could evolve in this place.

        A sudden beep caught Mimi by surprise, eliciting a shriek from her. She realized a heartbeat later that it was her D-Terminal, and fished it out, hoping for some word from the others that might help them. She blinked at the message, reading it a second time. “Slow him down?” she muttered. “But how…”

        Inspiration struck and Mimi when she saw Kabuterimon land. He did it every time he encountered the ceiling and had to crush more of it. She pointed towards the Adult’s legs. “Palmon! Grab his legs! Hurry!”

        Palmon nodded, and darted forward, stretching out her vines to their fullest. “Poison Ivy!”

        Kabuterimon stumbled to a stop as Palmon’s vines coiled around his legs. Before he could yank himself free, Patamon’s Air Shot struck the back of his head, just above the control collar. He turned and took a blind swipe at the flying Child Digimon as Patamon flew past his head. This gave V-mon the chance to jump onto his back. His struggles against the smaller Digimon struck the children as something akin to a kaiju movie, where the giant monster battled against tiny tanks and planes.

        V-mon climbed halfway up Kabuterimon’s body. When the Adult twisted about and tried to grab him, he jumped, aiming for the Evil Ring. “V-mon Head!”

        Unfortunately, Kabuterimon turned in time for their heads to collide. The Adult’s armor was stronger than the diminutive dragon’s skull and he fell with a cry, striking the ground hard enough to leave cracks in the stone. He lay against the broken tile, dazed from the pain running through his limp body.

        Daisuke was instantly at V-mon’s side, scooping his partner up and running again before Kabuterimon could take another strike at him. “V-mon! Are you okay?”

        “Daisuke…” V-mon moaned, disoriented. “I didn’t do it, did I…?”

        The Digimon Kaiser laughed. “No, you _didn’t_. You’re nothing more than an _irritation_ ,” He then paused as his smile widened. “It’d be in your best interests to leave now before I’m forced to _hurt_ you.”

        Taichi’s breath came in and out as a hiss between his clenched teeth. “You say that like you’re not trying to _kill_ us!”

        Daisuke jerked back. “What? _Kill_?”

        The Digimon Kaiser paused before his eyes narrowed. Tension flooded his features, his jaw clenched. “If that were true, you’d be _dead_ now.”

        Takeru gestured widely at the damage about them, glaring hard at the Digimon Kaiser. It was impossible to miss the wreckage of the temple, the crumbled walls and deep gashes created by Kabuterimon. “Then how do you explain all _this_! _?_ ”

        The Digimon Kaiser tugged his whip repeatedly, creating a sharp snapping noise each time he pulled it taut. “Enough. Enough! If you won’t leave willingly, I’ll send you out on your ungrateful asses!” He pointed at Kabuterimon. “Stop messing around with that pathetic plant already! Break her fingers if you have to!”

        Mimi shrieked and pulled Palmon back, breaking her partner’s concentration. “Palmon! Let go!”

        Palmon yelped and retracted her vines out of instinct, freeing Kabuterimon just before he lashed out, his hand driving into the ground and splintering the rock where her fingers had been only an instant before.

        Patamon took advantage of Kabuterimon’s momentary distraction to fire a blast of air at the large Adult’s exposed neck. The attack grazed the edge of the Evil Ring, splintering off a few mere slivers of it. A crack of the Digimon Kaiser’s whip was his only warning before Kabuterimon focused on him and threw a large ball of energy in his direction. He dodged most of it, but a tendril of electricity grazed his wings, sending him falling to the ground with a cry.

        Takeru bit back the instinctive urge to cry out his partner’s name as he clenched his fists. “Damn.” He raised his voice. “Scatter!”

        The Digimon Kaiser cackled as he watched the Digimon and children race in different directions. “Yes, scatter!” He moved at an idle pace to get a better look at the fleeing children and came to a stop at the entrance of the shrine. “Scatter like _insects_!” The sun shining at his back cast dark shadows over his face, but they did nothing to hide his twisted smile. “Little gnats fleeing from a much larger fly!”

        Taichi ran in the direction opposite the way Patamon fell and waved his arms around, though he kept his glare focused on the Digimon Kaiser. “Insects, insects, insects! If we’re so insignificant to you then why don’t you swat us yourself instead of brainwashing someone else to do the dirty work for you?”

        Daisuke caught on to Taichi’s plan and jeered at the Digimon Kaiser. “It’s ‘cause he’s too much of a whiny _coward_ , Senpai!”

        The Digimon Kaiser growled deep in his throat. “You–”

        Palmon’s shout drowned out whatever threat the corrupt child had been about to say. “Poison Ivy!”

        The Digimon Kaiser tensed just as the vine-like fingers nearly ensnared him and darted to the side at the last second to evade them. Palmon tried to redirect the path of her vines to follow his movements, but missed as he surprised her with a jump that cleared at least two meters. He snatched her fingers once he landed as she made another attempt at him and flashed Mimi a terrible smile before he jerked Palmon towards him. The plant Digimon shrieked as he yanked her off her feet then spun her around high in the air in a wide circle. Palmon barely had time to feel dizzy before he abruptly yanked her about, sending her crashing into the wall close enough to Mimi that the shocked girl’s pink hair whipped about in the breeze generated when Palmon flew past.

        Mimi shrieked and dropped her D-Terminal from her suddenly numb fingers. She ran to Palmon’s side as her partner slid down the wall. “Palmon! Are you okay?”

        The Digimon Kaiser was not finished. He had not released the plant Digimon’s vine-like fingers and instead swung his arm backwards, forcibly pulling Palmon back away from the wall and past Mimi. Then, he whirled his arm forward again, slamming Palmon in to the wall once again with an audible _crunch_. The wall cracked and splintered as the Digimon’s body hit the hard surface with a scream.

        Mimi shrieked Palmon’s name as she watched her partner was battered repeatedly against the wall. Heedless of the danger, she tried to catch Palmon when the plant Digimon came near her, but the Digimon Kaiser yanked Palmon back at the last second, just inches away from her outreached hands.

        Taichi froze, his entire body rigid as he watched the Digimon Kaiser beat Palmon without mercy. “Stop it!”

        Hikari could not bear to look, tearing her eyes away from the scene, as she hugged Tailmon closer. Every scream Palmon made was a knife through her. She could not imagine the pain her friend was experiencing, or how much Mimi suffered from being forced to watch.

        Takeru attempted to rush the Digimon Kaiser, only to be cut off by Kabuterimon. The Chosen of Hope scrambled away as the insect Digimon lashed at the ground in front of him, narrowly missing the boy. “Damn it!”

        Patamon almost sent an Air Shot towards the Digimon Kaiser, but he had no clear shot due to how the boy flung Palmon about. The chance was too great that he would miss. Instead, he forced himself to take advantage of Kabuterimon’s inattention and made another attempt at destroying the Evil Ring. Unfortunately, the Adult moved at the last second to intercept Daisuke, who attempted to charge the Digimon Kaiser as well. The air hitting the back of Kabuterimon’s head caught the controlled Digimon’s attention and he turned towards Patamon, forcing the smaller Digimon to dodge another attack.

        The Digimon Kaiser laughed as he pulled his arm back yet again, as Palmon struggled uselessly against him. “This is what happens to those that defy me, _insects_!”

        A gruff voice cut through the Digimon Kaiser’s laughter. “My, my. That’s not very _kind_ of you, is it?”

        The Digimon Kaiser faltered in his swing, losing his momentum so that Palmon fell limply to the floor rather than impact against anything with any real force. He stumbled slightly before straightening up, whirling to stare at Jijimon as the Ultimate Digimon left his hiding place and stood on the altar. “J-Ji... Jijimon!”

        Jijimon smiled crookedly. “Why dontcha let the girl go? I think you made yer point.”

        The Digimon Kaiser gazed at the Ultimate in silence before he straightened up as he tightened his grip on Palmon’s fingers. Palmon twitched, too dazed and disoriented to do much more than lay on the ground in a crumbled heap. “I don’t take orders from you.”

        “Now, V-mon!” Daisuke shouted. He and V-mon ran around Kabuterimon in opposite directions, which forced the Adult to hesitate in choosing which to go after first. This allowed them to barely slip past Kabuterimon’s grasping fingers.

        The Digimon Kaiser glanced over at the charging Chosen and his Digimon. He scowled as his fingers tightened around Palmon’s fingers, which he still held captive as the plant Digimon was unable to resist. He crouched as he brought his arm back, then swung Palmon around horizontally, using the nearly unconscious Palmon to strike both V-mon and Daisuke as they came close. “Insects!”

        Mimi felt as though her heart was being squeezed with each blow Palmon took. She held her hands close to her chest, her eyes so full of tears she could barely see her partner any more. “Stop it! No more! Let her go! Let Palmon go! _Please!_ ”

        The Digimon Kaiser paused at that, turning to look at Mimi. His expression was unreadable for a moment before he suddenly tossed away Palmon’s fingers, allowing the vine-like tendrils to land on the ground beside him. “Hmph.”

        Mimi noticed and did not hesitate to race over to Palmon’s side, heedless of the danger. To the surprise of the others watching her, she made it and pulled her partner into her arms, holding Palmon as delicately as if the battered Digimon was made of glass. The bruising already starting to form on Palmon’s green skin made Mimi’s heart ache all the more and her breathing hitched as she repeated Palmon’s name in a strained litany.

        The Digimon Kaiser watched Mimi, his face a blank mask that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking. After a few moments, he turned away from Mimi and back to the others. “Get out now, or I’ll be forced to keep hurting you.”

        “My, my, so there _is_ some _kindness_ left in you,” Jijimon said, his smile widening even as there was no amusement in it or his voice. “And here I was, thinkin’ it’d take a _miracle_ to get through that _darkness_.”

        The Digimon Kaiser tensed, a shudder running up his spine. He turned to stare hard at Jijimon, his jaw clenched. The Digimon returned the stare, and the two looked at each other for several long moments before the human child finally broke the gaze and proceeded towards the ruined entrance of the shrine.

        Hikari looked from Tailmon, who was still covered in bandages, to Palmon, who was covered in darker blotches of green – bruises no doubt – and barely conscious in Mimi’s arms. A swell of emotion rushed through her, sorrow, anger, and even a desperate sense of confusion. “Why are you doing this? If you’re really a Chosen Child like us, how can you be so cruel to the Digimon?”

        The Digimon Kaiser twitched and his fingers clenched into fists. He kept walking as he ignored Hikari, heading outside of the temple. Once he was past the doorway, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly, an Airdramon flew down into view and lowered its head before the human tyrant. The Digimon Kaiser leapt up on top of its head before turning to glare balefully at the Chosen, feet planted firmly on the flying dragon Digimon. “Kabuterimon. I expect results.”

        Kabuterimon answered with a mindless roar before he began generating electricity between his palms. The Chosen were forced to start running again, lest they become the target of their friend’s attacks. Even Mimi had been forced to blink away her tears and carry Palmon away when Kabuterimon began to turn her way.

        Takeru grit his teeth as he glared after the Digimon Kaiser as the other boy flew away. It was infuriating. The whole thing infuriating to the point of being maddening. The way the Digimon Kaiser tortured Palmon in front of them was inexcusable. However, he did not have much time to think about what had happened nor its implications beyond his intense rage, when he found himself ducking behind a smashed pillar to avoid a glancing blow of electricity. “Damn it!”

        Takeru tried his best to focus on the situation, but it seemed equally frustrating. Battling Adult level Digimon with only Child Digimon was difficult, but it was much harder when their opponent was as experienced in fighting as Kabuterimon. Palmon and Tailmon were far too injured to fight, Agumon was still a captive of the Digimon Kaiser, V-mon had no fighting skill, and Patamon was forced to spend most of the time dodging Kabuterimon’s attacks whenever he got close to hitting. They needed to evolve, but how could they do it when the Kaiser was obviously blocking it somehow?

        At that moment, the D-Terminal in Takeru’s back pocket beeped. It was the sound that played whenever an email had arrived, but it sounded strange. There was a distortion to it, as though the sound card was undergoing some sort of error. The Chosen of Hope paused and blinked, uncertain if he had heard it correctly. For a moment, he debated whether or not he should check his D-Terminal, especially given that the situation at hand required his full attention. When he realized that it could have been an important message from his brother and the others in the real world, he quickly pulled his D-Terminal out.

        To Takeru’s surprise, instead of seeing a notification that he had an email and who the sender was, his new message was already open. The areas that should have listed the email addresses and title were blank, the corners of the message screen flickering slightly as though there was some sort of glitch. The font in the body of the email was of a strange jagged font, though the words were legible enough to read.

        

        

>        &nbspSay “Digimental Up.”

        

        Takeru read the message three times to make sure he understood the distorted letters correctly. “Digimental… Up?” The words felt strange to say, and he had no idea what to make of them. What was the email talking about? Even more, who was it from and what were they saying about the Digimental?

        Tailmon’s harsh words pierced the Chosen of Hope’s concentration. “Takeru! Pay attention!”

        “Look out!” Patamon shouted.

        Takeru remembered where he was and looked up in time to see Kabuterimon forming another attack in his direction. He ran parallel to the giant Adult, just barely escaping the Mega Blaster. He kept moving to make sure that he would lessen the risk of becoming a target again, but his mind swiftly returned to the email. The message was strange to the point of being somewhat unnerving – he did not like the feeling he got from it. A mysterious email from an unknown sender was incredibly suspicious even without the creepy vibe, but under these circumstances, he did not see any alternatives. He could not simply let Kabuterimon remain the Digimon Kaiser’s slave.

        Takeru would not allow evil to prevail.

        “The worst that could happen is that… nothing happens,” Takeru muttered. Inwardly he had to retract the statement, as he really had no idea what would happen. He did not want to consider the worst-case scenario when Patamon had already died once before. However, Centarumon did bring them there specifically for the Digimentals and, eerie email or not, if these were instructions on how to use them, then he would trust not the mysterious message, but Centarumon. Holding the Digimental tightly in his fist, he raised it skyward and yelled, “ _Digimental Up_!”

        The Digimental shined brilliantly, growing so bright that it hurt for anyone to look at directly. It transformed into light that beamed directly into Takeru’s Digivice. Sparks the color of gold overflowed from the Digivice before a golden shaft of light connected directly to Patamon. The orange Digimon was overcome with energy that filled him to the brim as it covered him like a second skin. “Patamon, Armor Evolve!” The light wove itself around his body, forming into the shape of angel wings that grew in size as he did. When the wings opened wide they belonged to a Digimon that was no longer Patamon, but a magnificent armored horse clad in gold. “Pegasmon!”

        The transformation stunned Takeru, but only for a moment, as surprise quickly gave way to excitement. “Alright, Pegasmon! Let’s do it!”

        Hikari stared at Pegasmon, not believing her eyes. “That’s…!”

        Taichi slowed his running to gawk at Pegasmon. “A new evolution?”

        Daisuke jumped, pumping his fists into the air. “Alright!”

        Pegasmon swooped down towards Kabuterimon as he unleashed a beam of holy light from his forehead. “Silver Blaze!”

        The attack hit its mark, striking the Evil Ring, which shattered to tiny pieces. The force of the blow hit Kabuterimon hard, knocking him to the ground where he slid back to the entrance of the shrine, destroying what remained of the wall surrounding it. He lay there, dazed, before de-evolving in to Tentomon.

        Tentomon twitched faintly, but could not manage the strength to raise his head. “K-Koshiro…?”

        Taichi was the first to reach Tentomon, wearing a smile from ear to ear. “Tentomon! You’re back!”

        Jijimon watched as most of the Chosen gathered around Tentomon then turned his gaze to the horizon, where the Digimon Kaiser was barely a speck in the distance. “Hmph, kids these days,” he grumbled. “Wearing leotards and capes, what do they think they are? Whatchamacallitmons?”

        Centarumon left his hiding place and hurried to join the group. “Chosen Children!” He turned towards Takeru. Though his expression was unreadable thanks to his mask, his voice betrayed his excitement. “You’ve figured out how to use the sacred treasures!”

        Takeru glanced at Centarumon then looked up at Pegasmon. _More like someone told me how._ He decided there was little point in saying so. He could tell the others about the strange email later. Right now, he felt too thrilled by the fact that they freed Tentomon. “Now we can evolve, even in areas under his control!”

        Pegasmon landed lightly in front of Takeru. “We just need to free Piyomon so she and Sora can use the Digimental of Love, and find the other Digimentals.” His voice was more masculine than it was when he was Patamon, but not quite as much as when he was Angemon. It struck Takeru as somewhere in between.

        Tailmon could barely look at Tentomon and the others, her gaze fixated on Palmon, who rested uncomfortably in Mimi’s arms. Her ears and tail hung low as her heart felt heavy. She was still too weak, too useless to be of any help, and now Palmon was as injured as she was. “If only I…”

        Hikari pulled Tailmon closer and gave her partner a tender smile. “It’s okay, Tailmon,” she said gently. “You’ll recover soon.” She moved to join Mimi and Palmon, crouching beside them so that she could get a better look at the plant Digimon’s injuries. Palmon was barely holding onto consciousness, while Mimi was trembling with the effort not to fall to pieces. “Hang in there, Palmon. Jou will fix you up as soon as we get back to the real world.”

        Mimi nodded, her vision hazy through her tears. “That’s right! You’ll be as good as new in no time.” Her voice wavered even as she tried her best to sound cheerful for her partner’s sake. “So… so just… Just rest now, okay?”

        “Mimi…” Palmon murmured. She tried to smile, but a twitch of pain from even that small movement made her groan and close her eyes tight. Instinctively she curled against Mimi, who gently stroked her petals and made soothing cooing noises.

        Taichi’s gaze lingered Palmon before he turned to Centarumon, a scowl on his face. “Do you know where the other Digimentals are? We’re going to need them if we’re going to save the rest of our friends and pay back the Digimon Kaiser for what he did.”

        “Our temples are scattered across this world,” Centarumon said. “Each one contains sacred treasures just like these. However, which the specific temple houses which Digimental is beyond my knowledge.”

        “Of course,” Taichi muttered. After the trouble they went through to find their crests years ago, he did not find it surprising that they would have to go on a quest to find all of the Digimentals the same way.

        Takeru brushed back his bangs. “We’ll have to visit them all anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

        Taichi nodded. “In the meantime, we should probably let Koshiro have a look at the ones we’ve got already.”

        Takeru turned to Centarumon. “Do you have the coordinates of the other temples?”

        Jijimon let out a loud snort. “Bah, _coordinates_. In _my_ day, Chosen found temples by _walking_.”

        Centarumon inclined his head towards Jijimon. “That is not so easily done these days, Elder. The Digimon Kaiser’s influence is extensive.”

        “Bah, and bah again!” Jijimon waved his staff around, at no one in particular. “Kaisers, Digimon, I don’t care! It’s always dangerous and kids these days always wanna do things easy! I walked up hill both ways in the snow to get to my temples!”

        Centarumon exhaled deeply enough that it was almost a sigh. “We’ve never had snow in these areas, Elder.”

        Daisuke blinked at Jijimon. “In your day?”

        Hikari’s eyes widened slightly as she caught the implication. “You don’t mean… You met Ryo and the others?”

        Daisuke stared blankly at Hikari. “Who’s Ryo?”

        Jijimon sniffed with disdain. “Damn right I did. Spiky haired punk – needed a good haircut.”

        Hikari glanced at Daisuke. “He’s another Chosen Child we met years ago, but we haven’t seen him in a long time.” She returned her attention to Jijimon, deciding to explain the story in more detail after they returned to the real world. “Does that mean that Ryo and his friends found their Digimentals back then?”

        “‘Course he did,” Jijimon said. “Fat lot good it did ‘em.”

        Hikari noticed how Jijimon’s voice quieted slightly at the last part with some emotion she could not readily identify. “What do you mean?”

        Jijimon did not respond immediately, and even though no one could see his eyes, they all felt that he was not looking at any of them but at something very far away. Every second that ticked by in silence added a strange weight in the air that settled over everyone. He tapped his walking staff on the ground for a few moments, as though trying to stave off the oppressive quiet, but it was a number of moments before he shook his head and brought his attention back to the Chosen. “Anyway, give ‘em the coordinates already so they can get the hell out!” His voice was unnecessarily rough, but it held little weight to it.

        Centarumon nodded before he turned to Takeru. “I will send the information to Koshiro.”

        Daisuke crossed his arms over his chest, brow furrowed. “We can’t leave yet! There’s still one thing I wanna know.”

        “Hm?” Takeru glanced over to Daisuke. “What?”

        Daisuke looked sharply at Takeru and Pegasmon. “When are you going to try and knock down that Dark Tower already?” He made wild gestures before finally pointing at V-mon. “How am I supposed to see what kinda awesome Adult V-mon changes into with that Dark Tower stopping him, huh?”

        Takeru blinked three times at Daisuke before an awkward note of laughter bubbled out from him. “Right! Of course!” He turned to his partner with a smile. “Pegasmon?”

        “Right,” Pegasmon said. Though his helmet obscured his face, there was no mistaking the amusement in his voice. A moment later, he was in the air, soaring in a wide circle around the shrine until he spotted the Dark Tower looming in a crevice a number of meters behind the temple, half-sunken into a crevice. The Chosen left the shrine so that they could watch him approach the evil monument. He spread his wings, which turned a dark shade of blue, covered with twinkling dots of light that gave them the illusion that they were made of segments of the night sky. “Shooting Star!” Stars flew off from his wings, striking the Dark Tower and shattering its foundation.

        As the Dark Tower slowly teetered, the broken shards that touched the grass and ground at the bottom of the crevice surrounding it bled away all of the color, turning them to a dismal shade of gray. Blackened sparks danced across the pieces and charred the grass away just as the tower struck the ground. Darkness danced across the pieces of the tower with a strange hiss of static before disappearing completely. At once, the solid chunks of black that made up the tower glistened before it liquefied and flooded the crevice, creating a small pond of gray water with foaming waves that crashed along the rocky walls in all direction, painting the cliffs almost entirely in dingy shades of gray. Slowly, the ominous looking liquid evaporated before their eyes, black bits of data floating up into the sky in front of the Chosen before disappearing altogether.

        Takeru watched the tower disintegrate with a grin on his face. The smile faltered when he noticed the strange reaction the area around the tower had when it fell, his eyebrows furrowing. “Hn.”

        Daisuke scratched his head. “What’s that? Why did it become _water_? And why’d it turn everything gray?”

        Mimi sighed as she looked sadly, as she focused her attention on some wildflowers that grew on a small ledge along the edge of the crevice. The flowers not only had lost all their color, but they too were slowly dissolving into data. “I hope this doesn’t happen when we destroy all of the Dark Towers…”

        Tailmon had left the safety of Hikari’s arms when the Dark Tower began to fall so that she could get a better look over the edge of the crevice. She stared hard at the tower’s remains as the water drained away from down below bit by bit. Slight movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention back to Hikari and she jerked when she realized that her Chosen Child was trembling. “Hikari?”

        Hikari’s eyes were distant, fixated on the dark water far down below. She had been unable to look away since she witnessed how liquefied Dark Tower crashed against the canyon walls like ocean waves crashing hard against the shore. At the sound of her partner’s voice, she snapped back to the present and noticed how her body was shaking. She stilled herself and wore a smile for Tailmon, but the expression was weak and unconvincing. “I-it’s nothing.”

        Tailmon’s eyes narrowed as she stared at her partner, but she refrained from saying anything more.

        “Well, it’ll take care of itself,” Jijimon said before pointing his staff at the Chosen. “So get outta here already!”

        Daisuke dusted his hands together. “Okay! Now with that outta the way…” He turned to V-mon and clenched his fist as a wide grin appeared on his face. “I want to see you show your stuff, V-mon!”

        V-mon nodded then clenched his fists in a clear mimicry of Daisuke. He strained hard, furrowing his eyebrows. A vein appeared as he pushed hard, trying to force out the evolution for his partner and the others to see. “Evolve… evolve! V-mon…!”

        “V-mon… evolvvvveee… toooo…!” V-mon continued to strain as sweat trickled down his brow, the pressure building until suddenly… it expelled with a noxious sound of gas. V-mon’s eyes bugged out as his face turned red, a small green cloud lifting up behind him.

        Daisuke choked on the smell for a moment and pinched his nose as he waved the stench away. “V-mon!”

        Takeru gawked at the sight, then covered his nose as he turned away, wisely trying to hide his laughter. “W-well then…”

        “What the hell was that?” Jijimon asked as he stared hard at V-mon. “You challenging me, boy? Well, let me tell you, my body odors are second to _none_.”

        V-mon could not possibly look any more mortified, his ears drooping. “D-Daisuke…”

        Daisuke laughed, feeling rather embarrassed for his partner’s sake and knelt down to pat V-mon on the head. “Right, right. You’re just not ready yet, V-mon. You’ll evolve next time.”

        V-mon sniffled and drooped. “R-right! I’ll try really hard!”

        “Let’s go,” Tailmon said as she covered her nose.

        “It takes practice, boy,” Jijimon said, sagely. “Practice and a good diet. Like so!”

        The old Digimon crouched as he lifted his staff over his head, straining. An aura of fire seemed to appear around him, as he focused his energy. “Nnnnnnghhhh…! _Hah_!” With a mighty war cry, Jijimon lifted his staff skyward just as a horrendous trumpet blared out, followed by an equally horrendous cloud of fumes.

        It was the vilest mixture of smells in existence, a bastard child of skunk, rotten eggs, and spoiled cooking grease. The smell alone caused the ground around Jijimon to crack and splinter. The Chosen Children and Digimon choked on the horrific stench and were forced to cover their mouths and noses lest they be overwhelmed.

        Tailmon covered her nose with both her paws, her eyes watering. “Go! _Now_!”

        “I… I can taste it!” Takeru choked out as he fanned vigorously at his face. “It’s… augh…!”

        Hikari nodded as she fumbled to find where the pockets were on her new dress while using one hand to cover her mouth and nose.

        Taichi turned a little green, the smell getting to him even as he tried to use his shirt as a filter. “I’m gonna throw up!”

        “Hahaha!” Jijimon laughed proudly, hands on his hips. “Now _that’s_ how you do it! Taking notes, boy?”

        Over half the Chosen Children drew their Digivices at the same time, all crying out between coughs for the gate to open. Only Hikari and Takeru’s Digivices reacted to the command.

        “D-Daisuke…!” V-mon choked out before he de-evolved to Chibimon. “Bleeeugh…!”

        “O-old Fart!” Daisuke said just before they disappeared in a flash of light.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Downtime between battles should mean less stress for the Chosen Children and their partners, but the shadow of the Digimon Kaiser and the plight of their friends still trapped within his thrall looms over them all. The problems that arise from the pressures of growing up in the Real World will not wait for them to resolve this dangerous threat.
> 
> * * *

        Mimi was spending another night at Sora’s house with Palmon. Her parents were unhappy about it, particularly when she told them the reason why, but they understood. There was no one else in the world that could treat any of their Digimon’s injuries but Jou. Even the task of performing first aid was too much for her, as she barely kept her calm together long enough for them to return to the real world. Sora had to escort her outside of Taichi’s bedroom during Palmon’s treatment so Jou could focus on what he was doing without her crying to distract him.

        Hours later, Mimi’s eyes were tinged a darker shade of pink than the dye in her hair. Somehow she managed the strength she needed to force herself into something resembling a cheerful mood when around Palmon because her distress was upsetting to her partner. The last thing she wanted to do was make Palmon feel worse.

        Mimi tried her best to distract herself with busywork – gathering pillows, blankets, or food for Palmon, who enjoyed the attention immensely despite the pain. The small plant Digimon was resting in relative comfort on a stack of mats and blankets, with pillows all around. A pile of empty dishes rested not far away from the futon, which Mimi slid aside after feeding her partner. After having such a large dinner, Palmon fell almost immediately to sleep, partially in thanks to the strong painkillers Jou prescribed for her.

        While Mimi was happy that Palmon was not suffering at the moment, it left her with little more to do than to watch Palmon rest.

        Sora’s heart ached, both for Mimi and for Palmon. Truthfully, she had looked away when the Digimon Kaiser battered Palmon without mercy. She was unable watch the scene unfold on the laptop’s screen, and she had to cover her ears to block out Palmon and Mimi’s screams. Her helplessness and empathy overwhelmed her as she cried along with Mimi, and her eyes were still rather sore from the experience. Still, the Chosen of Love tried to put up a strong face for Mimi, who was suffering far more than she or any of the other Chosen Children.

        “Mimi,” Sora said softly, “she’ll be fine. She’s strong, and Jou did his best.”

        Mimi’s fingers curled against the tops of her knees. She nodded slightly with a quiet sound of agreement, but her eyes never left Palmon. Bandages covered her partner nearly from head to toe, some faintly stained in red. She wondered if they needed to be changed, but Jou had told her that would not be necessary at least until tomorrow morning, unless Palmon moved around too much. Mimi ensured that her partner would not need to so much as lift a finger if she had anything to say about it. Jou promised that he would stop by before school to put on fresh gauze and check to see how Palmon’s condition was progressing.

        Sora felt her heart sink when Mimi did not speak. She did not know what she could do to help Mimi cheer up, not that she blamed the other girl for being so melancholy. It was hard to be cheerful after what Palmon had been through.

        “Why?” Mimi whispered, her voice wavering with emotion. “Why would he… how could a _Chosen Child_ like us _do_ this?”

        It was not the first time Mimi had asked that since they returned from the Digital World. They all wondered the exact same thing, but none of them could understand why the Digimon Kaiser was doing the things he did. Sora suspected that Mimi was not expecting to receive an answer, but was asking only because there was nothing else the Chosen of Purity could do except worry about Palmon’s health.

        “Only he can answer that,” Sora said. “And I don’t think any of us would ever accept his reasons.”

        Mimi’s body faintly trembled as she let out a shuddering breath that ended in a hiccup. She had exhausted herself from crying so much that it seemed that she had no more tears left to shed, but the pain continued to constrict her chest.

        The door to the guest room opened, the sliding door loud compared to the tense silence that had fallen between the two girls. Sora’s mother, Toshiko, stepped into the room, her honey colored eyes gentle with sympathy as her gaze passed from her daughter to the pink haired girl kneeling on the floor. “Mimi? You have a visitor.”

        It took Mimi a moment to register Toshiko’s words. She glanced over her shoulder at the older woman before she climbed to her feet, wobbling a bit due to the slight numbness that had settled into her legs from sitting on the floor for so long. “Who is it?”

        “Your friend Yamato,” Toshiko said before she stepped aside so that Mimi could leave the guest room. “He’s waiting for you in the entryway.”

        Mimi tried to feel some enthusiasm at the news, but found herself unable to find the energy. “Thank you.” She walked past Toshiko without looking back at either her or Sora as mother and daughter shared a concerned look.

        When Mimi saw him, Yamato was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his head down. His entire posture was gloomy, and his jaw clenched tightly. When he saw the Chosen of Purity, he straightened up immediately. “Mimi…” His voice came out subdued, not much louder than a whisper.

        Mimi brushed a strand of hair from her face and hoped that her eyes were not terribly puffy. She did not like the others seeing her in such a sad state. She tried to smile, but gave up after it felt too strained. “Good evening, Yamato.”

        Yamato opened his mouth for a second before hesitation seized him. He found himself unable to meet Mimi’s gaze so he turned away, grimacing again as he clenched his fists. “I’m sorry.”

        The apology caught Mimi by surprise. “You’re sorry? For what?”

        “I shouldn’t have suggested Palmon target the Kaiser,” Yamato said, his voice rough. “It’s my fault.”

        Mimi paused at that. After what happened to Palmon, all her worrying about her partner and questioning how someone like them could be so cruel, she had forgotten about the email Yamato sent her during the thick of battle when Palmon’s attempts to trip up Kabuterimon had been thwarted. She shook her head, making a quiet noise at the back of her throat. “No, it’s not. You didn’t know the Digimon Kaiser would… that Palmon…”

        “Still, I shouldn’t have suggested it,” Yamato said, still not looking at Mimi. “I put Palmon in danger.”

        Mimi frowned. Seeing Yamato torture himself with guilt was completely unacceptable and somehow it managed to pull her from her own melancholy and giving her a bit of strength, if only for a moment. “If it’s your fault, then it’s my fault too. I thought it was a good idea too. If I didn’t I never would’ve told Palmon to do it.” She hesitated as her own guilt came rushing back, contorting her expression unpleasantly. “ _I’m_ the one who told her to do it. If I didn’t then Palmon would’ve never…”

        Yamato barely kept himself from punching the wall, all of his muscles tensing with a white-hot rage that screamed for release. It was not his house, so he had no right to put holes in it – even if visualizing the wall as the Digimon Kaiser’s face and tearing it apart would have made him feel better. “I’ll make him _pay_!”

        Mimi noticed how Yamato seemed wound tightly enough that he could snap at any moment. She reached out and touched his arm, which flinched under her hand. Their eyes met for a long moment before she managed a small but sincere smile. “That’s right. We’ll stop him from hurting anyone else.”

        Yamato was silent for a long moment before he gave a slow nod. “We’re going to end this.”

        Mimi nodded as well. “For Palmon’s sake… and for Gabumon’s too. We’ll save him and the others… so no one has to get hurt like this again.” Her gaze drifted back down the hall where she left Palmon sleeping.

        “That’s right,” Yamato growled. His fists tightened, his fingers digging in to his palm. “Who knows what he’s doing to the others…”

        Mimi’s hand slipped from Yamato’s arm for a moment before she reaffirmed her grip, squeezing his wrist with more force than she intended. If she closed her eyes her mind would replay memories of the terrible things Digimon Kaiser made Palmon do in the coliseum and when the tyrant mercilessly pounded her partner against the stones right in front of her. She held no illusion that the other Chosen Digimon were suffering any less than the rest of the Digimon being held captive by the Digimon Kaiser. She felt compelled to say something to comfort Yamato, or at least herself, but words failed her. After everything that had happened, she wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and cry.

        No, Mimi realized a moment later. What she wanted more than that was answers, for the Digimon Kaiser to return to his senses. “He’s supposed to be a Chosen Child like us,” she whispered. “How could he…?” She had not intended to speak and it took her a moment to realize she had said her thoughts aloud.

        Yamato exhaled deeply, his body slumping slightly, though it did not take away his tension. His gaze dropped down to her hand before he turned away. “I’m sorry… I’m not making you feel any better.” The tight trip on his wrist felt like a vice that matched the one twisting his insides. “But I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to stop him.”

        Mimi nodded, still struggling for words of reassurance. She loosened her hold just enough that she could slide her hand down to Yamato’s, holding it. “Thank you.” She raised her head, her eyes meeting his. She tried to sound strong, but there was an underlining brittleness to her voice. “I’m going to try my best too. We have to…” Her voice went quiet. “I won’t… won’t let Palmon get hurt like that again.”

        Yamato finally looked back at Mimi and squeezed her hand. “We’re going to do this. Everyone, we’re all going to stop this madness.”

        Mimi managed another smile, but she could not maintain it long before it began to crumble. Moisture pooled in her eyes, blurring her vision. “Y-yes. We’ll definitely… _definitely_ …”

        Yamato faltered for a response, for anything else he could say or do to help Mimi after he had messed up his attempts to make things up to her. Unfortunately, he was at a loss. There were no words that would undo what had happened, and without Gabumon there was no way for him to fight back against the Digimon Kaiser. Her name slipped from his lips just as he saw tears spill from her eyes.

        Mimi abruptly let go of Yamato’s hand to throw her arms around him, burying her face against his chest. Her body shook with sobs that were muffled by his body as she wept not just for Palmon, but for their countless friends in the Digital World who were suffering as well.

        Yamato stared at Mimi, taken aback by her abrupt action. A moment later a grimace marred his features as his discomfort grew. He raised his hand to touch her, hesitating for a moment before he placed his hand on the back of her head. His eyes drifted closed as he slumped against the wall and silently allowed the Chosen of Purity to cry for them both.

* * *

        The clock on the wall said that it was well past midnight. Jou had been studying for over four hours, hunched over his desk. The door was locked, so he could read in peace as he stared down at the thick textbook before him. The air was thick with silence, with no noise to draw his attention but the quiet ticking of the clock in a steady rhythm every second and the quiet sounds of his breathing.

        In those four hours, Jou had only gone over a single page – the very first. Even then, he had not read it, merely allowed his gaze to drift across the neat rows of text. He could not tell anyone what was written on the page, or what he was supposed to learn from it. His eyes would travel over a line and fail to move onto the next one, or drift to some other part of the page, losing his place completely. In four hours, he had not learned a single thing.

        All he could do was think about Gomamon.

        Jou closed his itching eyes as he leaned back, taking off his glasses so he could use his free hand to rub at his eyes. He had thought that with Gomamon gone, he would be able to study like never before – it was supposed to be a small sliver of a silver lining in this nightmare of a typhoon that tore through his life. Gomamon would not be able to steal his books, hide his homework, or otherwise spend the entire time distracting him.

        Jou remembered during one study session when he had spent half the day getting ready for a monster of an exam in the morning, until Gomamon started making a strange noise. The sound was just high enough in pitch that it registered _past_ his thoughts and drilled directly into his brain, making it completely impossible to ignore. Eventually, Jou’s resolve crumbled and he caved in to Gomamon’s demands. Instead of studying, he spent the rest of the day at the park with his classmates, who were also taking a break from their usual cram-sessions before the important tests.

        And there were _always_ important tests.

        Now, when he had no distractions, no Gomamon to force him to spend time with _people_ while he had work to do, Jou was not able to get a single bit of work done. No matter how much he tried, he could not do it.

        Jou let out a strained curse before he leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. It was better than staring at that page again.

        Even his classmates had noticed he was being distant, more so than usual. Truthfully, he was normally distant from them, as he did not have _time_ to socialize when he had to study. Nevertheless, Gomamon compelled him to socialize, forced him to spend time with them. Without Gomamon, Jou was retreating into himself again – even worse than before. He told his classmates that his distance was merely due to some personal issues he was dealing with, and they advised him to take it easy.

        Just like Gomamon would have.

        “Gomamon…” The name left Jou’s lips in a voice that wavered somewhere between a whisper and a sob.

        How could another Chosen Child do this? The Digimon Kaiser had to be a Chosen, as only Chosen Children could go to the Digital World. That meant the Kaiser had a partner too. Yet, despite this, the he still chose to inflict this kind of suffering on others. What kind of _human being_ would torment innocent Digimon, the very Digimon he was supposed to be protecting? It simply did not make sense!

        “Perhaps I should have gotten into psychology instead,” Jou muttered. He tried to chuckle at his feeble attempt at humor, but the sound came out weak and forced. What was worse was that he could easily imagine Gomamon laughing at his attempt at a joke before poking fun at him in jest, or retorting with a wry quip. His attempt at humor died with a sigh as his eyes drifted closed. “But even then, I don’t think a textbook could give me the answer.”

        Jou and the rest of the Chosen Children needed to find their partners. They needed to save them from the Digimon Kaiser. They needed to save _all_ the Digimon. Perhaps it was just Jou being selfish to put Gomamon first over all the other Digimon suffering in the Digital World, but he knew that without Gomamon, he was helpless. With Gomamon by his side, Jou could stop worrying and do something other than pretending to study and applying even more stress to his life than he already had.

        At least with Gomamon, Jou would not be so close to breaking.

* * *

        Taichi glared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, specifically at the hairs dangling limp and heavy down in front of his face and around his neck. He muttered a vow of revenge against the person who invented hair gel and Yamato for suggesting he try it out. He vigorously rubbed his head again with a towel to scrub out the gel to return his hair to normal quickly. When he removed the towel to examine the results of his efforts, he spotted Hikari’s reflection in the mirror behind him.

        Hikari smiled, the corner of her mouth twitching, as though she had a hard time keeping the expression merely pleasant rather than amused. “It’s already four forty-five. Weren’t you supposed to meet Sora for your date at five?”

        Taichi jerked, the towel falling to the floor as he whipped around to stare at Hikari directly before he turned his attention to the clock on the wall. To his alarm, the clock clearly informed him that he had less than fifteen minutes to get to a meeting place that was a twenty-minute walk away. “Aw _crap_!” He turned back to the mirror and swiped his fingers through his hair, brushing it out of his face haphazardly so that he could at least see, before he tore past his little sister towards the front door.

        Hikari covered her mouth but failed to stifle her giggling. “Don’t worry,” she said a little _too_ sweetly, “Sora will understand that you were late because you wanted to look your best for her.”

        Tailmon stood beside Hikari, her arms crossed as a rather playful smile appeared on her face. Unlike her partner, she had no qualms with letting Taichi know that she was amused. “Enjoy your _date_.”

        Only when Taichi slowed down at the entryway to put on his shoes did Hikari and Tailmon’s words filter through his panic. His cheeks turned rosy as he looked over his shoulder at his little sister and her partner. “It’s not a date! Sora and me are just hanging out like usual. That’s all!”

        Tailmon tilted her head ever so slightly, her expression the very air of innocence. “Of course.”

        Hikari smiled brightly as she waved to Taichi. “Have fun.”

        Taichi gazed suspiciously at the pair a moment more, expecting another comment, but then he remembered how little time he had left. He hurried out to the hall of the apartment complex, pausing only long enough to let out one more protest before slamming the door behind him. “It’s not a date!”

* * *

        “It’s not a date,” Sora muttered softly as she leaned against the side of a building, holding her purse with both hands in front of her. She looked down at the pink and white flats covering her feet as she fidgeted, feeling rather uncomfortable in her pretty white dress with light pink flowers forming a border along the bottom of the skirt and around her neck. She felt so exposed wearing a dress, and chided herself for even thinking of putting such a thing instead of a sensible pair of jeans or at least a comfortable pair of sneakers. After all, why get dressed up when she was _not_ going on a date?

        The sound of a much welcome voice snapped Sora out of her anxious thoughts. “Sora!” Taichi shouted while jogging down the street towards the redhead, waving at her.

        Sora straightened up as she smiled, her spirits lifting, and she turned to face the Chosen of Courage. “Taichi!”

        When Taichi finally reached Sora he doubled over, hands braced on his thighs as he gulped down air, face flushed from running at top speed from his apartment without so much as slowing down to take the elevator. “Sor… sorry I’m late. I got caught up.” He glanced up at her with a sheepish smile only for the sight of her to take his breath away more powerfully than his run.

        Sora’s cheeks tinted as she noticed Taichi staring at her so intently. She looked away, gripping her purse tightly. Normally, she did not care to wear dresses, and felt so exposed and uncomfortable like this, especially when it got her peculiar looks. Her mother had been rather adamant about her wearing it, despite Sora’s discomfort and insistence that it was _not_ a date. She just felt relieved that she managed to talk her mother out of putting make up on her. The long moment of silence was almost too much for her. “What?”

        Taichi tried to respond with something clever or at least remotely intelligent, but all that came from his mouth were half formed words that had no hope of sounding remotely coherent. It was not simply the shock of Sora wearing a dress that threw him off balance, but how the outfit hugged her developing figure. The skirt was cut just above the knees, giving a delicious view of her smooth legs. The only sight more tantalizing was the barest hint of cleavage that the dress offered.

        Sora felt increasingly awkward the longer Taichi refrained from responding as he gaped at her. After a few moments, she decided to change the subject quickly. “S-so, I… guess we should go?”

        Taichi gave his head a firm shake when he realized that he had been so caught up in staring at Sora that he barely registered that she was talking to him. “Huh? Oh, er, you look nice, Sora.” The compliment felt clumsy and almost painfully understated to what he really thought about how she looked.

        Taichi was always aware that Sora was a girl ever since they first met, no matter how much of a tomboy she behaved. However, for some reason seeing her more feminine attributes emphasized by the outfit she picked for their get together made it impossible for him to ignore the fact that a cute girl was standing in front of him. It was not simply that she was wearing a dress, as he had seen her in their school uniform practically on a daily basis already. There was just something amazing about the way this particular dress hugged her curves that made him acutely aware of just _how_ female she was.

        On the other hand, perhaps what _really_ threw Taichi off balance was the fact that Sora chose to wear such a cute dress for _his_ sake. The extra effort she took made him more aware that his hair probably looked even more awkward when compared to how nicely his date… his _friend_ looked.

        Sora paused as her blush deepened, then shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. “T-thank you…”

        Taichi brushed his hair back out of his face, trying to be discreet about neatening it up a little. “So, um, er…” He trailed off awkwardly, stammering for a few moments as he tried to think of something to say that was _not_ related to how cute Sora looked or how he should have worn something nicer than a t-shirt and jeans. “I guess I’m a bit underdressed, right?”

        Taichi felt like kicking himself for blurting out something he _just told_ himself not to say. He tried to make the statement more casual with a laugh, but it sounded painfully fake to his ears. “I mean you look so nice. Nicer than usual I mean. Er, no that you don’t _usually_ look nice already, just you look _extra_ nice right now.”

        Taichi forced himself to shut his mouth when he realized he was rambling. He needed to think before he spoke so that he would not offend Sora like he did when he gave her the hair clip and said that she did not need to hide her face under her hat and hair. If this really was a date, he was supposed to be acting cool. Not that it was a date, he reminded himself quickly.

        Sora shook her head. “N-no, no, you’re fine. You… you look… handsome.” She hesitated as the words registered and her blush darkened. “W-we’re going to be late for the movie!”

        Taichi felt heat flare up in his cheeks “R-really? You think so even with my hair, er…” He grimaced and brushed his hair back again. He was putting his foot in his mouth a lot this afternoon it seemed. “Oh, right. The movie.”

        “Even with your…?” Sora furrowed her eyebrows, confused by the question. She tilted her head as she looked at the Chosen of Courage’s hair, and found herself at a loss. “What about it…?”

        Taichi blinked and ran his fingers through his hair. It still felt as though there was some gel left, but perhaps it was just his imagination and it had dried out by the time he ran over? In any case, if Sora failed to notice anything amiss then it was in his best interest to avoid letting her find out. “Nothing, nothing. Never mind!” Before she could get a chance to press the issue, he grabbed her by the hand and led her swiftly towards the movie theater. “Come on! Let’s get to the movie before we miss the previews.”

        Sora squeaked and then hurried to follow Taichi. She glanced down at their hands, feeling the warmth against her skin. Her face heated up again as her heart fluttered, but she quickly shoved the feelings aside. This was nothing. They had held hands before and there was nothing remotely romantic about the gesture. What they were doing right now was _not_ a date, no matter what her mother or anyone else said. She needed to not embarrass herself like this, and act like such a… _girl_. “R-right! Of course!”

* * *

        Despite a rocky start, the outing between the Chosen of Courage and Love had gone splendidly. The movie they saw was entertaining and gave them something to discuss over dinner at a rather nice restaurant that served tasty and affordable food. The earlier awkwardness between them had melted away as both forgot about debating if what they were doing could be called a date.

        Everything was going fabulously until Taichi destroyed the pleasant atmosphere with one thoughtless comment.

        “Man,” Taichi said, “Agumon is gonna be _so_ mad I went to see Blazes of Glory without him.”

        The conversation stopped dead. The weight of Taichi’s words felt like a physical blow to both him and Sora, instantly bringing them back to the plight of their partners. The fork in his hand faintly trembled and the bit of cake he had been in the process of lifting dropped back onto the plate. His mouth opened in an attempt to somehow take back those words, but his voice would not work.

        Sora felt her insides clench to the point of nausea. The sweetness of the sponge cake and whipped cream in her mouth lost all of its sweetness. A moment of oppressive silence hung between them before she forced herself to swallow hard and put on a weak smile appeared on her face. “I’m sure he’ll forgive you.”

        Taichi tilted the corners of his mouth upwards in what appeared to be more of a grimace than a smile as he attempted to laugh off his comment, but the sound was weak, hollow. “Yeah…”

        Sora picked at her food with her fork, unable to meet Taichi’s gaze. She tried not to think about what was happening in the Digital World and at the same time felt enormous guilt for doing so. What Piyomon must have been going through at that very moment… Memories of the abuse Palmon endured were still fresh in her mind. She felt sick with the reminder of just how helpless they were to do anything, how acutely Mimi suffered for it. “Once Koshiro finds them, we’ll definitely… we’ll… we’ll _definitely_ …”

        Taichi’s hand came down harder on the surface of the table than he intended, but he barely noticed as he focused on sounding cheerful. “Of course! As soon as Koshiro finds them, we’ll rescue Agumon, Piyomon, and everyone else in no time. We won’t let that brat keep them for long!”

        Sora barely moved her head to nod before raising her eyes to Taichi as she made her best attempt at a smile. “That’s right… we just have to keep moving forward, and keep our spirits up. That’s why we’re here, right?”

        Taichi nodded with excessive force as he curled his fingers into fists. “Right! We already rescued Patamon, Palmon, and Tentomon. And Tailmon managed to get away on her own, plus we found one of the other Chosen and his Digimon, so that just means we’ve got even more help to get our friends back.”

        “It’s only a matter of time until we can rescue everyone,” Sora said, her voice faint when compared to her normal tone. It was hard to be as energetic as Taichi somehow managed. Her eyes drifted back to her plate as she poked a strawberry around on a mound of whipped cream. “It’s just… the waiting…”

        Taichi made a quiet affirmative noise as his eyes fell to the table. He poked at the strawberry from his cake with his fork as he tried to figure out how to lighten the mood again. “Agumon and Piyomon wouldn’t want us to be upset.” He stuffed the strawberry into his mouth and continued to speak while chewing. “They’ll probably be more upset if we were sad while we’re stuck waiting for a chance to get them back.”

        Sora closed her eyes. She could almost swear she could hear Piyomon telling her to cheer up, smiling and hopping around her, pink wings a flutter and a smile on the Digimon’s face. “Yes, we have to be strong…”

        Taichi swallowed audibly. “So we should be thinking instead of what we’re gonna do once we get them back and how we’re going to pay the Digimon Kaiser back for all the trouble he’s caused.”

        Sora frowned as she furrowed her eyebrows. “That’s right. We’ll make him understand that what he’s doing is wrong!”

        Taichi felt the weight of responsibility bearing down on him. It was his fault that their peaceful outing had suddenly transformed into a somber affair. He tried to think of a tactful way to change the conversation to something more cheerful, but he failed to come up with a solution. With a grunt of frustration, he slapped his silverware back onto the plate and rose to his feet. “Right, so for now let’s just do something fun because that’s what Agumon and Piyomon would want!”

        Sora looked up at Taichi, staring at him. She hesitated before she stood up as well. “Alright. Like what?”

        A brilliant idea came to Taichi. He turned towards the window and thrust his finger forward to some indistinct point in the distance as he attempted to strike a cool and commanding pose. “Let’s go to the amusement park!”

        Sora blinked three times at Taichi, wondering if he was serious. A quick glance at her watch reminded her of the late hour. “But most places are closed about now…”

        Taichi teetered dangerously, nearly falling over as he remembered that the sun had set some time ago. He scratched his head for a moment as he looked through the large windows of the restaurant to the lamp lit streets outside. “Uh, well…” He scrunched his brow as he tried to think of a location that was both fun and not restricted by closing times. Finally, his eyes lit up. “I know! The beach! Let’s go to the beach!”

        “It’ll be really late and cold by the time we get there,” Sora said. She tried not to giggle at Taichi’s exaggerated reaction.

        Taichi straightened up blinked slowly at Sora as he scratched the back of his head. “Oh, yeah, right, it’s still the beginning of spring isn’t it?” He grunted and crossed his arms, scouring his imagination for any interesting ideas. “Let’s see… if we… No, that’s too far away…” He muttered to himself for a couple of minutes, his eyes firmly closed, as he rejected location after location. Finally, he opened one eye to look tentatively at the Chosen of Love. “I guess we could go to the park?”

        Sora smiled brightly as she giggled. “Sure.”

        Taichi’s cheeks turned pink as he rubbed the back of his head. Despite feeling embarrassed, his heart felt lighter, bringing a smile to his face in spite of himself. It gratified him to see that he was able to make Sora laugh again despite his clumsy words from earlier. Now, he just had to figure out what he did so that he could do it again in case he stuck his foot in his mouth a second time.

        Sora was touched that Taichi was trying so hard for her sake. They were both suffering, worrying about their partners and helpless to do anything but wait. Seeing the other Chosen’s courage in this difficult time renewed her own courage. Moving forward to take Taichi’s hand, she smiled brightly. “Let’s go!”

* * *

        Takeru felt rather guilty. He was certain that when Yamato gave him a key to their father’s apartment, his brother never meant for it to be used like this. The Chosen of Hope could imagine the look of outrage on Yamato’s face, the protests and the lectures. Nevertheless, Takeru had come too far to back out of his plans now. He needed to steel himself and go forward, it was the only option.

        Clutching a bucket filled with cleaning supplies tucked under his arm, Takeru rang the doorbell to the apartment before ducking around the corner, watching to see if Yamato or their father, Hiroaki, had returned home unexpectedly. After a full minute of silence, he hurried to the apartment door and ducked inside. He let out a sigh of relief before he turned on the light. What he saw made him jerk, dropping the bucket so that it hit the floor with a _clang_ , the contents spilling in all directions. The mess he made was barely noticeable compared to the one he had just walked into.

        Takeru had heard a lot of things about the typical bachelor pad, how without women around to do any housework they would become filth-encrusted dumps, but he had believed them to be just stereotypes from television or movies. He was completely unprepared Yamato and Hiroaki’s apartment to _prove them right_. Take-out boxes were crammed in every trashcan the apartment hand, with more trash balanced on top in teetering piles, surrounded by a halo of debris and miniature mountains of bags and empty cardboard boxes carrying even more take out remnants. The washing machine and dryer were wide open, stuffed full of clothing of dubious cleanliness, many articles of clothing hanging over the edges or piled around the laundry room. There were also many shirts, pants, and even underwear tossed haphazardly across the floor and even on the furniture. The kitchen was little more than a series of stacked dishes encrusted with dubious smelling things that had been food once upon a time. Ant traps and fly strips were placed intermittently in the kitchen, the only sign that the men who lived there had done anything about the potential hazards that came from such a sloppy lifestyle.

        The entire apartment was truly a nightmare, a monument to slovenly living habits. Takeru imagined that his mother, Natsuko, would have fainted had she seen the mess before him. After awakening, she would then undoubtedly launch into a lecture to end all lectures that would leave their grandchildren chastised.

        The saddest part was that Takeru had _suspected_ his father and brother had been living like this all along, though admittedly he did not imagine it to be quite _this_ bad. Whenever he came to visit Yamato and Hiroaki, the place had obviously been cleaned up in a hurry but still showed some signs of _unclean_. He sincerely appreciated the efforts they went through for his sake, but it always frustrated him that the two would refuse to let Takeru clean up _anything_ while they were around. He imagined it was because he did not live there that they insisted on treating him more like a _special guest_ than a member of the family. Obviously, they did not mean to make him feel at a distance, as they both had a habit of trying far too hard to be accommodating for him.

        Things were different now. Before, the feeling that Takeru was little more than a visitor was unavoidable. When he lived so far away from his father and brother, visiting was very difficult and could only happen during the weekends due to school. Now, with his mother’s job transfer, he was so close that he was within walking distance of his father’s apartment. There was no excuse to keep that barrier between them, to keep thinking of him as just a guest spending the weekend at their house.

        It ended now.

        Hiroaki was at work, and Yamato was at band practice. Neither were home, so neither would be able to stop him from setting his plans in to motion.

        Takeru reached in to the bucket and took out plastic gloves, pulling them on with a definitive snap.

        “ _Let’s do this_!”

* * *

        Yamato sighed as he slouched forward through the apartment. His guitar case felt far heavier against his back than it had ever been. He knew why, naturally – Gabumon. Going to practice only served to remind him that a valuable part of his band was not there, and the other members of the band asking about his partner and expressing frustration at Gabumon’s absence did not help. Everywhere the Chosen of Friendship went, he found something to remind him of his missing partner, or conjure up ghastly scenarios of what that Digimon Kaiser must have been doing to him at that very moment.

        The Yamato stopped short at a bend in the hallway, his fists clenching. He wanted to punch that awful kid, to slam his fists into that smug face until it broke like glass. Then he would punch the Digimon Kaiser even more, for what the tyrant had done – for what the Kaiser was _doing_ – not just to Gabumon, but also to Palmon, Tailmon, Patamon, Tentomon, and all of the other Digimon still in his possession.

        Unfortunately, for now, all Yamato could do was wait and hope for even the slightest chance of rescuing his partner. They all had to wait until Koshiro found something with the programs made to scan for the signatures of their missing partners, or one of their allies in the Digital World sent them important information. He knew full well that was all they _could_ do at the moment, but it did not make the waiting any easier.

        Yamato grit his teeth until his jaw began to hurt as he recalled the conversation he had with Koshiro when he asked how the scanning was going. “Damn Dark Towers.” Koshiro had not outright stated it, but Yamato caught the suspicion that the Dark Towers were blocking the programs made to search the Digital World. A frighteningly large number of areas would only appear in the Digital Gate’s viewer as static, completely impenetrable, but Koshiro promised he was working on a solution. Yamato knew the Chosen of Knowledge was uncertain if it was a promise that could be kept, given how little they knew of the Digimon Kaiser or what exactly the Dark Towers were made of that could allow the evil dictator so much control. “Once we destroy enough of them…”

        Yamato stopped short with a startled jerk when he realized he had passed his apartment door. A flush of embarrassment flooded through him and he instinctively looked around as he backed up, only mildly relieved that no one had seen him. He paused to run his fingers through his hair before he unlocked the door, trying to set his thoughts on what restaurant to call up for tonight’s dinner.

        The door had barely opened a crack before Yamato froze, his thoughts halting as he realized something was off. The faint smell of alcohol, lemon, and industrial cleaner hit his nose instead of the familiar scents of home. In an instant he threw open the door and turned on the lights. His arms fell limply to his sides as he stared in complete bafflement at the apartment before him. Every surface had been scrubbed, from the floor to ceiling. The windows, furniture, and even the walls had been washed.

        Yamato’s feet moved almost of their own accord to get a better look around. The kitchen was completely empty of any fast food boxes or dishes, and the laundry room no longer had a single scrap of clothing in it. Magazines were put away neatly in bookshelves, clothes hung in the bedroom closets, beds neatly made.

        If not for the furniture and pictures hanging on the walls, Yamato might have thought that he had stepped into the wrong apartment. In his daze, he went as far as to go back outside to check the number on the wall by the door and the nametag that confirmed that this was the Ishida home.

        Someone had been in Yamato’s home and decided, instead of robbing and messing up the place, that they would perform a free cleaning service instead.

        “ _What the hell!_?”

* * *

        Daisuke readjusted his hold on his duffle bag so that the strap would stop digging into his shoulder. Between Chibimon, his soccer uniform, and his school supplies, the bag was rather heavy. It made walking all the way from school to his apartment and back every day something of a trial. However, he found it was easier to imagine that he was weight training, like the protagonists in his favorite action anime. After a montage of implied months of lugging heavy weights all the time they became buff and powerful, able to take on any villain imaginable, no matter how tough they were.

        A smile played across his face as Daisuke realized that he was a hero just like them now, thanks to Chibimon. Now all he needed was a signature item like every other hero flaunted, such as a snazzy pair of goggles like the ones Taichi wore, or the pair Hikari had given him.

        Daisuke ran a hand through his hair with a tinge of regret. Even though his precious goggles had mysteriously reappeared the last time he visited the Digital World, they disappeared the second everyone returned home, much like the cool flaming bomber jacket. Koshiro had guessed that those goggles were not the real ones that he threw at the Digimon Kaiser, which was very disappointing.

        Leave it to Hikari to cheer Daisuke up, however. He still felt a thrill as he remembered the way she praised him for his noble sacrifice. She had even promised to give him a new pair of goggles for his next birthday, a set even better than the last one. He could hardly wait, especially since he had a lot more friends to celebrate with him this year.

        Chibimon sat quietly in the duffle bag, trying not to move around to make things more difficult for Daisuke. It was hard to keep still, as he disliked leaving all of the hard work to his Chosen Child. He had suggested riding on Daisuke’s shoulder or on his head, like Patamon, but the boy had been completely against it. Apparently, it was more important for Chibimon to hide than it was for Patamon, as unfair as that was. Still, the tiny baby dragon Digimon accepted it, even if he could not bring himself to like it.

        Daisuke’s enthusiasm waned, wariness creeping in to replace it once he got off the elevator. He walked slowly to quiet his footsteps as he approached the apartment door labeled with the Motomiya nametag. He let out a low shush sound, lest Chibimon consider making any sort of sound at this critical juncture, even though his partner had been very good at keeping quiet when inside the bag. When he tested the doorknob and found that it would not budge, tension grew throughout his body. A locked front door before nightfall was the unmistakable sign that Jun was home.

        Daisuke moved carefully not to jingle his keys or make the knob rattle when he unlocked the door. He opened the door only a crack so that he could peer in and catch a glimpse of the living room, checking to make sure that Jun was not lounging on the sofa watching television. Next, he checked the entryway behind the door and spotted a dirty shirt – one of his from the laundry hamper no doubt – lying on the floor in an apparent haphazard manner. He knew better than to think it was an accident – he tripped over his own shirts that “mysteriously” appeared all over the house far too many times to believe that he was a forgetful slob. He picked up the shirt before his mother, Junko, noticed it and made a comment about how he needed to clean up after himself.

        Daisuke snuck through his house like a burglar, his footsteps quiet after he removed his shoes at the door. He watched Junko’s back while she worked in the kitchen, humming along to some awful music playing on the small television placed on the counter, as he crept down the hall. He paused in front of Jun’s bedroom, labeled helpfully by a piece of paper that sorted her name in stylish handwriting above a warning that Daisuke had better keep out or else. After pressing his ear to the door, he heard his sister’s voice – no doubt she was gabbing on the phone to some friend of hers. He exhaled, knowing he could relax for a moment, and walked back to the kitchen. “I’m home,” he said to his mother, careful not to speak loudly enough that Jun might hear.

        Junko was busy sashaying her hips from side to side, as she stirred a pot of stew on the stove, her focus more on the pop idol on television rather than Daisuke. “Welcome home. Dinner will be ready in an hour.”

        Daisuke exploited his mother’s inattention by raiding the fridge, stuffing some covered leftovers into the duffle bag with Chibimon’s help. “Right. Thanks. I’ll be in my room.”

        Junko hummed what could have been a confirmation that she heard him, or she could have been just as easily slipping back into the rhythm of the music.

        Daisuke hurried back down the hall, pausing only long enough to fish out his keys and unlock his bedroom door before he darted inside. The slam of the door behind his back before he locked it felt satisfying after all his sneaking around. There was no way Jun missed the sound, and now she knew that she lost the opportunity to torment him before dinnertime. Thinking about how annoyed she must have been brought him no small sense of victory. Naturally, he would be a captive audience in an hour no matter what he did, but at least this way he lessened the risk of getting in trouble and being barred from eating dinner at all.

        “Coast is clear, Chibimon,” Daisuke said as he unzipped the duffle bag.

        Chibimon hopped out of the duffle bag and onto the bed, raising his little hands. “Yay, all clear!”

        Daisuke sat down on the bed next to Chibimon, a smile on his face. He tapped his palm against one of the dragon’s tiny hands in a high five. “We made it here unscathed. Time to celebrate.” He pulled out the dishes from the bag and held them out to Chibimon. “Here you go, Partner!”

        Chibimon waved his little paws excitedly as he rushed over to the dishes before taking them. “Yay~! Thank you~!”

        Daisuke grinned as he watched Chibimon devour the cold food with gusto. “Sorry I couldn’t warm it up for you, but mom would’ve caught us.”

        “Warm or cold, food is good~!” Chibimon said, then smiled brightly at his partner. “Thank you, Daisuke~!”

        Daisuke laughed lightly as he stroked Chibimon’s head, feeling the tension from earlier slowly slip away. “Hey, it’s no problem. We’re partners, right? You protect me in the Digital World and I’ll protect you here. That’s how it works, right?”

        “That’s right~!” Chibimon said, before he paused. He frowned, his ears drooping slightly. “Though, I want to protect Daisuke _all the time_.”

        Daisuke gave Chibimon a lopsided smile. “Don’t worry about it.” His smile widened before he let out a short laugh. “I’ve gotta protect you sometimes or it isn’t fair on you, you know?”

        “If you say so, Daisuke,” Chibimon said, though he continued to frown.

        A knock on the door had Daisuke on his feet in an instant, body tense. He looked to Chibimon and held his finger up in front of his mouth before turning back to the door. “What is it?”

        An overly sweet female voice drifted through the door. “Daisuke, your friend Hikari is on the phone.”

        Daisuke felt his heartbeat quicken at the idea. He nearly reached for the lock on impulse when common sense caught up to him and he glared at the door. “I know you’re lying, Jun. Go away.” Hikari knew better than to call his house unless it was an emergency. Though a part of him worried that might be the case, he never trusted anything his sister said on principle.

        Jun sounded affronted. “Fine. I’ll just tell Hikari that you refuse to talk to her. I’m sure that won’t break her poor heart _too_ badly.”

        Daisuke felt doubt twist his insides, but he forced himself to remain resolute. “Tell Hikari-chan I’ll talk to her tomorrow at school.”

        “Okay, but you’ll be sorry~!” Jun said in a singsong tone.

        Daisuke listened for the sound of Jun’s footsteps to retreat before he plopped back down onto the bed with a grunt. “You know, before I talked Dad into putting that the lock on my door, she would’ve just burst in here whenever she wanted,” he muttered, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He paused as he imagined what Taichi would say about him saying such things about his sister and drooped. _I’ve gotta learn to keep my big mouth shut._

        Chibimon’s expression turned surprisingly dark. “If she burst in here, I’d _bite_ her,” he muttered, his voice a near growl.

        Daisuke was taken aback by his cute little partner sounding so serious, almost vicious. He was not sure what to think so he tried to laugh it off. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, if you bite her Jun will probably freak out and make mom and dad make me get rid of you and make my life miserable in the process.” The idea made him feel sick inside. “So no matter what you’ve gotta make sure none of them see you, okay?”

        Chibimon’s scowl deepened. He did not like it at all, but he trusted Daisuke to know what was best for both of them. “Okay, Daisuke…”

        Daisuke reached out to lightly scratch behind Chibimon’s ear. “Hey, hey, it’s not so bad. We get to bunk together like this and Jun has no idea.” He chuckled. “Man, she’d be so jealous if she knew we were a couple of heroes out to save another world.”

        Chibimon’s sulk gave way to a pleasured purr as he enjoyed the attention, tilting his head into Daisuke’s hand. “She can be jealous all she wants, because she _should_ be jealous of Daisuke~!”

        Another knock interrupted the pleasant moment, followed by Jun’s voice. “Daisuke? Your friend sounded pretty upset that you don’t want to talk to her. Apparently she needed to talk to you _really_ badly.”

        Daisuke’s fingers stilled for a moment before he made himself continue despite how part of him could not stop worrying about Hikari. He refused to so much as look towards the door. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

        Jun let out a sigh that could be heard clearly through the door. “I told her that, but she was still upset.” She sighed again, even louder and more distressed sounding than before. “In fact she was so upset she was _crying_. It was hard to hear what she said after a while. I think she might’ve been saying something along the lines of if you don’t want to talk to her now then never talk to her again? Something like that. It was just so hard to tell with how hard she was sobbing.”

        Daisuke felt his muscles tense up. The very thought was enough to twist his insides, even if he refused to believe that what his sister told him was true. “Whatever.”

        “She’s _lying_ ,” Chibimon whispered harshly, as though echoing Daisuke’s thoughts. “She’s a liar-liar, and using Hikari too! Hikari would never talk to her!”

        Daisuke glanced at Chibimon, before nodding his head ever so slightly. “Yeah, she does that,” he muttered under his breath, his voice rough. “That’s why Hikari never calls and I can’t ever call her.”

        Chibimon nodded, his expression grim. “Hikari _definitely_ isn’t on the phone, so don’t answer!”

        “Well!” Jun said, her voice sharp. “I’ll just have to tell Hikari that you don’t want to talk with her. Although… I really shouldn’t break the bad news to her over the phone. I should probably go over and tell her _in person_.”

        Daisuke was on his feet in an instant. “Don’t you dare!”

        Chibimon moved to grab Daisuke’s leg. “Daisuke, no! She’s lying, Hikari would never believe her!”

        Jun’s voice was far too sweet to be sincere. “Dare what?” She giggled softly, the door nearly blocking the sound out entirely. “I’m only worried about this poor girl after you’ve made her feel simply _awful_. _Abandoned_ , really.”

        Daisuke trembled with rage, too angry to see straight. His jaw clenched to the point of being painful, and he only managed to bite back his retort thanks to the weight of Chibimon on his leg. He glanced down at his partner before he forced himself to sit back down. It took him a little while longer to manage to speak again, the words grinding out through his teeth. “Go _away_ , Jun.”

        Chibimon glared at the door, as if he were able to see through it straight into Jun’s awful face. His tail lashed angrily behind him, his floppy ears canted back. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to make the obnoxious girl leave Daisuke alone by whatever means necessary, but knew he could not.

        Jun let out an exaggerated hum. “Her last name is Yagami, right?” She let out a theatrical gasp. “I think I know someone who goes to class with someone related to her! I think I’ll call and ask where she lives.”

        Daisuke dug his fingers into his knees to keep himself from bursting through the door and doing… something. He had no idea what – grab Jun, yell in her face, threaten her, or something else along those lines. He hated when his sister riled him up like this, especially when he knew that it never led to anything that ended well for him. “Stay out of my business, Jun!”

        Chibimon tugged on Daisuke’s leg, attempting to keep Daisuke’s attention on him and not Jun. “Let her, Daisuke! Tailmon’ll pop her right in the face!”

        The image of Tailmon punching Jun made Daisuke laugh in spite of himself. It was still hard to see Tailmon as anything other than Hikari’s pet cat, even after seeing her knock down cell doors with a single blow, so somehow it made the idea as absurd as it was entertaining to consider.

        Jun’s sharp voice wiped away all trace of mirth from Daisuke. “Is there someone in there with you?”

        Chibimon paused at that, his grip tightening on Daisuke’s pants. He fought the strong urge to yell ‘yes’ and instead kept his mouth shut. He refused to disobey his partner, no matter how angry he got.

        Daisuke felt his heart tighten sharply before it beat faster, the sound echoing in his ears. His voice cracked as he replied, despite his attempts to sound casual and innocent. “What? No! What gave you that idea?”

        “I just heard someone’s voice in there,” Jun said. “And don’t even try and lie that it was your Game Boy or you talking to yourself. I’m getting mom and telling her you have that girl in your room.”

        Daisuke panicked, instantly on his feet. He looked at Chibimon, his eyes wide and wild, before he scooped up his partner and dashed for his closet. He was thankful that he kept his room clean – as per his agreement with his parents to allow him to keep his door locked all the time – so he managed to find an empty space behind the top shelf of his closet for Chibimon to hide. He shushed his partner before closing the closet door.

        Chibimon glared at the closed door, his tail lashing again. That girl was always so mean to Daisuke, and she had no reason to be. He was the best person in the world!

        Less than a minute later, a loud knock on the door made Daisuke jump. “Daisuke?” Junko said, her voice cross. “Open up right this minute.”

        Daisuke grumbled as he unlocked his door and opened it to allow Junko access to his room. He knew that he would never be able to talk his mom out of a surprise inspection once it got into her head that he was doing something wrong.

        Daisuke’s mother was a slight woman, but her age meant that she still stood an entire head taller than him, and the suspicious look she gave him with her dark brown eyes made her appear larger still. Peeking around her shoulder, only a few scant centimeters shorter, was Jun. His sister’s eyes were identical to their mother’s, except they carried a wicked gleam that made the sweet smile she flashed him cause jolts of white hot rage to shoot through his body. Aside from their expressions, the two women had nearly identical faces, save for the slight signs of Junko’s more advanced age, such as laugh lines around her eyes, which looked more severe thanks to the weight of her scrutinizing gaze upon him. Their hair and taste of clothes were different as well, with his mother wearing a conservative cream colored dress that went well with hear neatly bobbed fair brown hair. Jun, in contrast, wore a pair of torn blue jeans and a t-shirt sporting the image of her current favorite idol band, her normally chestnut colored hair dyed to a more rosy shade and teased until it put Taichi’s wild mane to shame.

        The way Jun winked at Daisuke as she practically skipped into the room made him unable to resist the urge to glare at her. The muscles on his face twitched with the effort not to curl up his lips and bare his clenched teeth, so Junko would not suspect his anger was directed at her and upset her. “There’s no one here but me. Hikari-chan doesn’t come over anymore, remember?”

        Chibimon heard the sound of Daisuke’s mother and sister’s footsteps as they entered the room and tensed. He had to quietly reassure himself that since they would find no one, Daisuke was certain not to get in trouble.

        Of course, the fact that Jun even pulled such a stunt meant that Chibimon would have to pay her back for it. At that thought, the tiny Digimon paused. If Jun was in Daisuke’s room, then that meant she was no longer in _her_ room. His eyes narrowed to slits as he considered the possibilities.

        As Chibimon heard Junko rifle around the room, the tiny Digimon quickly moved towards the small vent in the closet ceiling. He easily nudged it open without a sound, having removed the screws days ago, so that he could slip inside without being detected and replace the vent cover to hide any trace of his presence.

        Junko frowned as she looked around the room. The place was small and tidy, so there was not much in the way of hiding places. She lifted the covers on his made bed then peeked underneath, pushing aside neatly packed boxes to verify that someone was not hiding behind them. She remade the bed before turning her attention to the closet, missing the way Daisuke flinched when she opened the door due to having her back turned towards him. Satisfied that no girls were hiding among the shirts and shelves, she ran her finger along the top shelf, which made her son’s heart race with fear. “You need to dust more, Daisuke.”

        Chibimon looked down at Junko through the slits in the cover, hidden in the darkness of the vent. If it had been Jun standing so close to him, he doubted he could have stopped himself from spitting on her. However, since it was Daisuke’s mother, he resisted the urge. From what he had seen so far, Junko was a rather nice woman, if a bit scatterbrained and easily manipulated. Besides, he had far more important things to do. With quiet steps, the small dragon Digimon scurried through the ventilation system to the room across the hall – Jun’s bedroom.

        It had only been a few days since Chibimon entered Daisuke’s life, but he already knew the layout of the entire house, both from inside the vents and out. He had to avoid being spotted by the other Motomiyas, and the air vents allowed him to do just that while still permitting him the freedom to move about as he pleased. Naturally, the first place he discovered was Jun’s bedroom, and with it, untold possibilities.

        Opening the air vent, Chibimon slipped into the elder child’s room undetected. It was time to extract retribution on Jun while she was occupied in harassing Daisuke. The small Digimon glanced around before noticing with extreme displeasure that his previous prank – using her lipstick to doodle graffiti on her hand mirror so that her reflection would have fangs and horns – had gone unnoticed. Certainly, if she had seen herself so defaced, she would have shattered the mirror, screamed, or at least cleaned it up. The fact that the mirror had been untouched irritated him. He had been so proud of his brilliant prank, as it took so long to think of, but she had not reacted to it at all!

        Chibimon puffed up his cheeks and made a muffled sound at the back of his throat. The problem was that his prank had been too subtle, he was certain of it. That meant he needed to think of something far _bigger,_ a prank that Jun could not help but pay attention to – something that would drive her absolutely _crazy_. “What do I _do_?”

        Chibimon looked around the room while chewing on his lower lip. His next target had to be something that Jun could never ignore. Posters of idol bands, movie stars, and the like that covered the walls served as a tempting target for him to deface, but he feared such graffiti would be ignored as well. He had barely finished that thought when he spotted lipstick stains smeared across the faces of a number of the pretty boys’ pictures, most in the shape of lip prints. His ears twitched back as he scowled. If Jun liked defacing things with lipstick, then it was no wonder that his brilliant mirror trick failed!

        Chibimon paused and glanced over towards the dresser, where he imagined Jun kept her clothes. Not all Digimon wore clothes, but he at least understood what the articles of fabric were for, thanks to Daisuke. Humans like Jun needed clothes – fresh ones every day. There was no way she could miss a prank that was done to her clothing! The blue dragon baby waddled over to the dresser and scaled it to the top. He reached down and pushed the top drawer open, revealing it to be the teenage girl’s underwear drawer, which contained exotic garments of all shapes, sizes, and colors inside.

        Chibimon hummed thoughtfully and looked down at the underwear. He picked up one of the frillier articles of clothing and briefly wondered what its purpose was, as he had never seen Jun wear it and nothing in Daisuke’s room looked remotely similar. He puzzled over the two squishy pads shaped like cups before deciding the mystery was not worth solving when there were more important things to focus on while he had this golden opportunity. Still, could not help but notice that the soft pads were rather fun to poke.

        Idly squishing the gushy padding to help him think, Chibimon returned his attention to the rest of the room. He could always dump the drawers and throw the clothes around, like Jun did to Daisuke’s. He considered flushing them down the toilet, but he doubted they would fit. He could at least get them wet, but it would take too long to cart all the clothes to the bathroom and then back. If he threw them in the hallway, then Junko might blame Daisuke, as Jun was very good at getting Daisuke in trouble whenever clothes were found on the floor. What Chibimon needed to do was to get rid of them in such a way that _no one_ could pin it on his Chosen Child.

        A glimpse of something fluttering in the corner of his vision made Chibimon turn towards it, identifying it as a thin white curtain. Jun’s window was much larger than Daisuke’s, more like a doorway made of glass, which was partially open to give a clear view of a patio outside. His eyes narrowed, as he was sure that Jun having a nicer window than Daisuke was due to her selfishness. Her room seemed larger than his Chosen Child’s as well. The nerve!

        A wicked thought erased Chibimon’s dark thoughts and brought a wicked smile to his face. No one could accuse Daisuke of throwing Jun’s underwear all over her balcony, as he would have to enter her room just to do the prank and right now Daisuke was with Jun and Junko. No matter what Jun said, there was no way she could pin the blame on Daisuke, Chibimon was certain of that.

        Still, simply throwing the underwear outside did not feel adequate to Chibimon. He wanted to do something to them first, so that Jun could not just bring them back inside as though nothing happened. “If I shred them, she might not recognize them.”

        It was a shame, Chibimon noted as he poked the padding of the bra again, as he was curious about what made it so squishy – was there gelatin inside, or pudding? Was it a secret hidden pocket meant to store away snacks? However, even as he thought about it, it seemed like such an odd place to store food. That only begged the question of what Jun could possibly use for such a weird article of clothing. Ultimately, it did not matter. He did not care why Jun did anything, so long as the spoiled girl left Daisuke alone!

        Chibimon shook his head and returned his focus to what was most important – the prank. “I need to do something that’s messy but won’t make her not know they’re _hers_ … What should I–?”

        Chibimon instantly went still, as a delightfully _awful_ thought appeared in his mind. It was a dreadful, terrible thing for him to even _consider_ doing to someone. A vicious grin appeared on his face as a wicked glint appeared in his eyes. It was _perfect_.

* * *

        Daisuke nearly slumped with relief when his mother’s quick inspection of his bedroom yielded no sign of Chibimon, or any imaginary girls he stashed somewhere. He quickly straightened up before either Junko or Jun noticed his expression then frowned when he spotted his sister rooting through his duffle bag. “Hey! Get outta there!”

        Jun let out a loud gasp as she held up a piece of paper. “Why, Daisuke! You got a _33_ on your _test_?”

        Daisuke snatched the paper from Jun’s hand, only for it to rip in half due to her solid grip on it. He grunted and tried to get the half she clung to, only for it to tear further. “It’s an _88_! And you just wrecked it! Get out of my stuff!”

        Junko sighed as she looked towards her son. “Daisuke, I know you have trouble in school, but you don’t have to hide your poor grades from us.” She gave Daisuke a hug. “You know we love you no matter how hard it is for you to learn.”

        Daisuke turned red in the face. “It’s an 88! I swear!” He held up the test paper, but the grade written in red marker had been rendered illegible when it was torn.

        Jun let out an excessively loud sigh. “Oh Daisuke, Daisuke, _Daisuke_. You shouldn’t be so _ashamed_ around us. We’re your family! We of _all_ people know that you’re not smart enough to do well in school, so we _know_ to expect your grades will always be simply _awful_. But don’t worry, we’ll still love you even if you _are_ a delinquent and are going to drop out before you get to high school. That doesn’t mean your future is _ruined_. You can always get a job pushing a ramen cart around.”

        Daisuke shot Jun a poisonous glare. “Shut up! You’re the reason why everyone thinks I’m a delinquent in the first place!”

        “Daisuke!” Junko said with a frown. “Don’t you yell at your sister, and don’t make that face either. You shouldn’t blame her for your problems.”

        Daisuke thrust an accusing finger in Jun’s direction. “She started it! She was looking through my stuff!”

        “Only because you hide your grades from us, Brother Dear,” Jun said in a syrupy tone. “You know, if you didn’t get _banned_ from that cram school, I’m sure you would’ve gotten them up at least a _teensy_ bit.”

        “That was your fault too!” Daisuke shouted.

        “Enough!” Junko said, raising her voice as she held up her hands. “There will be no fighting in this house! Is that clear?”

        “Of course, Mommy,” Jun said as she batted her eyelashes repeatedly, her expression the very air of innocence. “But, you know, _I’m_ not the one yelling and accusing _me_ of doing bad things.”

        “You’re in my room without my permission,” Daisuke said, forcing himself to keep the volume down. “Get out!”

        Junko tilted her head slightly and lightly tapped her lower lip as her eyes drifted towards the ceiling. “Oh, yes, that’s true isn’t it? Jun, you shouldn’t be invading your brother’s privacy like this.”

        Jun’s expression displayed her irritation for a fraction of a second before her smile returned in all its splendor. “Oh, I’m not _invading_ anyone, Mother. I just wanted to help you look around and make sure Daisuke wasn’t sneaking girls into his room. _Again_. You remember what happened last ti–”

        Daisuke had enough of Jun and cut her off with a harsh shove to her back as he forced her to walk towards the door. “ _Out!_ ”

        Jun yelped, stumbling over her feet as she tried to fight against Daisuke’s strength, but despite their size and age difference, her younger brother was a lot more physically active than she was. “Hey! _Hey!_ Quit it!”

        Junko blinked as she watched her children struggle. It was only when they were in the hallway and Jun started slapping Daisuke that she realized that she was needed to mediate.  “Daisuke, there’s no need to shove your sister. You only needed to ask her politely to leave. Jun, there’s no need to slap your brother. Just ask him nicely not to play so rough with you.” She cocked her head slightly when her children did not seem eager to comply. “Anyway, you two should help me set the table. Dinner will be ready soon.”

        Daisuke released Jun and hurried back to his door so he could lock it behind them. He noticed his sister’s annoyed expression and flashed her a smug grin when Junko was looking the other way.

        Jun opened her mouth to deliver a biting retort when the front door opened to reveal a haggard middle-aged man with eyes so dark they were practically black. He had short but rumpled dark brown hair and wore a gray business suit with a teal tie loosened away from his upturned collar. He set the briefcase down by the door before he slipped out of his shoes with a groan. “I’m home,” Daichi said, his voice heavy with weariness.

        Junko beamed at her husband. “Welcome home, Darling,” she said sweetly as she walked over to his side to give Daichi a peck on the cheek. “We were just about to set the table for dinner.”

        Daichi perked up at the mention of food and he gave his wife a smile. “Ah, good, that’s–” He was unable to finish when he spotted his children. A grimace marred his features as he looked between them. He opened his mouth only to think better of it and close it again. He tried again to speak, but the words came out half-formed. Finally, he forced a cough into his hand before he focused his attention on his son. “Ah, Daisuke. Would you go help your mother with dinner for a moment?”

        Daisuke blinked then shrugged. “Yeah, sure.” He followed Junko into the kitchen, preferring to help with dinner rather than bicker with Jun over the right way to set the dining room table.

        Daichi waited until Junko and Daisuke were out of sight before he turned his attention to Jun, though he could not manage to look into her eyes. “Jun, I…” His words fumbled, becoming an ill-formed mess. He frowned and coughed harshly before trying again.

        Jun tilted her head slightly as she batted her eyes, which she opened wide, giving her an especially innocent expression. “What is it, Daddy? Is something wrong?” She glanced towards the wall that blocked the kitchen from view. “Did _Daisuke_ do something _bad_ again, like spread _lies_ about me?”

        Daisuke twitched and glared at the kitchen wall. Thanks to the compact space of the apartment, he could still hear his father and sister’s private conversation perfectly well – a fact that Jun often liked to exploit. He bit back the urge to growl and helped his mother cook the noodles.

        Daichi waved a hand in front of him, as though to dismiss the suggestion. “No, no, it’s not about Daisuke this time.” He paused and covered his mouth as he looked away, finding it hard to look at his daughter. “Is there something you wanted to tell m–” He practically bit his tongue as he cringed. “…Your mother?”

        Jun clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels, much like she did when she was a young child. “Like what, Daddy?”

        “Erm, well,” Daichi said, but the rest of what he wanted to say fragmented into nonsensical syllables. He cleared his throat and rubbed his neck. “Jun, I understand that you might be, ah, _embarrassed_ about the situation, but you shouldn’t try to hide things. You especially shouldn’t try to do your laundry from your balcony; if you don’t secure it, it’ll fly wherever the wind might take it. You should also try to _wash_ it before you hang it out to dry. Perhaps you should ask your mother so you can learn how to do your laundry the right way without another, ah, _accident_ like this.”

        Jun went very still. “What?”

        Daichi’s face turned rather pink as he turned his gaze towards the door “Your… _soiled_ underwear.” He made a vague gesture. “It’s spilling over from your balcony and covering the street outside. There’s a bit of a crowd starting to gather so you might want to take care of that right away.”

        Jun did not move for a long moment before abruptly tearing past her father at top speed. The front door slammed against the wall with a loud bang that made the other Motomiyas flinch, but the sound did not compare to the unearthly shriek she made once she was outside. “Daisuke! I’m going to _kill_ you!”

        Daisuke jumped when he heard the death threat before he peered around the dividing wall towards the open door. He noticed both Daichi and Junko staring at him expectantly, and he gave a helpless shrug. “Don’t look at me. It’s not _my_ underwear.”

        The sounds of outrage Jun made were like music to Chibimon’s ears. He sat comfortably reclined on Daisuke’s bed as he listened delightedly to the results of his handiwork. He snickered through his teeth as he grinned from ear to ear, his tail wagging happily. “Don’t – mess – with – _Daisuke_.”


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With how they’ve fared so far against the Digimon Kaiser, the Chosen are hurting for some good news - a little bit of hope. Thankfully, they find some in the form of their Digimentals. A new path lies in front of them, one that leads to the possibility of victory and tools that allow them to combat against the overwhelming might of the Kaiser.
> 
> * * *

        Tailmon smiled as she stood atop Hikari’s desk and looked herself over in the mirror hanging on the wall in front of her. The bandages were gone, along with the bruises and cuts that had covered her body. She used her claws to toy with her fur, pleased to see that it had grown back as well. She practically purred as she spent a number of minutes preening in front of her reflection. She placed her paws on her hips and nodded in satisfaction. She was back in fighting form. “Hmhmhm~!”

        Hikari tried to keep quiet as she watched Tailmon from her chair, but when her partner practically posed like a model from a fighting magazine, she was unable to stop herself from giggling. Seeing Tailmon jerk slightly at the sound, a faint shade of pink appearing on the feline Digimon’s face before their eyes met in the mirror, only increased her mirth. “You don’t normally look in the mirror this long, Tailmon.”

        Tailmon nodded sharply as her faint embarrassment faded before she returned her attention to her own reflection. She glared into the narrowed blue eyes that gazed back at her with intense venom. Even though her strength had returned, she could not forget about what happened. She could _never_ forget how it felt to be so weak, so powerless, and so _useless_. It was something she had not felt in a long time – not since those dark years she spent trapped under Vamdemon’s heel.

        When the Evil Ring touched Tailmon, it shattered on impact, coating her with a dark liquid. She had seen what the Evil Rings had done to her friends and had been just as shocked as the Digimon Kaiser when it self-destructed. She might have felt smug at seeing such an expression on him if the strange gray liquid had not sucked away her energy and sent her to her knees. She grew sick to the point of rendering her helpless, and was unable to defend herself when the Kaiser took his frustration at being unable to control her out on her weakened body using that _whip_ of his.

        Tailmon was aware of the tempers of tyrants. She knew that by remaining defiant, glaring at the Digimon Kaiser the entire time, that she would only be inviting more pain. However, her pride refused to allow herself to back down. If Vamdemon could not fully break her, then no spoiled brat would be able to. Compared to Vamdemon, the Kaiser’s whipping was little more than love taps.

        Her resistance shook the boy up. Tailmon saw it in his eyes past the tinted lenses of his glasses, heard it when his voice cracked as his lashes grew weaker. She felt a vicious sense of victory when he turned away, fists trembling.

        However, that was when something broke within the _Digimon Kaiser_. He lost his composure and shrieked as he ordered her comrades, her _friends_ to hurt her. She had fought the other seven once before and won, but at that time she had been in top form and she had no reason to care if she did any lasting damage to them. The other Digimon were stronger now than they were then and the liquid had weakened her. However, it was her sentiment held back the strength of her attacks more surely than the sickness, while they were hindered by neither.

        If Hikari had not been able to rescue her…

         Tailmon clenched her fists before she threw punches in the direction of the mirror at blurring speeds. She never connected with the mirror, but the air pressure alone made it wobble  slightly against the wall. Her lips curled back somewhere between a smile and a sneer. She was going to show that brat just how powerful she really was now that she was back to full strength.

        “Let’s see him try and control me now,” Tailmon said, her voice so rough it was practically a growl. She had not told Hikari how bad it had been, how close she had been to deletion, or how angry it made her feel, but she suspected her partner already figured it out.

        Hikari smiled despite her partner’s fierce expression. She was just happy that Tailmon had recovered completely.

        Taichi poked his head into the room. “Wait, did the Digimon Kaiser try one of those Evil Rings on you too, Tailmon?”

        Tailmon did not look away from her reflection as she answered with a curt nod.

        Taichi raked his fingers through his hair. “But how did you escape without getting controlled like the others?”

        Tailmon paused and looked over towards Taichi. “He tried, but failed. The Evil Ring shattered the second it touched me.”

        Taichi jerked and outright gawked at Tailmon. “It what?”

        Hikari recalled how she had a similar reaction when Tailmon had informed her of that fact. “We don’t know how it happened either.” She exhaled deeply. “But the Digimon Kaiser can’t control Tailmon for some reason. That’s why he… hurt her.”

        Tailmon snapped her tail, which sent her Holy Ring into a spin. “It shattered, then turned into liquid,” she said, her voice hard. “Just like what happened to the flowers when the Dark Tower collapsed.”

        A shudder ran up Hikari’s spine at the memory. The faint movement caught Tailmon’s eye, but the Digimon said nothing.

        Taichi scratched his head beneath his goggles. “So, wait, that means it’s made up of whatever it is the Dark Towers are made of, doesn’t it?”

        Tailmon turned to face Hikari. “Yes, it does,” she said, her eyes never leaving her partner even as she addressed Taichi. “More of it, but the same substance. They’re all made of something that kills everything around it.”

        Hikari felt as though something cold and clammy crept across her arms when she thought of the destruction of the Dark Tower. It was like something out of a nightmare. She rubbed away the goose bumps along her skin to alleviate the feeling as she looked out the window, focusing on the bright blue sky. “It’s terrible. Whatever it is… What the Digimon Kaiser is doing is just terrible.”

        Taichi looked at Hikari briefly before he grunted in displeasure. “It’s too bad that stuff disappears when it’s destroyed. If Koshiro could analyze it, I’m sure he could figure out what it is and how we can smash all the Evil Rings and Dark Towers all at once.”

        Tailmon approached Hikari and placed paw on top of her partner’s hand. “Whatever it did to me, I’m better now. I’ll be able to fight now and put an end to this, and him.”

        Hikari looked at Tailmon’s paw then focused on the Digimon’s determined expression. She banished away the dark thoughts as best she could so that she could give Tailmon a sincere smile. “Right.”

        Taichi snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, I forgot why I came in here in the first place. Koshiro sent an email. He says he’s got some ideas about the Digimentals and wants us all to meet at his place.”

        Tailmon glanced at Taichi before she looked at her reflection again. She walked back over to the mirror and smoothed her fur back into place, making sure she did not miss any lingering bald patches. She nodded in satisfaction when everything looked to be in order then jumped off the desk, adding in a couple of flips with a flourish to show the two children that she had fully recovered. “Ready.”

        Hikari could not suppress the urge to giggle when Tailmon showed off. She rose from her seat with her arms folded behind her back. “Okay, let’s go.”

        Taichi grinned widely. “You’ve been hanging out with Hikari too much, Tailmon. You’re becoming more girly every day. Maybe we should ask mom to take you out shopping for clothes and makeup.”

        Tailmon’s ears twitched as she gave Taichi a flat look, though where was definitely a hint of a light blush on her cheeks. “Enough already.”

        Taichi’s eyes took on a wicked glint as he snickered. “Or better yet, you should go shopping with Hikari as Angewomon.”

        The image of Angewomon without her wings or angelic armor strolling around town in casual dress was surprisingly entertaining for Hikari. It was almost tempting to take the suggestion seriously. “Actually, that sounds like fun.”

        Tailmon turned, so that neither child could see her blush darken despite her fur obscuring it. “I’m leaving without you!” With that, she hurried out the door without a backwards glance.

        Hikari and Taichi shared a smile before they raced after Tailmon.

* * *

        Koshiro’s bedroom was practically filled to capacity with children and Digimon by the time the last of their group, Yamato, arrived. “Sorry I’m late, I was at band practice,” he said as he opened the door. He gave pause when he saw that everyone else was already present and trying not to crowd the others in the now cramped room.

        Yamato noticed the Digimon sitting somewhat off to the side from the children beside the door, dining on a large pile of snacks on a serving tray, which was no doubt left there by Yoshie. A grimace marred his features as he saw Palmon nibbling on some cake, covered in bandages, but apparently happy despite her injuries. He looked away quickly and noticed Chibimon staring at him, a half-eaten cookie all but forgotten in the small Digimon’s paws.

        Chibimon fixed Yamato with a piercing gaze before using his cookie to point towards his eyes then back at the Chosen Child. He waited for Yamato to blink before turning up his nose at the blond with a snort.

        Yamato blinked, his expression contorting slightly, before he shook his head. He focused instead on Tailmon, who he was relieved to see no longer suffering from injuries. He doubted that he could stand to see _two_ Digimon covered in bandages today. “Well, you look good, Tailmon.”

        Tailmon smiled and nodded to Yamato, still feeling rather pleased by her recovery. “Yes, I’m all better now.”

        Taichi looked back at Yamato and raised his hand in greeting. “Hey, Yamato! About time you showed up.” He paused then cocked his head slightly. “Oh yeah, that reminds me. How is your band doing without, ah…” He practically bit his tongue when he realized he shoved his foot in his mouth again about mentioning their missing partners.

        What little good feeling Yamato gained from seeing Tailmon well again was gone. His eyes drifted downwards, as though he suddenly found his socks rather interesting. “We’re just practicing right now. We’re avoiding any gigs until… Gabumon comes back.”

        Daisuke sat on the floor not far from Chibimon, cookie crumbs dotting his mouth. He cast a curious gaze in Yamato’s direction. He was unfamiliar with all of the other Chosen’s Digimon, but he could guess that anyone with a ‘mon’ at the end of their name indicated a missing partner he had not met yet. “Huh? What, is Gabumon your band’s mascot or something?”

        A sly smile tugged at Yamato’s lips. “That and he also plays drums.” He chuckled softly, his smile broadening. “It really confused people at first, but now everyone thinks it’s kind of cool.”

        Daisuke stared at Yamato with wide eyes. “Are you serious? No one minds that he’s a Digimon?”

        Yamato shook his head. “No one knows. They think he’s just a short kid in a costume. A really _good_ costume.”

        “You’re kidding,” Daisuke said.

        Taichi laughed as he thought back to the last time he watched the band play. “Nope. Not even Yamato’s band mates figured it out.”

        Yamato chuckled along with Taichi as his smile grew from ear to ear. “He can play a mean set of drums, even with his small arms. We have to use an extension for the foot pedal, though.”

        Daisuke leaned closer to the older boys as he planted his palms against the ground, half pushing himself upward. “That’s so cool! You’ve got to let Chibimon and me come see you guys play sometime!”

        Yamato watched Daisuke squirm excitedly at the prospect in a long moment of silence, unsure of what to think. Eventually he gave the younger boy a thumbs up. “Sure, I can get you all front-row tickets!”

        Daisuke let out a whoop as he threw his arms up into the air. “Awesome! You’re the best!”

        Chibimon’s reaction was a stark contrast to Daisuke’s enthusiasm. The little Digimon glared at Yamato through piercing red eyes that seemed to scream accusations towards the blond. He snorted through his nose before tapping between his eyes when Yamato looked his way. “Hmph.”

        The smile on Takeru’s face was awkward as he felt both amused and a little concerned by Chibimon’s behavior. He had to admit, it was pretty cute how valiantly the dragon Digimon was defending Daisuke – even when the newest Chosen Child appeared to have forgotten the incident between Daisuke, Taichi, and Yamato. That protectiveness just showed how deep a Chosen Digimon’s love ran for their child. He only hoped that Chibimon would forgive his big brother eventually.

        Yamato noticed Takeru’s expression out of the corner of his eye. He frowned, hesitating for a moment before speaking up. “Hey, Takeru.” The sound of his name caused the Chosen of Hope to look up at his older brother. “I was… wondering something.”

        Takeru hummed quizzically, his expression innocent despite his inkling of what his brother was about to ask him. He had been waiting for the shoe to drop after his little cleaning frenzy – there was no way his brother or his father could have missed it. It was just somewhat bothersome that it had taken two days before Yamato had decided to _finally_ bring the subject up. “Yes?”

        Yamato had been ready to speak when a thought stopped him, his mouth shutting with a click of his teeth. It occurred to him that outright asking if Takeru snuck in to his apartment was a bad idea. He had no proof that it happened, and it would be weird to ask if his little brother had suddenly developed a love of cleaning. While the strangeness of the incident bothered him and he wanted answers, a new problem arose if he asked Takeru about it. If his little brother had nothing to do with it then he would wind up needlessly worrying Takeru over someone breaking into his home, or worse, that their apartment had been a total pigsty. “No, never mind.”

        Takeru stared at Yamato in disbelief. A long moment passed in uncomfortable silence between them before the older boy looked away to focus on the others, which caused his expression to deadpan. He could not believe it – his brother was actually backing down. Yamato’s home had been invaded without permission, with all his possessions touched and rearranged, and yet he was not going to bring it up. It was irrelevant that Takeru had been the one to enter the apartment without permission, or that all he did was clean the place up – something significant had happened in Yamato’s home without the Chosen of Friendship’s permission and he was not going to bother so much as asking if Takeru had been by while he was out.

        This refusal to discuss the matter rubbed Takeru the wrong way. It was once again a reminder to him that Yamato was keeping things from him, shielding him as though he was still a helpless child who had not participated in saving two worlds from destruction. He tried not to be angry, but he could not keep the ire from his voice. “Seriously?”

        Yamato turned back to Takeru, caught off-guard by the tone. “Hm?” When his little brother did not answer right away, he arched an eyebrow. “What?”

        Takeru stared hard at his brother, fighting the urge to show any of his irritation in his expression. After a few seconds, he managed to put on a convincing smile. Two could play that game. “No, nothing~!” The anger was gone from his voice, leaving behind an artificial sweetness.

        Their conversation, as well as a few others from those present, ended when Koshiro gave a theatrical cough into his hand. He waited until everyone looked his way before he began speaking. “Now that everybody is here I’d like to get started if you don’t mind.”

        Takeru ignored the confused glance Yamato sent his way. “Yes, of course.” He straightened up a bit. “You were able to examine them?”

        Koshiro slipped into the chair in front of the computer. “Yeah, and I found out a few interesting things. I’ll start with your D-Terminal, Takeru.”

        Taichi gave Koshiro a questioning look. “Huh? Why Takeru’s D-Terminal?”

        Koshiro tapped the D-Terminal in question as it rested beside his closed laptop, which was set beside his computer. “Aside from the fact that Takeru was the only one to receive an email from that unknown sender, his D-Terminal suffered a severe crash afterward and had trouble booting back up properly. I examined it and it was suffering from some severe de-fragmentation, but other than that, there wasn’t anything strange that I could find. I didn’t find any sign of the email he mentioned, or who might have sent it.”

        Takeru frowned at that. “Well, that’s pretty suspicious.”

        Koshiro nodded and handed the D-Terminal back to Takeru. “I agree, but you should still be able to use it alright.”

        “That’s good, at least,” Takeru said. He then hesitated. “And did you find out about what happened to my Digivice?”

        “Huh?” Jou blinked and adjusted his glasses. “What happened to your Digivice?”

        Koshiro pulled a Digivice from his pocket that looked strikingly similar to the one Hikari and the Digimon Kaiser possessed. The only difference between it and the other two was that it was colored in shades of gold and white. “Apparently Hikari isn’t the only one to have her Digivice evolve.”

        Takeru noticed the surprised looks from the others and held out his Digivice so everyone could get a good look at it. “It happened after I used my Digimental. I didn’t notice it until I got home, then sent Koshiro an email about it.”

        Sora cocked her head slightly. “So does that mean Takeru can now force open a Gate in to the Digital World too?”

        “It should,” Koshiro said, “and you should be able to as well, Sora.”

        “Me?” Sora pointed at herself, then frowned. “Why me?”

        Koshiro gestured towards the Digimental of Love, which rested on the table by his laptop. “Because we have your Digimental right here.”

        Sora looked down at the Digimental for a long moment before she pulled out her Digivice. A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth when she noted that it looked exactly the same as when she last saw it that morning. “But it hasn’t changed.”

        Koshiro tapped the Digimental of Love, his fingernail making a light thunking sound against the rigid surface. “That’s why I want you to do what Takeru did and use your Digimental.”

        Sora blinked at that, her expression contorting slightly. “Would it really work like that…?”

        “Only one way to find out,” Yamato said.

        “Theoretically it should still work,” Koshiro said. “I’ve studied as much as I can about our Crests over the past two years, and while I still don’t know a lot about how they work, I can tell you they’re almost _nothing_ like the Digimentals. Granted, they both have a lot of power to them, but their structure and coding is completely different. While the Crests work by amplifying our potential with a bit of their own power, they depend on what’s inside us, whereas the Digimentals recharge by themselves and store it for future use for whoever activates them at the time.” He paused for a moment when he noticed the number of still blank expressions, sipping his ice tea as he reconsidered his explanation. “What I’m trying to say is that, our Digimentals don’t need our Digimon or even _us_ to work. Any Chosen Child will be able to use any of the Digimentals at any time.”

        Sora nodded slightly, deciding to trust Koshiro’s assessment – he was the one who had uncovered the most about how the Digital World worked after all. Tentatively, she reached down to pick up the Digimental, pausing for a moment due to how strange it felt. The Digimental was shockingly light in her hand, and felt almost fragile, despite its solid, heavy appearance. She raised the strange armored egg over her head. “Um… _Digimental Up_!”

        The Digimental of Love flashed a brilliant shade of red. At that moment, Sora’s Digivice began to glow a pure white that quickly turned a similar hue as the Digimental. As the Digimental disappeared in to Sora’s Digivice, the Digivice shifted before their eyes, transforming into one exactly like Hikari and Takeru’s – except it was a lovely shade of red and white.

        “It… it worked!” Sora gasped as she held up her Digivice. “It changed!”

        The others stared in various levels of surprise and amazement. “How pretty!” Mimi said. “I want my Digimental even more now.”

        Yamato rubbed his chin, as he looked Sora’s Digivice over. “So if we get our own Digimentals, our Digivices should evolve too,” he muttered. “Then we can open the Gates ourselves.”

        “That’s not all,” Koshiro said. “If I’m right, we can exchange our Digimentals so everyone can use any them at any time.”

        Daisuke’s eyes widened and in an instant he was on his feet, leaning towards Koshiro. “You mean I can evolve V-mon into Pegasmon too?”

        Koshiro chuckled softly. “Well, I don’t think V-mon will evolve _exactly_ into Pegasmon, but he’ll gain an Armor Evolution powered by Hope.”

        Takeru’s brow furrowed as he looked at the small egg image on his Digivice – the icon for the Digimental of Hope. “So you mean even though Hope is my Digimental, anyone else can use it too?” He waited until Koshiro nodded. “But why? We couldn’t pass our Crests around like that.”

        “That’s why I said the Crests are different than the Digimentals,” Koshiro said before he tapped his chest. “The Crests have always been a part of us. It’s just their physical state gave us a boost we needed to activate our powers and enable our partners to evolve. The Digimentals have their own power source completely separate from us. It’s like plugging my laptop into the wall verses running it off a battery. The Digimental is a battery and the crests are basically plugs attached to us.”

        “So then…,” Hikari said in a halting voice. “Does that mean the Dark Towers have cut off our connection to our partners?” She cast a worried look in Tailmon’s direction – the idea that anything could separate them made her feel sick inside. The intense expression on her partner’s face silently informed her that Tailmon felt similarly. The other Digimon had stopped eating and shared troubled looks.

        Jou slipped his glasses upward along the bridge of his nose. “Sounds almost like they’re reverse-power lines doesn’t it? They’re cutting off all the power instead of spreading it around I mean.”

        Takeru let out a thoughtful hum as he touched his chin. “Huh. I guess that’s why the Digimentals work even with the Dark Towers blocking us. When there’s a power outage, batteries still work. They’re not affected by no electricity.”

        Daisuke scratched his head, going cross-eyed. “Uh, wait, what? Chibimon and the others need electricity to evolve? I thought they just did it because we’ve got mystical powers of friendship and courage or whatever.”

        Taichi snorted as he tried not to laugh. “You got it right the first time, Daisuke.” He shook his head with a rueful chuckle. “Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter how they work as long as they work, right?”

        “Takeru,” Koshiro said, “I want you to see if you can transfer your Digimental to Hikari’s Digivice. Sora, try doing the same with Mimi.”

        Takeru looked down at his Digivice before systematically pushing buttons to see what would happen. “Let’s see…”

        Sora knitted her brow as she hesitated to try anything with her Digivice. The configuration was completely different than before, and so was the menu layout. It made her feel uneasy. “What am I doing?” She glanced up at Koshiro. “Is there a button?”

        “It should be under options on the main menu,” Koshiro said. “The interface for the new Digivices is much better than the old one. After you select it, I think it’s just a matter of willing it to happen.”

        Hikari raised her Digivice towards Takeru. “So we should just hold out our Digivices like this?”

        Koshiro nodded. “Just be ready to receive, you two.”

        Mimi held her Digivice out towards Sora. “But what if it doesn’t work with my Digivice?”

        “That’s what we’re testing out,” Koshiro said.

        “Found it,” Takeru said as he pressed at the new button, opening a menu that revealed – it had to be the control options for his Digimental. He pressed the button again, selecting the egg. “Sending, Hikari!”

        “Sending too,” Sora said as she watched the screen of her Digivice. “This thing’s so much more complicated now.”

        Takeru and Sora’s Digivices began to glow with golden and red light respectively. The light then burst forth from the small screens of the Digivices and transferred in an arc to Hikari and Mimi’s Digivices.

        Hikari examined screen of her Digivice once the light had faded. “I see Takeru’s Digimental on my Digivice!”

        “It worked for me too,” Mimi said as she held up her Digivice to show a low-resolution image of the Digimental of Love.

        Jou bent over to squint at Mimi’s Digivice’s screen, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. The icon reminded him of the style of graphics he might have found in a Nintendo game. “The question then is… if they can actually use it.” He straightened up and slipped his glasses back into place as he glanced over towards Koshiro. “Would it make Mimi’s Digivice upgrade too?”

        “Only one way to find out,” Koshiro said before nodding at Mimi.

        Mimi’s expression went from excited to troubled in less than a second. “But Palmon is still too injured from the battle with the Digimon Kaiser to evolve!”

        “Actually, that might not be a problem,” Koshiro said. “I gave it a lot of thought, and I think evolution actually _heals_ our Digimon. I can’t think of a time when our Digimon evolved while injured that they were still suffering from those injuries when they were in their evolved forms.”

        Mimi gave a jolt. “Wait, we can heal Palmon? Just like that?”

        Koshiro nodded, slightly, as he tried not to show his uncertainty towards his theory. “I believe that with all the energy and data that goes into our Digimon during the process of changing to a new form, the damage done to them is erased. It’s almost like how leveling up in a video game refills the hero’s hit point meter. We were just usually too focused on the battle going on to really think about it at the time, but after going over the data, I can’t remember a time when they were still hurt after evolving to the next stage, can you?”

        The group looked around at each other, as they thought back to their previous adventure, silent for a long moment. Jou was the first to speak, the corners of his mouth tilting downward. “I don’t remember them staying hurt when they evolve to Adult or Perfect or Ultimate, but when they get hurt in their evolved forms the damage usually sticks around with them when they evolve back.”

        Koshiro scratched his nose lightly as he looked sideways at Tentomon. “True, but my theory about that is that it only works one-way. When our Digimon lose the extra energy, they don’t have any left to spend on healing themselves, or to maintain their evolved forms.”

        Taichi folded his arms across his chest. “Well, you’re the one who’s figured out everything before the rest of us, so it sounds good to me.”

        Mimi grimaced. “Still… What if it ends up hurting Palmon?”

        Palmon placed a hand on Mimi’s arm and gave her partner a tender smile. “It’s okay, Mimi. It couldn’t hurt any worse than what the Digimon Kaiser did, and if it works I’ll be all fixed up.”

        “Well…,” Mimi said in a halting voice. “Okay. If you’re _sure_ , Palmon, then we’ll try it.”

        Palmon attempted to get into a standing position, but was stopped by Tailmon’s hand to her shoulder.

        Tailmon looked around at the others. “Okay, everyone, let’s give her space.”

        The Digimon and Children were quick to oblige despite the fact that it made Koshiro’s room even more cramped than it had been a minute ago.

        Mimi squeezed her Digivice hard in the palm of her hand before she thrust it in Palmon’s direction. “Digimental Up!”

        The Digivice gave off a gentle white glow before it sent a beam of light directly at Palmon. Power surged through the plant Digimon’s body, causing her back to arch as words slipped easily past her lips. “Palmon, Armor Evolve!” The light entwined every inch of her body until the others could no longer see her. The glow turned a vibrant red as the light grew in size and shaped itself into a pair of wings that spread outward. The red around the Digimon that used to be Palmon faded away into shades of sky blue and tan that unfurled to reveal a being that almost looked like a human woman. She wore rather revealing light purple armor that formed into talons over her hands and feet, a mask that covered the lower half of her face, and a long black scarf. On her back was an impressive pair of wings in two shades of tan, while two smaller blue wings spread towards the ceiling from her short hair that matched the color of those smaller wings and her piercing eyes. “Shutumon!”

        Mimi could not contain her squeal of delight at the sight of her evolved partner. “Shutumon! You’re okay!” She lunged forward to take her partner’s hands, tears stinging her eyes. “And you look so _beautiful!_ ”

        Shutumon had been pleased enough to be recovered but at Mimi’s words she paused to look down at herself. She smiled, the gesture hidden behind a mask covering the lower half of her face, but the delight was obvious in her sky blue eyes. “Mimi!”

        Taichi grinned slyly. “Don’t you mean _love_ ly?”

        Sora lightly swatted at him, even though she was smiling. “Taichi!”

        Taichi chuckled and pretended to cringe back from the swat.

        Koshiro smiled widely. “Excellent! That means that all of us can use any of the Digimentals.”

        Daisuke waved his Digivice into the air as he made eager noises. “Me next!” He darted to Koshiro’s side. “I want to see what V-mon evolves into!”

        Jou let out a sudden squeak as a terrible thought suddenly occurred to him. “W-wa-wait! We can’t do that!”

        Daisuke pulled a face. “Why not?”

        “We don’t know how big Chibimon is going to get when he evolves,” Jou said. “We got lucky with Palmon’s evolution, but we shouldn’t be doing anymore evolving indoors, or we might get crushed!”

        Koshiro had the good grace to blush. “Oops. Good catch, Jou. Who knows how big a dinosaur would get.”

        “Dragon!” Chibimon said, with a scowl. “I’m a _dragon_ type!”

        “T-that’s even worse!” Jou said.

        “Er, sorry,” Koshiro said. “Anyway, we can test out the different combinations later. Right now I want to focus on getting the rest of the Digimentals and how our Digivices have changed.” He paused and looked at Mimi, who was busy giggling and examining Shutumon from all angles with an intense sense of glee. “Mimi, has your Digivice changed at all?”

        It took Mimi a moment to register that Koshiro had asked her a question, as she had been in the midst of telling Shutumon her plans for how she might dress her partner up in lovely outfits. She blinked at Koshiro before looking down at her Digivice, her smile fading into a frown. “No, it looks the same as always.”

        “I thought so,” Koshiro said. “We can use each other’s Digimentals, but only our own Digimentals can evolve our Digivices.”

        “But wait,” Hikari said, “that doesn’t explain how my Digivice changed.”

        Koshiro frowned and rubbed his chin. “No, it doesn’t. That’s the part that’s been bothering me. As far as I can tell, it probably has to do with Tailmon being pulled back from the Digital World the way she was… But the question is how you were able to do that at all. It shouldn’t be possible.”

        Takeru let out a thoughtful hum as his eyes turned towards the ceiling. “Hikari’s always had a special connection to the Digital World. It could be that she made it happen all on her own.”

        Koshiro nodded hesitantly, though his expression was still uneasy. There were too many unknowns about the situation for him to feel comfortable. “That’s probably our best theory right now. Tailmon was pulled through while the Digimon Kaiser was trying to kill her, so Hikari must have somehow felt Tailmon was in danger at that time. It could be that their feelings of distress synchronized to the point that it distorted the barrier between the worlds.”

        Koshiro paused for a moment and made an unpleasant noise at the back of his throat. “Although… it’s also possible that this phenomenon might not be exclusive to Hikari, but we wouldn’t be able to find out unless our partners were in grave danger in the Digital World while we were still in the real world.”

        Such a suggestion made the Chosen Children whose partners were still missing give each other uneasy looks. The last thing they wanted to consider was what tortures the Digimon Kaiser could have been inflicting at that moment.

        Daisuke was oblivious to the tense atmosphere as he outright gawked at Hikari, his mouth hanging open for a moment. “Wait, Hikari-chan, _you_ made that giant egg appear?”

        Hikari shrugged awkwardly. “I don’t know. If I did, I don’t have any idea how to do it again.”

        “There’s also the possibility that it was caused by Tenraimon’s intervention,” Koshiro said, his voice more subdued than it was a moment ago. “During our last adventure, she possessed Hikari a number of times to help us out, so it’s possible that she’s trying to assist us again.”

        Daisuke blinked. “Tenraimon?”

        “It’s kind of hard to explain,” Jou said as he crossed his arms. “She’s a Digimon that claims she’s not a Digimon, who’s a god that claims she’s not a god.”

        Daisuke stared blankly at Jou as he made a drawn out sound of confusion.

        Taichi scratched his scalp beneath his headband. “Yeah, we’re just as confused about it as you are. We don’t know all that much about Tenraimon, but helped us in the past, so that’s good enough for me.”

        Yamato nodded, his expression grim. “Right, and now we have a plan of attack. We’ve got to get the other Digimentals so we can all evolve our Digivices, and then send this _Kaiser_ packing.”

        “We’ll have to be careful,” Sora said, her voice soft and her gaze distant. “Especially when he’s using our own partners against us. The sooner we rescue them, the better.”

        “I’m sorry, Koshiro,” Tentomon said softly.

        Koshiro let out an awkward chuckle as he smiled at Tentomon. “What are you feeling sorry about? You were brainwashed at the time, so it’s not your fault. It’s the Digimon Kaiser who’s to blame.”

        Daisuke punched his fist into his palm. “Right, so I say we go to the Digital World right now and kick his butt!”

        Taichi rubbed his chin as a wide smile tugged at his lips. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”

        Yamato arched an eyebrow as he looked at Taichi with dubious curiosity. “So, you’ve got a plan?”

        Taichi’s smile turned downright devious. “Let’s give the Digimon Kaiser a taste of his own medicine by taking away some of his stuff. Daisuke will go with one group to smash as many Dark Towers as they can while the other goes to the coordinates Centarumon gave Koshiro.”

        “Hm?” Yamato furrowed his eyebrows. “Why Daisuke?”

        “I think I know,” Takeru said with a smirk. “It’s because he’s really good at getting under the Kaiser’s skin.” He chuckled softly. “I guess the Kaiser never forgave him for that goggle attack.”

        At the reminder of his lost goggles, Daisuke let out a whine. “Sorry, Hikari-chan! I threw away your present!”

        Hikari smiled. “It’s okay, Daisuke. You used them for a good cause. Anyway, I promised to give you better ones for your birthday, remember?”

        Daisuke’s bad mood evaporated in an instant. “Oh yeah, that’s right!”

        “I can do better than that,” Taichi said. He removed his goggles and handed them to Daisuke. “You can use mine.”

        Daisuke stared at the goggles in reverence before he looked up at Taichi. “R-really, Senpai? I can have your goggles?”

        Taichi chuckled and placed the goggles in Daisuke’s hands. “At least until we take down the Digimon Kaiser or Hikari gets you a replacement. Who knows? You might need to use them again as another distraction.”

        Daisuke wasted no time in putting on Taichi’s goggles. He grinned from ear to ear as he adjusted the placement on his head. “How do I look?”

        “Daisuke looks so cool~!” Chibimon said as he waved his hands around and hopped in place.

        Hikari hid her giggling behind her hand, amused by Daisuke and Chibimon’s enthusiasm. “Those goggles suit you, Daisuke.”

        Takeru smiled as he gave Daisuke a thumbs up. “Looking good!”

        Daisuke could not wipe away the huge smile on his face as he tugged on the goggles lightly. “Thanks.”

        Jou smiled briefly at Daisuke before he turned towards the others. “Alright, then we should have someone who can open Gates in both groups. So Takeru can go with Daisuke, and Hikari and Sora can–”

        Tailmon’s voice cut over Jou’s. “I’m going with Daisuke and Takeru.”

        Jou turned to stare at the cat Digimon as he let out an inquisitive hum.

        “I’m going to face that Kaiser head on,” Tailmon said before raising a tightly clenched fist. “And then punch him in the nose.”

        “Tailmon…,” Hikari said softly.

        Sora’s brow furrowed with concern. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”

        Tailmon nodded. “Absolutely.”

        Koshiro frowned. “It might be a good idea for Tailmon to evolve first, if temporarily here in the real world first, to make sure there’s no lingering injuries. It seems to have worked for Shutumon.” His mouth twisted unpleasantly. “Ah, sorry I didn’t think of this sooner, Tailmon. You wouldn’t have had to suffer for so long if I did.”

        Tailmon waved her paw towards Koshiro in a dismissive gesture. “I’m fine. I don’t need it.”

        Daisuke grinned as he tugged on his goggles, only half paying attention to the conversation. “Don’t worry. V-mon and me will protect Hikari-chan and Tailmon.”

        Takeru barely resisted the urge to snicker, though he was unable to suppress his smile. The idea of anyone protecting Tailmon when she was at the top of her game was absolutely hilarious.

        Jou scratched the back of his head as he looked around at the others. “Well, I guess that means Sora will have to lead the group that’s finding the Digimentals, as she’s the only other person who can open Gates. And that means Mimi and Shutumon have to be with her, in case they run into anything.”

        “Just leave it to us,” Mimi said before smiling at Shutumon. “We’ll make sure Sora is safe. Right, Shutumon?”

        Shutumon crossed her arms as she nodded. “Right, Mimi!”

        A smile tugged at Sora’s lips as she nodded. “If we find two Digimentals at each temple, that means we’ll very quickly increase the number of us who can open the gates again.”

        Yamato folded his arms across his chest. “We’re definitely going to run into our partners as we go.” His eyes narrowed. “It’s only a matter of time.”

        Taichi nodded with a grin on his face. “It’s settled then. Tomorrow we’re going to find those Digimentals and annoy the Digimon Kaiser!”

* * *

        Takeru moved swiftly as he approached the large apartment complex where he lived with his mother. He had left Koshiro’s apartment later than he intended and he was sure that dinner would be waiting for him. His growling stomach could not wait to eat and he was certain that Patamon was even more ravenous than he was. They were going to need plenty of energy for tomorrow.

        Thoughts of their plans had Takeru’s adrenaline pumping with eagerness that he could barely contain. He was aware that he needed to relax if he was going to get any sleep, but it was hard with the newfound sense of hope practically overflowing within him. Tomorrow would be an important day and he needed to be ready for it.

        There was no way the Digimon Kaiser would be prepared for their newfound source of power, Takeru was certain. They were going to beat the tyrant back and rescue the rest of their partners and the rest of the captive Digimon. With the Digimentals, they would be able to evolve no matter the circumstances and the Digimon Kaiser would not be able to stop them or lock them out of the Digital World again.

        “Watch out, Digimon Kaiser,” Takeru said softly. “Here come the Chosen.”

        Takeru had barely touched the handle of the front door to the apartment complex when it burst open in front of him. He jerked back instinctively as he suddenly found himself face-to-face with a girl about his age wearing a school uniform.

        “Hold it right there!” the girl said, her gaze severe behind her glasses. Takeru jumped back, startled, but had no chance to respond before she jabbed a finger to his chest with enough force that he took an involuntary step backwards. “I want to talk to you.”

        Takeru stared at the tall, lanky girl glaring down at him. She had long, neatly trimmed purple hair and severe violet eyes that glared at him behind a pair of round-framed glasses. He failed to recognize her, even though she acted as if she not only knew him, but also held some sort of authority over him, though after a moment’s thought he did wonder if there was something familiar about her. He knew it would come to him sooner or later, but he needed to deal with what she wanted first. After giving himself a mental shake to recover from his surprise, he smoothed his expression into a smile. “Can I help you?”

        The girl jabbed Takeru in the collarbone again with her finger, the edge of her long nail creating a particularly painful point. “We are overdue for a talk, Mister Takaishi.”

        Takeru paused as he looked the girl over with a more critical eye, inclining his head ever so slightly. “Have we met before?” She did not look like someone he would easily forget, but she apparently knew _him_.

        The girl was half a head size taller than the Chosen of Hope, but her imposing expression made her appear even larger. Her attire also had an effect of making her appear older, as she was dressed in the uniform he vaguely recognized as belonging to his Elementary School. The uniform was optional, leftover from days when it was strictly required, but nowadays very few were willing to dress in uncomfortable attire when they could dress casual. This realization allowed him to figure out the identity of the girl standing in front of him. He only recognized her uniform as belonging to his school when he recalled that the representative for his class wore one to demonstrate her school pride and dedication to her position. It was not something easily overlooked by his fellow students, if the teasing whispers he overheard while she was giving out the class cleaning schedule were any indication.

        The girl’s eyes narrowed as she held up a finger in front of Takeru’s face and he realized that he delayed too long in telling her that he recalled who she was. “First of all, I’m in your _class_. Remember? The girl who went to the front of the class _this morning_ to give a reminder of clean up duties for the week?” Another finger rose. “Second, you _would_ have met me if you and your mother bothered to greet your _neighbors_ when you moved in.” Three fingers were held up in front of his face. “And third, and most importantly, I’m the person who has a problem with _certain rumors_ going on about you at school. About your hat, which is _not_ part of the dress code.”

        Patamon kept perfectly still, unblinking despite the class representative waving her fingers around in front of him. He felt somewhat uneasy due to her piercing stare, as occasionally it felt as though she was glaring into his eyes as well.

        Takeru had the good grace to look sheepish. “Oh, right! You’re the class representative!” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that! I just moved in, so I’m still pretty unfamiliar with the school.” He really had no defense that he could give for not visiting the neighbors, at least not one he could tell people. After all, the first thing to greet him on his first day as a new resident of Odaiba was the Digimon Kaiser capturing Patamon and the others. Something as unimportant as greeting the neighbors had been left completely by the wayside.

        “I’ve heard that you’re unfamiliar with how _certain people_ should behave at school,” the class representative said, her voice sharp and biting. “There have been a lot of _rumors_ going around that I’ve found quite upsetting.”

        Takeru paused at that before slowly raising an eyebrow. “Rumors?” The answer came to him quickly, striking him as rather obvious when he thought about it – the girl was clearly referring to the two boys he and Patamon confronted at the soccer field. Given their apparent interest in spreading trashy rumors, it was entirely likely that they decided to gossip about his behavior, if not the fact that his hat had a living decoration. “Huh.”

        The girl’s gaze flattened. “ _Rumors_ that your _hat_ is _not_ just a _hat_.”

        Patamon barely suppressed the urge to flinch when the class representative poked his nose.

        Takeru took a subtle step backwards and inclined his head, discreetly leaning Patamon away from the girl’s reach. “Yeah, something about it coming alive, right? I guess that’s what they’d say.”

        Severe creases appeared around the class representative’s narrowed eyes as her mouth stretched out into a thin line. “They shouldn’t be saying anything like that at all, and _you_ should be inviting me up to your apartment so we could discuss what people are saying about your _hat_ in _private_.”

        Takeru hesitated to respond right away, as he got the impression that he was missing something in the conversation. The girl’s posture and expression signaled that her frustration with him was growing, and her preoccupation with his ‘hat’ seemed far too ridiculous to warrant her agitated behavior. Her claim that it was not following the dress code did not make any sense as it was not even enforced, as uniforms like the one the class representative wore were _optional_. His hat should not have been a big deal, but _clearly_ it was a problem to this strange girl. “Okay, sure?”

        The representative let out a huff before she grabbed Takeru’s wrist and dragged him inside the apartment complex. “Then let’s _go_ already!”

        Takeru momentarily stumbled when the tall girl forced him along, but recovered quickly, _following_ the girl towards his own apartment rather than leading her to it. For someone he barely knew, she certainly seemed to know a lot about _him,_ including where he lived. Within minutes, they were up the elevator and in front of his apartment. There, she finally let him go and drummed her fingers impatiently on her upper arm as she gave him a pointed stare. He took that as his cue pull out his key and open the door.

        “I’m home, and I have a visitor!” Takeru said as he stepped inside, hoping his mother would catch his meaning. His response was something too faint for him to make out clearly, which hinted to him that Natsuko was currently too preoccupied with her writing to pay much attention. He tilted his head slightly and made a quiet noise of frustration before he could stifle it. Sometimes his mother got that way, tuning out the world around her as she focused entirely on her work. He vaguely recalled that it was a source of tension between her and his father before their divorce.

        After giving his head a mental shake, Takeru focused on the present and the problem that followed him into the apartment. He had to be careful when taking off his shoes so as not to jostle Patamon or making his partner so off balance that it risked the Digimon falling off his head. He knew his movements looked rather strange to an observer, but it was better than explaining his ‘hat’ to her when she was already having so many issues with it. “Make yourself at home.”

        The girl slipped off her shoes and placed them neatly in the cubby beside the front door before turning back to Takeru. “Don’t mind if I do.” Her hands lashed out lightning fast to snatch Patamon off Takeru’s hat as the Chosen of Hope instinctively jerked back. She brought the Digimon close enough that they were practically nose-to-nose. “ _You_ are in big trouble, Mister.”

        Patamon barely held back the urge to let out a startled cry as he was snatched away from Takeru, suppressing his reaction to barely more than a twitch of his eyes.

        Takeru was left off balance from the girl’s actions, both literally and metaphorically, but he recovered quickly. “Whoa, whoa, what– _?_!” He reached for Patamon, but she had already started walking, leaving him grasping for air.

        The class representative stormed into the kitchen, her gaze never wavering from Patamon’s eyes. “I know the bullying problem at the school is bad, but you can’t just slap people around just because you’re trying to protect your partner! It’s irresponsible! What if people didn’t laugh at those two boys and took it seriously? They might’ve tried to grab you or jab you with pins or something!”

        Patamon had trouble resisting the urge to blink or let his expression change even as he began to perspire. All he could do was hope that Takeru would come to his rescue before he gave himself away.

        Takeru followed the girl around the kitchen table, trying in vain to reach around her to grab Patamon. “Uh, excuse me…?”

        The representative suddenly turned on her heel and dropped Patamon into Takeru’s hands. “I swear, you really weren’t thinking at all, were you? At least Tailmon knows how to hide in trees so no one sees her smack the people harassing Yagami, and even _Motomiya_ has the sense to keep Chibimon in that duffle bag he carries around!” She directed her outstretched finger at Takeru. “Takaishi, if you’re going to parade Patamon around for all to see, you need to make sure to handle your own conflicts and keep your Digimon from risking the whole operation! Got it?”

        Takeru outright gawked at the girl in front of him. Even though he had Patamon safely back in his hands, he felt too stunned to be relieved. Her words slowly filtered through his confusion, though they simply _added_ to it rather than subtracted from it. “Wait! Wait, wait, _wait_! You know about Digimon _!_?”

        The class representative let out a breath of frustration as she put her hands on her hips. “Of course! Koshiro told you all about me, didn’t he? I’ve only been helping him with this for, what, something like two and a half years now?”

        Takeru opened his mouth, but when words failed him, he snapped it shut so quickly that his teeth clicked. The second hand of the clock on the wall ticked loudly in the sudden tense silence between them as he struggled with this new revelation. Eventually, his voice returned to him. “N-no! No, he never said _anything_ about you!”

        The school girl blinked before a frown marred her face. “Oh come on, seriously? I only _made_ the hardware for the D-Terminals you Chosen use! How rude!” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I swear, I’m going to give it to him when I get online later. There’s a whole chat room of us helping out you Chosen, and you’d think Koshiro would at least bother to give you our names!”

        Patamon barely resisted the urge to look up at Takeru, uncertain if he should continue his stuffed animal act or not. It seemed unlikely that he needed to bother at this point, given that the girl knew Koshiro and Digimon, as well as referred to him by name, but he did not want to make a move until his partner said so.

        Takeru nearly dropped Patamon, but his instinct quickly activated when his logic shut down and he caught his partner before he did more than slip a little in his grip. “A… chat room…?” He vaguely remembered Koshiro mentioning online friends he discussed Digimon with, but the Chosen of Knowledge never mentioned actual names. Of course, Takeru knew that real people _had_ to be in that chat room, but it was vastly different to actually _meet_ one of the nameless individuals. Of course, the whole situation _still_ felt surreal, giving him the strange sense he was dreaming or slipped into another dimension that was even more topsy-turvy at times than even the Digital World.

        The class representative blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Just email him yourself if you don’t believe me. Anyway, the point is that what you two did the other day was _really_ risky. It was bad enough Yagami summoned that giant egg over the school, but _she_ couldn’t help it, or at least that’s what Koshiro thinks. _You_ on the other hand _chose_ to make a scene, and put everyone at risk!”

        For a long moment, Takeru could only stare at the girl before a frown tugged at his lips. His confusion was still present, but what else the girl was telling him slowly sank in, stirring up a sense of exasperation. “A ‘scene’.”

        The girl pushed her glasses upward. “I don’t know what it is those guys said to set you off, but Patamon shouldn’t be slapping people around.” She raised a finger and waved it from side to side. “Like I said before, people might start getting curious that he is alive, and with how pranks and bullying have gone overboard at school lately, I wouldn’t put it past people to try jabbing him with something sharp either to verify the rumor or just to pick on you.”

        A weighty silence settled between Takeru and the girl for a long moment. He could feel Patamon tense in his hands, obviously uneasy about the idea of being pricked with needles while being forced to remain still and silent. Such a thing was no different than putting his partner through torture. Slowly, the Chosen of Hope managed a convincing smile, as he pulled Patamon a little closer to him. “I wouldn’t let them, so it’s not a problem.”

        The representative held her hand against her cheek with a groan. “Look, that’s not the _point_. The point is that you guys need to be more _careful_ and you need a better system of keeping Patamon on hand without him having to pretend to be a statue and be in plain sight when he decides to smack people around. I know the Digimon protect you and they can’t _not_ do it if someone is going after you, but they need to be _sneakier_ about it. Not to mention standing still all day probably isn’t all that fun for him. That’s all I’m saying.”

        Despite everything Takeru had been told, he still was not sure what to make of the girl in front of him. It was fairly obvious by now that she was telling the truth about how much she knew about Digimon and the Chosen, and likely where she received her information. It bothered him a bit that he could not remember her name, or if she had provided it in the first place. It also felt strange that this total stranger appeared more concerned about Patamon and the incident with the two boys than he was. Just the same, he supposed she had a point. “I guess we can discuss what to do if something like that ever happens again.”

        The class representative rubbed her forehead. “The point is to _prevent_ this from happening again. I’ve been on edge as it is with Tailmon’s sneak attacks, and she’s never in plain sight on school grounds!” She turned her attention to Patamon. “And would you quit the stuffed toy act already? I already know you’re good at it, but you can at least tell me you’ll be more careful!”

        Takeru blinked as he noticed how severe the creases on the girl’s face had become. “It’s really stressing you out, isn’t it?”

        The class representative exhaled deeply as her shoulders sagged before she nodded. “You’ve got _no_ idea how hard it is to counter nasty rumors. They never really completely disappear you know – especially not when people like to make more to replace them.” She pushed her glasses upward and fixed Takeru with a piercing look. “It’s bad enough trying to get this bullying problem under control for Yagami, but now I’ve got Motomiya’s huge mess to deal with on top of it. I don’t need _you_ giving me trouble too!”

        Takeru let out a brief chuckle, though it sounded less than sincere. “Well, you don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself.”

        Patamon had reached his limit of remaining silent. He lightly nudged Takeru with his back leg and risked a glance towards his partner when the girl closed her eyes to rub her temples, whispering Takeru’s name softly.

        Takeru paused and glanced at Patamon, feeling slightly sheepish when he realized that his partner had been waiting for his permission to move for the entirety of the conversation. “It’s okay, Patamon. I think she’s pretty much got us figured out.”

        Patamon sagged with relief before he flapped his wings, eager to stretch them out. He blinked a few times to alleviate his itchy eyes as he hovered beside Takeru’s head before he turned his attention to the girl. “Sorry for not saying anything earlier, but I _do_ try to be careful not to give myself away.”

        The class representative scarcely blinked when she watched Patamon flutter about, instead fixing him with a stink eye as she folded her arms across her chest. “Except to slap kids around?”

        Patamon chuckled and had the good grace to look at least slightly guilty, even as he gave the girl a wry smile. “Only if they deserve it. If you heard what those boys were talking about, you’d have a hard time holding yourself back too. I _still_ can’t believe those boys could say such awful things.”

        Takeru sighed softly. “That was my fault.” He leaned back a bit as he recalled the anger he felt towards the two boys, how it churned beneath his skin and burned like magma, aching to burst out in a fiery display of violence. “I guess he thought slapping them would be better than letting me strangle them.”

        The class representative was taken aback, by both what he had said, but more by the casual tone Takeru used. It was enough to render her silent for a long, uncomfortable moment before she could respond. “O… kay. Were they threatening you, or was it just the rumors about Yagami and Motomiya?” She slowly built up momentum as she spoke, recovering from her uncomfortable feelings to talk with greater passion and a touch more speed. “They did say that you flipped out at them talking about those two before Patamon started slapping them. Because if the problem was just the crap people have been saying about them, I’m taking care of it, so you should stop worrying about it and leave it to me. I’ve been talking with the teachers and they’re not going to expel Motomiya, let alone Yagami.”

        Takeru’s smile grew strained. He could not forget what the boys said to him, even if this girl tried to reassure him that it was her responsibility and not his. It felt contrary to his instincts – Hikari was his friend, not this stranger. If anyone should protect her, aside from Tailmon, it would be him. He did not know Daisuke nearly as well as he did Hikari, but he could already tell what kind of person the other boy was, and the rumors did not fit what he had seen so far. The injustice of what was happening to Daisuke and Hikari made it downright impossible for him to calm down, no matter how much his classmate tried to placate him. “No, they didn’t threaten me.”

        Patamon scowled at the memory. “What those boys said about Hikari and Daisuke is inexcusable. _They_ should be the ones expelled!”

        “Okay, you got me there,” the class representative said. “I can’t argue that they didn’t deserve _some_ sort of punishment for trashing other peoples’ reputations. But, look, I’ve got the teachers convinced that everything about Yagami is a lie, and Motomiya…” She grimaced. “Well, I’m _trying_ , but some stuff that happened at his cram school is sort of haunting him. Not to mention he gets in fights with anyone who badmouths Yagami when he’s in earshot. I’ve tried telling him that throwing punches isn’t going to fix Yagami’s reputation or his, but that boy just doesn’t listen!”

        Takeru was briefly tempted to ask girl for more information about why Daisuke’s reputation was so tarnished, or Hikari’s for that matter, but he ultimately decided it was not important – he was certain that nothing of it was true anyway. “I know. He’s a very straight-forward guy, like some _other_ people I know.” A slight smile tugged at his lips. “But it doesn’t really matter. Unless they can prove what they’re saying, the school can’t do anything to Daisuke. And considering it’s all lies, they have no case.”

        Patamon landed on the kitchen table so that he could pick up an apple from the basket of fruit. “The school should be focusing on the kids who are picking the fights by saying nasty things about Hikari, not Daisuke. Anyone would get angry if they heard something saying such terrible things about their friend!”

        “I’m working on it,” the class representative said, her tone growing impatient. “Just it’d make things easier if everyone tried to keep things _discreet_. Violence might take down evil Digimon overlords, but they don’t solve _everything_ , you know.”

        Takeru found the girl’s words to be rather ironic. He could remember countless times as a Chosen where violence was often the _only_ answer, where force had to be met with force or else they risked not only their lives, but everyone in both worlds as well. Admittedly, the bullies were not on the same scale as Vamdemon or the Dark Masters, but there was still a lesson in it. He would avoid a fight if he could, but he definitely would not back down from one if it came to him. Still, he knew better than to say that aloud.

        The class representative straightened up as she pushed her round-framed glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Alright then, with that out of the way, I’d like to ask you a few questions about that email you got in the Digital World. Koshiro didn’t have any real data on it to send us, so I figured since I’m here I would ask you to describe exactly what happened.”

        Takeru blinked, startled by the sudden change of topic. His mind drifted back to the comment she had made about making the D-Terminals and supposed that it made sense that she would be so interested in the incident. “Sure, go ahead.”

        “First of all,” the girl said as she raised a finger, “I want to know exactly what you saw, and especially what _exactly_ the glitches looked like.”

        Takeru crossed his arms, his eyes going unfocused as he looked towards the ceiling. “The font was weird, for one. It looked like someone’s rushed handwriting, except the pixels were distorted. Like the words were falling apart?”

        The class representative raised her eyebrows. “When you say handwriting, do you mean the font looked _similar_ to handwriting, or that it was actually written on an image file?”

        Takeru frowned, recalling the sense of unease he felt when he looked over the strange message. “It was like… someone carved the words on my screen, except they didn’t. Does that make sense?”

        The class representative jerked slightly, her eyes widening. “‘Carved’? What do you mean by carved? There wasn’t damage to the hardware, was there?”

        Takeru shook his head. “No, Koshiro checked it. There was no damage, and the email was gone. The system _did_ crash, but he got it running again.” He paused when he noticed the girl rotating her hand in an impatient circle. A moment later, a light went off in his head and he realized what the pantomime meant. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the D-Terminal, handing it over to the girl. “Here.”

        The class representative snatched up the D-Terminal and moved her glasses to the top of her head so that she could better examine the device from all angles. Once satisfied that the hardware appeared to be undamaged, she booted it up, the corner of her mouth twitching downward. “Koshiro told me the data got fragmented to the point he had to wipe it completely clean and reinstall all the data. He tried finding the email in the logs before that, but everything was corrupted and he couldn’t even get your _normal_ emails back, or access any of the programs, so those are gone for good.”

        Takeru nodded, unfazed by the loss of his emails – there was nothing important on them anyway. “Apparently, whatever the email did, it messed things up pretty badly.”

        The class representative cycled through the programs and data, occasionally glancing back up at Takeru, her eyes squinting when she tried to get a good look at his face despite her nearsightedness. “Okay then, go back to what you were talking about. How can you carve up a computer screen but not carve it?”

        Takeru shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know, it just looked like the words weren’t a font so much as… etched into the screen.”

        The class representative lightly ran her fingers along the D-Terminal’s screen, not finding a single imperfection aside from the smudges she left behind. Her mouth twisted, as though she had tasted something foul. “So whoever sent you that email wasn’t just some hacker that could cover their tracks.”

        “Yeah,” Takeru said, with a slight grimace. “The whole thing felt weird, though I didn’t have a lot of time to really think about it. I mean, the fact that the sender even _knew_ what was going on _and_ knew how to use the Digimentals…”

        The class representative pulled out a glasses cleaning cloth and wiped off the D-Terminal’s screen. “This sounds like unnatural phenomena to me, like the sky tearing open to show the Digital World, or that egg Yagami summoned.” She paused for a moment, her eyes lighting up as she turned her attention from the screen to Takeru. “Wait, maybe that’s it! Maybe it’s another Chosen with some reality-defying power. There’s fifteen of you guys, right? And Yagami has that god or whatever who messes with her and reality… Tenraimon, wasn’t it?”

        Takeru’s eyebrows shot up. “That _would_ explain how they knew about the Digimentals, but why the strange email?”

        The girl turned off the D-Terminal and snapped the lid shut with a flick of her wrist. “You got me.” She passed the D-Terminal back to Takeru, who tucked it away into his pocket. “Maybe the Digimon Kaiser locked them out and they can’t get back in? Or maybe they like being weird and mysterious.” She shrugged before sliding her glasses back into place. She went silent for a moment before her brow furrowed. “Although, not to totally shoot down my theory, but we don’t actually have evidence that it _is_ a Chosen who did it. For all we know it’s another DigiGod like the one attached to Yagami, or even just some Digimon that’s got powers to mess with reality, like the stuff Vamdemon pulled or Apocalymon.”

        Takeru let out brief ironic laugh as he slowly shook his head. “You’re right about that. Just when we think we’ve got the Digital World figured, it goes around and does something _else_ to completely shatter our expectations. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it does that on _purpose_.”

        The class representative’s eyebrows shot up for a second before her eyes narrowed. “Are you sure that it isn’t?”

        Takeru felt taken aback and paused to consider the possibility. “No… I guess I can’t be sure.”

        Patamon slowly chewed on his apple with a skeptical look on his face, speaking only after he swallowed the core. “I really don’t think the Digital World is alive, or at least if it is, then it’s not alive like Digimon or humans are, where it can think and act on its own. If it was, what happened with Apocalymon and the Dark Masters would’ve made it react for sure.”

        “I guess it doesn’t matter,” Takeru said with a shrug. “We still don’t know much of anything. All we can really do is keep going forward, and hope things eventually start to make sense.”

        “I disagree,” the class representative said, her voice sharp. “I know your thing is hope and all, but I don’t like putting off finding out answers until later.” She removed her glasses so that she could wipe at the lenses with her cleaning cloth. “I’m going to get to the bottom of things.” Her expression grew dark briefly, a dangerous gleam appearing in her eyes. “No one messes up my greatest creation and gets away with it!”

        Takeru tilted his head as he smiled. “Well, if you figure anything out, let us know. It’d be nice to actually know something, for once!”

        The girl let out a pleased noise as she slid her glasses back on. “Of course! It’s what I’m here for after all.” A glance at the clock on the wall took away her smile. “Oh shoot! I’ve got to go.” She breezed past Takeru without waiting for a reply. “It was great to finally meet you.” She glanced back once she reached the doorway before putting her shoes on. “And that reminds me, you and your mom _still_ need to go around to greet your neighbors. How else are we supposed to welcome you to the building?”

        “I’ll definitely talk to her about that,” Takeru said as he watched the girl move with surprising quickness. She definitely had a lot of enthusiasm – perhaps a bit too _much_ enthusiasm in his opinion. Still, he supposed that was not necessarily a bad thing. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, ah…”

        The girl paused before snapping her fingers. “Oh, right, I never gave you my name, did I? Sorry about that! My name is Miyako Inoue.” She bowed from the waist up before flashing the boys a grin. “It’s a pleasure to _finally_ meet you guys.”

        “Nice to meet you as well,” Takeru said, his smile widening. “Thank you for all your help.”

        “Thanks a lot,” Patamon said as he flew over, landing atop Takeru’s head. “We really appreciate it.”

        At the door, Miyako held a pointing finger out towards the two boys. “You can thank me by figuring out a better system for hiding out. Got it?”

        Neither Takeru nor Patamon had the chance to answer before she was out the door and gone from the apartment altogether.

        Patamon blinked before gazing down at his partner. “Do you think _all_ of Koshiro’s online friends are like that?”

        Takeru scratched the back of his head. “I have _no_ idea.”


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The slaves toil without rest in a twisted pantomime of cruelty, without even the knowledge of right, wrong, or suffering. The Dark Tower watches over them silently, offering them nothing for their efforts. This is the Digimon Kaiser's Digital World.
> 
> * * *

        The Dark Tower loomed above the rock quarry like a silent sentinel whose unforgiving gaze tolerated no disobedience. All around it, Digimon ensnared by Evil Rings toiled endlessly, chipping away at the hard stone and lugging it away in mine carts with wheels that screeched from a lack of oil. The slaves scarcely reacted to the noise or the labor, but they would cry out as the whips of the Golemon overseers struck them when their work fell short in some way. Despite being wounded, the laborers showed no real fear as new gashes marked their bodies, instead altering their actions in accordance to the instructions barked out in dead, booming voices. The overseers, fitted in their own collars, displayed as much genuine emotion the rest of the slaves, even as their faces were twisted in what should have passed for sneers of disgust and anger. When a Digimon fell from a blow and could not pull themselves back up, they were lashed until another slave tossed them into one of the carts along with the rocks and sent them down along the tracks.

        The small party of Chosen Children and Digimon observed the horrors from a relatively safe distance, each sickened by what they saw. Daisuke growled as he clenched his fist tightly, fairly quaking with rage. It was hard to keep still, lying on his belly at the edge of the cliff overlooking the quarry. He wanted to jump down into the fray and smash Evil Rings with his bare hands. The only thing that held him back was the insistence of the others that they needed to stick to the plan of action they made before arriving. “Damn it… That _damn_ Digimon Kaiser! It’s bad enough he’s got them all brainwashed… He doesn’t have to make them hurt each other too!”

        Takeru swallowed the bile that built in the back of his throat. There was no logic using corporal punishment to force brainwash slaves to work – they would do it regardless of how they felt. That was the entire point of enslaving someone’s mind, to prevent them from even _wanting_ to rebel. “It’s like he gets some sick, sadistic pleasure from all this,” he said, his breath hissing between his teeth. “It’s just excessive.”

        “He does,” Tailmon said, her voice as harsh as the gaze she cast upon the quarry. “He enjoys making Digimon suffer.”

        Hikari looked away from the sight of a Golemon whipping a helpless Gazimon until the latter was no longer able to stand. Her body shuddered as her heart twisted, unshed tears stinging behind her eyelids. She ached for all the Digimon down below, including those holding the whips. Being forced to hurt, possibly even kill others was too terrible to even think about. “How cruel… He’s not even here to watch it, and he still…” Her only solace she had was that those under the control of the Evil Rings forgot everything that happened to them while they were enslaved. Once they freed the Digimon, they would only have to deal with the physical wounds the Digimon Kaiser left behind.

        Daisuke grunted and readjusted his goggles so that they were over his eyes, readying himself for the battle ahead. “Well, he’s not gonna get away with it much longer. Everybody ready to begin the next phase?”

        “Y-yes,” Hikari said, swallowing a lump in her throat. “Let’s hurry.”

        Daisuke nodded and turned to his partner, his expression grim despite his smile. “Ready, V-mon?”

        V-mon got to his feet, his hands balled into fists, as he flashed his sharp teeth in a smile. “Ready, Daisuke!”

        Takeru looked at the Digimental of Hope on his Digivice screen as it waited to be activated. Now was the time to bring hope back to the Digital world. “Patamon!” he said sharply as he held up his Digivice.

        Patamon nodded and within moments had evolved to Pegasmon. He landed beside Takeru and moved his wings aside so that his partner could climb onto his back. “We’ll take care of things from above.”

        Hikari gave herself a mental shake so that she could focus on the task at hand. “Right. We’ll meet you down below.”

        Takeru slid onto Pegasmon, hooking his fingers into the winged Digimon’s armor for lack of anything better to hang onto. For the briefest of moments, he allowed himself to feel amused that he was getting a ride from his partner for a change instead of the other way around, but when the moment ended, all mirth disappeared, replaced with cold determination. “Alright, let’s rescue those Digimon!”

        The tension in the air was nearly unbearable as Pegasmon flew high over the quarry, not too far beneath the clouds that blanketed the sky. At first, it seemed no one down below had noticed the pair’s presence, too caught up in the mindless repetition of their pre-programmed tasks. That changed after a Gotsumon was tossed into one of the carts, its battered rocky body covered in nearly as many chips as the rocks beneath it. Its head fell in a position where its distant, empty gaze was directed skyward, its mouth hanging open as it took in shallow, rasping breaths. Its eyes were dull despite their red glow, and slow to focus on the speck of color that stood out against the gray. A trembling hand slowly raised from the cart with great effort, pointing upwards, while the abused Digimon moved its mouth, its voice cracking before it managed to force out a single word, “Intruder!”

        More eyes turned towards the sky, and soon the entire mine was chanting that same word, as tools and rocks fell to the ground from suddenly limp hands. The sky, darkened by storm clouds, lit up with countless streaks of energy, fire, and the like, as every Digimon with an ounce of energy for a ranged attack sent it flying towards Peagsmon. Those who possessed no such means to fight improvised weapons, pitching stones upward in often pitiful arcs. Their voices mingled into a violent din of attack names, shouted, spoken, or whispered, but all was empty of passion or caring.

        “Hang on tight, Takeru!” Pegasmon said through gritted teeth. He no longer had the luxury to focus on making sure Takeru remained balanced on his back safely – every bit of his energy and concentration was directed towards evasive maneuvers, as the attacks of at least a hundred Digimon came towards him in all directions.

        Takeru wrapped his arms around Pegasmon’s neck and squeezed his hands together until they hurt. It was a juggling act to maintain the right amount of pressure to keep himself from being shaken off during the constant sudden movements without risking choking his partner. He clenched his jaw as the heat from a ball of energy grazed his arm with searing heat, smoldering his outfit, but he refused to cry out, lest he distract Pegasmon and risk both of them being shot out of the sky with a direct hit.

        The rest of the Chosen could do little but watch their friends fight to stay aloft as they slipped stealthily down opposite sides of the hill in two groups. The rocks provided plenty of cover for them to duck behind to avoid detection, but it seemed unnecessary, as the controlled Digimon all seemed entirely focused on Pegasmon and Takeru.

        Tailmon lashed out at the few scattered slaves at the edge of the crowd, moving with the grace of an acrobat as she flipped over rocks and Digimon to slice apart Evil Rings. Hikari followed swiftly after to pull the newly freed Digimon into hiding and shush them before any of their still controlled brethren noticed what was going on.

        Daisuke and V-mon were hindered because they were not anywhere near as agile or stealthy as Tailmon or Hikari, and V-mon was unable to evolve into an Adult. This left them with the task of going the most roundabout route they could towards the Dark Tower. It was a test of the pair’s patience, as Daisuke felt increasingly worked up knowing that Hikari was so close to danger, and seeing Takeru and Patamon act as decoys had been fine in theory up until he actually saw it in action, which caused him to inwardly writhe with worry. V-mon, likewise, grew increasingly impatient, as he was getting fed up with sneaking around so much.

        Despite the situation, Hikari managed to feel a sense of relief as she watched Tailmon easily evade a Golemon’s punch to shatter its collar. The joy she felt seeing her partner back in fighting form after being out of commission for so long allowed her something to focus on besides worrying for her friends or that the army of still controlled Digimon would turn their wrath upon her and Tailmon. Unfortunately, the more Digimon they freed, the greater the risk of discovery grew, as the Digimon were confused, afraid, and injured. It was difficult for her to calm them all, and a part of her wished for that mystical strength and aura of serenity Tenraimon granted her to put the enslaved Numemon at ease years ago.

        Almost as soon as Hikari had thought of it, one of the newly liberated Digimon, a Numemon, cracked under the pressure. “Forget this!” it shouted as it slithered away with surprising quickness. “I’m out of here!”

        What followed was a domino effect that Hikari had no hope of stopping, no matter how she pleaded. Soon, nearly all of the Digimon she had been trying to calm took off running blindly away from the dig site, the sound of their screaming or sobs of fear and pain drowning out the Chosen of Light’s words. Fear had taken hold like a virus, causing a number of Digimon to be knocked down and trod upon by their fellows in their desperate bid to flee the Digimon Kaiser’s territory.

        Unfortunately, this did not go unnoticed by the Digimon still enslaved. “Intruders!” one of the Golemon shouted. “Stop them!”

        Tailmon shifted strategies in a heartbeat as the army turned their attention towards her and Hikari. While they were still at the edge of the mob, most of them ceased their assault on Pegasmon and Takeru to focus on the girls, who appeared to be deemed a greater threat. Tailmon lunged at Hikari, using her exceptional strength to scoop the child up into her arms and dodge a number of attacks sent their way. Though she managed to evade the attacks themselves, she grunted as rock shrapnel scraped her skin from explosions that destroyed the nearby boulders and ground.

        Takeru noticed the decline in attacks almost instantly, as Pegasmon could afford to level out their flight path. He spat out a curse between his teeth as he saw the girls become the new target of the Digimon Kaiser’s army. “Let’s go for the Dark Tower. That’ll get some attention!”

        “Got it,” Pegasmon said. Despite a few stray shots from the ground, he had a clear path to the Dark Tower. Instinctively he reared up slightly as he readied an attack of his own. “Needle Rain!” His golden mane moved violently, as though it was alive, each hair turning rock hard and sharp to launch a spray of needles at the black obelisk. Though he and Takeru heard the sound of cracking, the surface of the Dark Tower was devoid of light, making it impossible to see any visible damage except for small chunks that fell to the ground like the shadows of raindrops.

        To Takeru and Pegasmon’s relief, the brainwashed Digimon soon barked out commands to fall back to protect the Dark Tower. They had successfully drawn the attention of the enemy away from the girls.

        Daisuke’s patience had reached his limit as he watched the others engage the controlled Digimon in combat, his body so tense he shook faintly. Adrenaline flowed hot through his veins as he and V-mon neared the Dark Tower. He realized, with a mixed sense of irritation and eagerness, that there was no way for him to approach the structure now with the Digimon guarding it. It was impossible for him to he could sneak past so many opponents unseen – he and V-mon would have to fight in order to destroy it and complete their part of the mission. They had to stop the battle before the Digimon seriously injured any of his friends. “Alright! V-mon, go get those guys!”

        Regrettably, it was only after Daisuke popped out of cover and shouted at the top of his lungs that he remembered that this turn of events had not been unforeseen. In the event the Digimon grouped around the Dark Tower, he and V-mon were supposed to wait until Takeru and Pegasmon lured them away, or punched a hole in their defense to give him and his partner an opening to exploit. The red eyes that focused towards both the goggle boy and the diminutive dragon informed Daisuke under no uncertain terms that he had destroyed his one shot to take them by surprise.

        V-mon had discarded the plan the second Daisuke ordered him to attack, too eager to even consider any doubts as he lunged into the nearest Digimon headfirst. “V-mon Head!” The Gazimon was sent flying backwards into two of its fellows from the blow, the Evil Ring shattering from its neck. V-mon barely dodged a wooden club with screwdrivers sticking out of it, as the weapon came streaking down towards his head. The Goburimon, a small green oni in stark leather clothes, snarled as it tried to attack again, only for V-mon to lunge at him, foot extended. “Hopping Kick!” As the Goburimon fell, Evil Ring transforming into liquid, more Digimon stepped forward to take its place.

        V-mon looked at the crowd converging towards him as he readied his next attack, briefly raising his eyes towards the sky when Pegasmon swooped down to knock down a number of the Digimon with a gust of wind left by his passing. The blue dragon’s expression turned into a grimace. “I want to evolve too! I want to protect Daisuke!”

        “Don’t worry, V-mon!” Daisuke shouted from a relatively safe distance away. “You’re doing great! You don’t even need to evolve!”

        V-mon risked a glance back at his partner after destroying another Evil Ring with his fist and nodded, his expression brightening considerably. “Right!”

        Despite the chaos that ensued, as previously controlled Digimon went into a blind panic and fled in all directions while those still enslaved started to converge on Daisuke and his friends, he would have been lying to say that he was not enjoying himself. Shouting out warnings and directing where V-mon should attack made him feel like a commander of his own personal army. Instructing the liberated Digimon where to go to escape safety made him feel like the leader of a rebellion.

        No, Daisuke corrected himself a moment later. He was neither of those things. What he felt like, what he had become, was a hero.

        Tailmon spared a glance in the direction of V-mon and Daisuke, her ears canting back. She did not expect too much from either of them, as they were new to battles and she could tell the pair had rather impulsive personalities. For that reason, she was not _entirely_ taken aback that the plan had been discarded so carelessly. She supposed that she should have been surprised that they lasted as long as they did. She readjusted her own tactics to compensate, working her way towards the newest Chosen while occasionally glancing back to make sure Hikari was still with her.

        Tailmon narrowed her eyes as she spied a Golemon lumbering towards V-mon, whip cracking at its side. She ignored the rest of the Child Digimon in her way, hopping across their heads to create a path towards the Adult – there was no way V-mon could take it on alone. Once close enough, she lunged for Golemon, fist outstretched. “Cat Punch!”

        The Golemon staggered back from the blow. Although it was much larger than Tailmon, the force of her punches were far superior to its own strength thanks to her years of fighting and training. A second punch was all it took to shatter the stony Digimon’s Evil Ring, causing the Golemon to crash to the ground in a dazed heap.

        The skill of the Chosen Digimon made the battle rather one-sided. Even V-mon held his own despite how little experience he had, particularly when compared to Tailmon and Pegasmon. Unfortunately, the enemy had numbers on their side. For every one they freed, there was another waiting to fill the hole while a confused and frightened victim stood helplessly in-between, forcing the Chosen Digimon to work around them until the children could direct the freed Digimon towards relative safety. The fog of war made this a difficult task, as the Digimon just as often listened as they did panic and run blindly into further danger.

        Slowly, the mob around the Dark Tower began to thin. Pegasmon reared up, turning his focus to the tower as his wings transformed, becoming slices of the night sky. The stars upon the black field of space beside him shot forward as he cried out his attack. “Shooting Star!” The words had barely left his lips when a plume of red gas forced him to evade back and upward, ruining his aim. His shot went wild, the small glittering stars flying in every direction. A few of the Digimon, controlled and not, were sent to the ground as they were struck in the fallout, but fortunately none were deleted. Bits of the Dark Tower rained down upon the Digimon, but there was no sign that it had suffered any significant damage.

        Takeru cursed at the failed attack then glanced down at the Digimon. At least half of those still under the Digimon Kaiser’s control were focusing their attacks on him and Pegasmon, forcing them to bob and weave in complicated patterns. His eyes darted about, seeking out his friends. Tailmon was having little trouble while V-mon seemed to be holding his own well enough. Hikari kept herself at just enough distance away from the fighting that it was unlikely she would be attacked, while Daisuke was cheering on V-mon a little too close to the combat for the Chosen of Hope’s liking. “At least we got their attention again,” he muttered.

        Pegasmon grew troubled as the tactics of the attacking Digimon changed slightly. The Golemon were creating more and more clouds of red, trying to fill the air with their poison. “I’ve got to fly higher to avoid their gas, but you better get ready to hold your breath if any of it gets too close.”

        Takeru nodded as Pegasmon narrowly avoided a plume of crimson smoke. He pulled his shirt up over his face as he caught the pungent scent of sulfur before his partner’s wings blew the smell away as they darted back from the cloud. There was no telling how dangerous the gas could be to a human, even outside the visible cloud, so it would be safest for him to avoid it completely. “Right.”

        Daisuke’s panicked voice abrutply pierced the din of the battle. “V-mon, look out! Behind you!”

        V-mon glanced back over his shoulder and yelped as he rolled to the side, barely avoiding a Golemon’s fist as it slammed into the ground where he had been standing only a moment ago. A Gazimon cuffed the back of his head as he got back to his feet, the grazing blow barely more than a sting. He growled as he backhanded the Child Digimon before rushing at the Adult that tried to crush him. “Hopping Kick!”

        Unfortunately, though V-mon’s strength was enough to send a Gazimon tumbling, the Golemon’s body was made of unyielding stone and its mask was made of metal. His attack did little more than hurt his foot as he slammed it against the Golemon’s face. The impact reverberated through the small dragon’s body, and he hopped back onto his good foot as he held his newly injured one. “Ow!”

        Daisuke ran forward after witnessing his partner get hurt, his eyes widening as he saw the Golemon’s fist rise upward. “Watch out!”

        V-mon reacted with barely enough time to evade the blow. His body twisted in the air before he landed lightly on one foot, wobbling for a moment before he regained his balance. He blinked, briefly surprised by his luck, before he flashed a smug look in the Golemon’s direction. “Hah!”

        Daisuke paused after witnessing V-mon’s display, taken aback nearly as much as his partner. He let out a loud whistle before he broke out into a round of riotous applause. “Nice move, V-mon! That was awesome!”

        “Cat Punch!” Tailmon shouted as the sound of rock giving way resounded shortly to Daisuke’s right. The feline Digimon struck a Golemon that had been readying an attack on the goggle boy, slamming its jaw shut before it could breathe its gas. The blow exposed it’s neck to a second blow, shattering its Evil Ring before the large Adult was sent flying backwards into one of its fellows.

        Tailmon landed lightly beside Daisuke, her expression severe. “Don’t let your guard down!”

        Daisuke nodded, still beaming. “I got it, I got it.” He turned back towards his partner. “V-mon, be careful of that Digimon’s punches!”

        “Right!” V-mon said as he flashed Daisuke a confident grin. He yelped as an Elecmon suddenly rammed into his side, sending him tumbling.

        Tailmon’s ears flattened against her head, but she had no time to spare for conversation, as more Golemon gravitated towards their position.

        V-mon got on his feet with a growl, the injury to his foot barely more than a dull throb now, one that was easily ignored when compared to his irritation. He dodged another attack from the Elecmon, only to watch in surprise as the other Digimon took a punch from a Golemon that was meant for him. “Hey!” He refocused his attention to the Golemon and hopped onto the Adult’s fist as it began to rise for another attack. He ran along the Golemon’s arm towards the rock Digimon’s head, his own arm cocked back and ready for an attack of his own. “V-mon Punch!”

        The Golemon’s head jerked back slightly, its red eyes blinking, but otherwise the attack failed to do much of anything to it. The rock Digimon let out a dangerous hiss before red began to leak from its mouth. “Curse Crimson.”

        V-mon gasped as the Golemon expelled a large cloud of red gas in his face, inhaling enough sulfur to force him to cough. He jumped down and scrambled backward as he moved his arms in a rapid circular motion until they began to blur. “Boom, Boom Punch!”

        “Alright, V-mon!” Daisuke shouted as he watched V-mon’s spinning arms dissipate the gas harmlessly into the air. A moment later, he let out a startled cry as Tailmon leapt at him, snagging him by the midsection before scooping him up into a princess carry that was hopelessly awkward due to their drastic size difference. She took him back several meters, only to drop him unceremoniously next to Hikari, who was crouched beside an abandoned mining cart. He yelped when he landed on his tailbone. “H-hey! What’s the big idea _?_!”

        Tailmon spared the two children a harsh stare. “Stay here.” She dashed off before either child could respond, returning to the battle without so much as a backward glance.

        Daisuke pulled himself as he brushed off the seat of his pants. “What the heck was _that_ all about?”

        Hikari tugged Daisuke’s jacket, silently motioning for him to not stand any higher than the mining cart. It took him a moment to catch her meaning. “It’s dangerous to stand so close to Digimon who are fighting – especially right now. Look.”

        Daisuke followed Hikari’s pointing finger back towards the battlefield. “What? It’s kind of hard to see from here… There’s too much of that red smoke in the way.”

        “Exactly,” Hikari said. “That’s poison gas. Just look at what it’s doing to the other Digimon.” There was a catch in her voice as she directed Daisuke’s gaze towards the Child Digimon still enslaved or scrambling desperately for freedom. Those who got too close to the increasing number gas clouds began to cough violently, many falling to the ground before they had a chance to escape to clearer air.

        Daisuke grimaced. “Crap. How are we supposed to help them get out of there?”

        Hikari’s fingers curled into fists against the mining cart, her eyes never leaving the battlefield. “I don’t know. We need to destroy all the Evil Rings, but there are just so many of them…”

        Daisuke suddenly snapped his fingers. “Oh! I know! We’ve just got to take down the Dark Tower!”

        The declaration startled Hikari enough to glance back at Daisuke. “What?”

        “It’s just like in a video game,” Daisuke said, his voice excited. “Whenever a bad guy has his magical evil doohickeys lying around doing bad stuff, smashing them usually snaps everyone out of being his brainwashed lackeys and it also makes his fortresses collapse so the heroes can win!”

        Hikari grimaced faintly. “But we don’t know that the Dark Towers have anything to do with the Evil Rings.”

        Daisuke held up a finger. “But we don’t know that they _don’t_. For all we know, the Digimon Kaiser is ripping off the Evil Prince in Wonder Monster World Tamers and the Dark Towers are like the Evil Gems that brainwash all the good monsters to be evil and make them stronger than the good guys.”

        “Daisuke, this isn’t a video game…,” Hikari said. “The Digimon might be made from computer programs, but that doesn’t mean–”

        “I’ve also seen it work like that in anime and movies,” Daisuke said. “And a lot of other stuff too!”

        Hikari gave up on arguing with Daisuke, as she knew it would not really help matters at this point. She shook her head with a sigh. “I guess we’ll find out if Takeru and Pegasmon can knock the tower down.”

        Daisuke nodded, his expression determined. “Right.” He jumped up, pumping his fist into the air. “Go V-mon! Go Pegasmon! Get that Dark Tower!”

        The Golemon that loomed over V-mon watched the dragon with a blank expression as V-mon dissipated its repeated gas attacks using rapid movements. The lumbering rock Digimon barely did more than blink when the smaller Digimon lunged at it once the air was clear. The blow to its chest would have hurt any of the Child level Digimon running around, but the Golemon felt nothing.

        V-mon scrambled back when the Golemon took another swipe at him, his frustration mounting. He hated not being able to do much damage. Tailmon’s punches were knocking down Golemon left and right, while his attacks were less effective than mosquito bites. Pegasmon was able to send multiple Digimon running at once with apparent ease, but he was scrambling to avoid the handful coming at him. It was abundantly clear that he was the weakest member of the team, but that was not his fault – the others were Adult while he was stuck as a puny Child. He needed to evolve. He needed to be stronger. He needed to protect Daisuke. He would _not_ let his partner be disappointed in him! “Damn it!”

        “Cat Punch!” Tailmon shouted before the Golemon attacking V-mon was sent crashing into the ground from the force of her fist striking the back of its head. She stood atop the hulking rock beast’s head and smashed its Evil Ring with her foot before she regarded V-mon. “Are you alright?”

        V-mon hesitated, as a hot surge of jealousy made him not want to answer, but the impulse did not last long. His entire body slumped as he let out a quiet grumble. “Yes.”

        A loud crack vibrated through the air as Pegasmon’s next attack impacted solidly with the Dark Tower. Large chunks fell from the midsection of the obelisk, splashing down onto the ground and Digimon still gathered around its base. The upper half of the Dark Tower slowly teetered back, the hard edges of the entire structure rounding out as it took on a strange glistening quality. The tower liquefied entirely before the top of it touched down, creating a flood of gray liquid that robbed the ground and Digimon of their color as it spread out in all directions.

        Daisuke jumped up, pumping his fist into the air as he let out a loud whoop. “Alright! We won!”

        The sight of the dark water rushing towards them invoked a different reaction in Hikari. Panic flooded through her, prompting her to scramble up into the mostly empty mining cart. “Get in! Hurry!”

        The fear in Hikari’s voice jarred Daisuke from his impromptu victory jig with a jerk. “What? Why?” When she tugged him by the shoulders in lieu of an answer, he did as he was told, climbing into the mining cart just as the foam from the dark water barely missed the bottom of his sneaker.

        Hikari cringed back from the spray as the strange liquid crashed into the cart, the sound of the ocean filling her ears. She bit back the terror swelling in her chest and sought out Tailmon. The sight of her partner standing on a top of a pile of rocks in another mining cart not far away from them gave her some relief, especially since she noticed that Tailmon had carried V-mon away from the flood as well. However, the presence of the dark water kept her from relaxing, especially when she realized that the Digimon they were trying to free had been caught by the flood.

        Tailmon let go of V-mon and surveyed their surroundings, a low noise of displeasure rumbling in the back of her throat. The Golemon were tall enough that the dark water had barely reached halfway up their bodies. The Child level Digimon were not so lucky, floundering about amidst the waves and coughing up liquid before the flood eventually died down. She watched them through narrowed eyes as they slowly recovered. The Digimon they had freed moved sluggishly, many moaning, their eyes haunted. Those who briefly slipped beneath the surface of the waves appeared to suffer worse than the ones that were too large for the flood to cover, or managed to reach higher ground in time. The brown rocks of the quarry had transformed to gray sand that slowly dissolved into flecks of data.

        It was the Digimon still controlled by the Evil Rings that caught Tailmon’s attention most of all. The control collars seemed to spark with an absence of light when the dark liquid touched them. The smaller Digimon managed to mysteriously keep their heads above water effortlessly despite the fact that they did not struggle to swim. It was as if it was impossible to submerge the Evil Rings beneath the surface of the dark water. As the flood receded, it became obvious that they were the only Digimon touched by the waves to not lose their colors. It allowed them to refocus their attention on the Chosen and resume their attacks with little delay.

        Daisuke yelped and pulled Hikari down as a rock flew dangerously close towards them. “What the heck? Why are they still attacking us? We destroyed the Dark Tower!”

        Hikari swallowed a hard lump in her throat and wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs. “W-we need to destroy the Evil Rings.”

        Daisuke muttered a curse before daring to peek over the lip of the mining cart. “Man… That Kaiser jerk doesn’t play by the rules at all!”

        V-mon cried out Daisuke’s name in alarm as he realized one of the Digimon attacked his partner. His red eyes narrowed into slits as he quickly spotted the culprit – a Gotsumon who was readying another attack. With a cry, he leapt from the cart and charged towards his enemy. “I won’t let you hurt Daisuke!”

        Tailmon sighed as she watched the newest Chosen Digimon charge recklessly back into the fray. She glanced back at Hikari and considered making the attempt to evolve to Angewomon now that the Dark Tower was gone. Ultimately, she decided against it for now. The power she held in her Complete form was immense, and the gap between her and the Digimon here was already wide enough to give her concern. There was a serious risk that as Angewomon she would be unable to hold back on her attacks sufficiently to prevent any harm from coming to the Digimon. They had already whittled away approximately half of the enemy’s numbers – they could take down the rest in the same way as well.

        Takeru found it hard to pay attention to the battle as Pegasmon joined the others in destroying the Evil Rings. He had not expected the destruction of the Dark Tower to set all the Digimon free, even if a tiny part of him hoped that the Digimon Kaiser might have been so foolish as to make such a design flaw. What worried him more was the negative impact the destruction the Dark Tower had. The dark water had spread far enough to touch the entire quarry, including the inside of the mines. He spotted rocks eroding, which troubled him. He could not help but worry that the integrity of the mines had been compromised and as such were in danger of collapsing.

        For a long moment, Takeru felt torn with indecision. While he noticed earlier that the controlled Digimon left the mine to attack him and Pegasmon, as well as protect the Dark Tower, that did not mean that the mines were completely empty. He glanced towards V-mon and Tailmon. The two appeared to be handling themselves alright, but…

        An idea hit Takeru and he whipped out his D-Terminal to make an email. The other Chosen back at Koshiro’s house could use the computer’s search program to look through the mines faster than Pegasmon and he could, especially since his partner would be unable to fly in such close quarters. An affirmative response from his brother came less than a minute later. It, and a short message that Mimi’s group were doing all right, with no Digimon Kaiser in sight, allowed him to feel relieved.

        It meant that they were free to simply focus on finishing their task and wait for the Digimon Kaiser to appear.

* * *

        Tentomon let out a weary breath as he surveyed the area. Over a dozen somewhat dazed and worried Tsukaimon stood gathered around the Chosen with the same number of gray patches of barren ground pockmarked on the jungle floor. Save for the rustling of a faint wind through the high branches of the trees, there were no other signs of movement. “That seems to be the last of them, Koshiro.”

        The location Jijimon had sent them to was a lush rainforest filled with green and colorful flowers. What set this jungle apart from one that could be found in the real world was the fact that it was nestled inside of an unusually shaped canyon. The walls stretched far higher than the trees, were made of clay and slate, its strangely flat surfaces adorned with strange looking fossils in a suspiciously repetitive pattern. When they first arrived, Tentomon had flown up above the tree line get a better look of the area, and discovered that the canyon was actually a gigantic labyrinth. Koshiro attempted to map out the maze with the help of Tentomon and the Chosen Children who remained back in the real world, when they were forced to defend themselves from a sudden ambush.

        Sora knelt down beside one of the Tsukaimon and gave it a gentle smile. “You’re okay now.” She gave the Digimon a gentle pat on the head as tears of gratitude welled up in its eyes. “You’re free.”

        “They must have been scouts,” Tentomon said as he moved back to Koshiro’s side. “Scoping out the rest of the canyon. We were just unlucky to run into them.”

        “Or lucky, for them,” Shutumon said as she crossed her arms. “Now the Kaiser can’t use them anymore.”

        Mimi giggled as she smiled at her partner. “You were amazing, Shutumon! You freed all of them so quickly.”

        Shutumon giggled as well before leaned back, a smile in her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips and let out a pleased hum.

        Koshiro opened his laptop back up. A wave of relief washed over him as he saw that the jostling it took from one of the Tsukaimon’s surprise attacks did not appear to damage it. “We’ll have to be careful not to run into anymore. We can’t risk any of them warning the Digimon Kaiser that we’re in the area.”

        Sora watched the Tsukaimon move quickly in the direction the Chosen had first entered the jungle. It was good to see that they knew the area well enough that they could hopefully return home without trouble. “Let’s go, then,” she said softly before turning back towards the others. “We need to find that temple.”

        Mimi’s smile faded and she sighed. “I didn’t think we had to do so much walking again after our first adventure here. First that canyon, and now this maze.”

        Koshiro gave Mimi an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I’m sure I put the coordinates Jijimon wrote correctly. He must have been off on the location.” He glanced at the email on his D-Terminal. “But at least Jou and the others finished figuring out the shortest path through the maze to get there, so we shouldn’t be walking much longer.”

        Mimi let out a quiet sound that was nearly a moan. “I hope so.”

        The Chosen moved through the jungle with only the sound of the wind and Koshiro’s directions. There were no chirping insects or birds, as one would expect to find in such an atmosphere. It was rather unnerving and made them tense despite themselves. They were still not used to how quiet the Digital World had become.

        As they drew closer to the heart of the maze, they came across a dirt trail, which soon turned into an ancient stone road. It was ill kept but still usable, carving a path through the jungle that led them to a monstrous pyramid. The shape of the structure was similar to a Mayan temple, carved from white stone tinted green from moss. Though it looked worn by weather and overgrowth of the jungle’s greenery, the intricate carvings lining each wall were easy to read and the steps leading to the top appeared pristine.

        Mimi’s mood brightened considerably at the sight of the temple. “This must be it! We finally found it!”

        A rough but familiar voice instantly drew the attention of the Chosen away from the pyramid. “What the hell took ya so long?” The group spotted the speaker, Jijimon standing at the foot of one of the stairs. Despite the fact that they were unable to see his face due to his bushy hair, he still somehow managed to give the impression that he was giving them a disapproving glare.

        Sora started at the sight of the elder Digimon. “Jijimon?” She half expected to see Centarumon, but the Adult Digimon was nowhere in sight.

        Jijimon let out a harrumph that ended in a snort. “Took your dear sweet time, did you? Stopped to admire the scenic route?”

        Mimi huffed as she marched towards Jijimon. “We would’ve been here sooner if you gave us the right directions.”

        “I gave you the right directions,” Jijimon said. “Yer here, aren’t ya?”

        Mimi put her hands on her hips as she stared down Jijimon, who was a head size smaller than she was. “Only because we had to search all over for it! You gave us the wrong coordinates so we had no idea where this place really was. So don’t complain that we took too long when you can’t tell us how we’re supposed to get here in the first place.”

        “Of course you had to search for it!” Jijimon said. “What the hell did ya expect?”

        Koshiro frowned. “What do you mean? I thought the coordinates were to lead us to where the temple is located.”

        “They are,” Jijimon replied. “Give or take a mile.”

        Sora’s eyes widened with understanding. “You sent us the wrong coordinates on purpose!”

        “What _?_!” Mimi stared at Sora briefly before she rounded on Jijimon. “Of all the mean… Why would you do something like that? I thought you were trying to help us _save_ the Digital World!”

        Jijimon harrumphed again as he banged his staff against the stones. “Oh, cry me a river, Princess. You think all that walking ever did you any harm? You saved some Digimon and you found the place and I’ll bet you lost a few pounds you’ve been packing onto that big pampered prissy fanny from sitting around back in that ‘real’ world of yours.” He lightly tapped Mimi’s hip with his staff for emphasis.

        Mimi turned bright red as she let out a strangled squawk of indignation. “ _Pervert!_ ” She took a swipe at Jijimon, reflexively attempting a slap, but he hopped out of reach with a laugh. She let out a noise of frustration as she stepped back towards Shutumon and crossed her arms over her chest.

        Koshiro let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, we’re here now. That’s what counts, right? Let’s just get the Digimentals.”

        Jijimon sobered up from his brief stint of humor, his tone and demeanor turning disapproving once again. “Hmph, you’ve got no room ta complain! The others didn’t even have coordinates! They had to walk the whole damn world to find theirs!”

        “The others?” Sora asked. “You mean Ryo and his friends?”

        “That boy walked up hill both ways to get his Digimental!” Jijimon said. “So I don’t wanna hear no complainin’!”

        Mimi’s pout dissolved into a curious stare. “You knew Ryo and his group?”

        “What were they like?” Koshiro asked.

        “Damn fine group,” Jijimon said, then turned and started heading up the stairs to the top of the temple. “Too many girls, though.”

        Matching scowls appeared on Sora and Mimi’s faces. “What’s wrong with girls?” Sora asked with an edge to her voice.

        Mimi made a sweeping gesture. “There’s three girls right here in front of you, you know!”

        “Bah, _girls_!” Jijimon whirled back towards the Chosen and swung his staff about. “Let me tell you about _girls_! Girls get all demanding, trying to change you! ‘You snore too loud!’ or ‘Rub my feet!’ or ‘Why don’t you take a bath once and a while?’! If that’s how it’s gonna be, then you better not show your face around me or…!” With that, the hairy Digimon began attacking the air with great enthusiasm.

        Mimi stared at Jijimon, her expression blank for a moment before she blinked slowly. “Are you having trouble with your wife?”

        Jigimon made a strange sound that was somewhere between a squawk and a snort. “I ain’t havin’ trouble with that wrinkled prune!” He aimed his staff at Mimi. “She’s havin’ trouble with _me_ , and don’t you forget it!” He slammed his staff against the step, hard enough to chip off a bit of the stone and create a web of cracks. His head tilted downward, giving the Chosen the impression that he was glaring at the damage he did before he let out a huff and stormed up the stairs. “Get your damn Digmentals and get out!”

        Shutumon looked at Mimi and arched an eyebrow. “Sounds like trouble to me.”

        Mimi nodded. “Must be why he’s so _rude_ all the time.”

        “Or it could be because of what’s going on with the Digimon Kaiser,” Sora muttered, her voice too quiet for the others to hear.

        The Chosen and their Digimon followed Jijimon to the top of the pyramid where large, curving gateways adorned with curving vines welcomed them into the temple. The place was well lit thanks to the large, open doorways and the large hole in the high ceiling. Bits of broken glass along the edges of the stone, as well as colorful shards barely hidden by the blanket of vines and leaves that covered the floor, hinted that at one time there had been a stained glass window in the ceiling. Jijimon was completely unfazed by the crunch of bits of glass beneath his large bare feet, but the Chosen Children were careful to step around the shards, just in case the glass cut through their shoes.

        The countless vines seemed to converge at the center of the temple, coiling around the base of two altars without touching the top where a pair of colorfully adorned Digimentals rested. The red egg was impossibly balanced on its point, and decorated in vibrant orange and yellow flames that hugged the top and bottom, parting around the point of a curved, gleaming sword jutting out above the Crest of Courage. The other egg was more oblong shaped, black and white with a row of yellow markings that looked like teeth, and blade shaped like a lightning bolt placed in front of Crest of Friendship marked in blue.

        Sora was the first to reach the altars. “It’s Taichi’s,” she said in a hushed voice. “And Yamato’s.”

        Koshiro grinned. “Great! Those two will be thrilled.”

        Sora picked up the Digimental of Courage, her touch light. She was not surprised by the weight after handling her own Digimental, so instead she focused on its other features. “It’s so warm…”

        Mimi took the Digimental of Friendship and let out a tiny yelp.

        Koshiro turned quickly to Mimi. “What’s wrong?”

        “It tingles!” Mimi said before she examined the Digimental of Friendship from all angles. “It’s like… it reminds me of when my class went to the museum on a school fieldtrip a year ago and we all took turns touching this weird dark ball filled with purple lightning that made our hair stand up.” She paused to feel her head as her eyes darted anxiously to the others. “It’s not making my hair all frizzy, is it?”

        Sora stifled a giggle behind her hand. “No, you’re fine.”

        Mimi sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.” She returned her focus to the Digimental. “It really _does_ feel like it doesn’t weigh anything.” She looked towards Jijimon. “I’m not going to break it if I drop it, am I?”

        “Nope,” Jijimon said. “But you might stab yer foot with that blade on the front.” He gestured towards Mimi’s legs with his staff. “That any better?”

        Mimi jumped in fright, causing the Digimental of Friendship to slip. She yelped and scrambled to get a better grip on it so that she would not accidentally drop it as Jijimon predicted. Once she reaffirmed her hold, she let out a shaky breath before shooting the elderly Digimon a glare. “Don’t scare me like that!”

        The chime of the D-Terminals interrupted the conversation, drawing the attention of the children towards their pockets. “I’ll get that,” Koshiro said, as the girls’ hands were currently full. He grinned when he saw the sender of the email. “It’s from Hikari!”

        Tentomon hovered over his partner’s shoulder so that he could read the email as well. “Tailmon and the others have freed the rock quarry and all the Digimon there. That’s great news, Koshiro!”

        “Yeah,” Koshiro said with a nod, though he found himself growing troubled. “Though it’s strange that the Digimon Kaiser hasn’t shown up yet…”

        “Maybe he hasn’t realized we’re here,” Tentomon said. “He might go after them now when they attack the supply depot the rocks were being sent to next.”

        Sora shifted her focus between Koshiro and the Digimental of Courage. “Did it mention how Daisuke’s doing?”

        Koshiro smiled despite his concerns. “It sounds like they’re all doing well, including Daisuke.”

        “That’s a relief,” Mimi said. “I was a bit worried since he doesn’t have a Digimental like Takeru, and V-mon isn’t an adult like Tailmon.”

        Sora let out a quiet hum as she contemplated the Digimental in her hands. “Things are going to get worse before they get better,” she muttered. “He’s the weakest at the moment, and if the Kaiser really does have it out for him specifically…”

        “Should we join up with them?” Shutumon asked. “Or go to the next temple?”

        Jijimon hopped up onto one of the vacant altars and began to pick his ear with his pinky. “You can get the hell out, that’s what you can do.”

        Koshiro felt a bit uncomfortable due to Jijimon’s attitude towards them. “Could you please tell us where the next temple is, Jijimon?”

        “I reckon,” Jijimon said. He raised his staff and spun it in a small circle before pointing it at Koshiro. At that moment, there was a familiar beeping from the Chosen of Knowledge’s D-Terminal.

        Koshiro jumped at the sudden beep then opened up the new email he received. For a moment, he could only stare in amazement that Jijimon had somehow written up and sent him an email without the need for a keyboard. He wanted to ask how it was possible, but he suspected he would get no answer from the gruff Digimon. “Th-thank you so much!”

        Mimi looked over at her friends. “So what now? Do we go for more Digimentals or should we email Hikari and the others and tell them to come home now?”

        Koshiro briefly stroked his chin as he considered the question. “I’d feel more comfortable if we used my computer to locate the coordinates before we go there. We don’t know if the Digimon Kaiser has taken it over yet.” He glanced back at Jijimon. “Has he?”

        Jijimon flicked away a gob of earwax. “Better question is what parts of this world _aren’t_ decorated with those giant black tombstones of his.”

        Sora frowned as she turned the Digimental of Courage over in her hands. A beep from her hip drew her attention to her D-Terminal, which she opened up to find an email from Taichi. He had quoted the email she sent to him in the Digital World after he had knocked on her Digimental of Love. He bolded the part where she chastised him for potentially damaging her egg and how important it was, then added a short message at the bottom.

        

Just a reminder of something a certain someone told me in case you were considering a little payback. ;)

        

        Sora’s cheeks turned a faint shade of pink before she muttered under her breath. “Ha, ha, very funny.”

        Mimi turned to Sora with a curious hum. “What is it?”

        “Nothing,” Sora said quickly before putting the D-Terminal away. “Taichi was just repeating something I said to him the other day.” She looked upward where she imagined the computer screen might have been located back in Koshiro’s room and stuck out her tongue.

        Jijimon inclined his head towards Sora. “Making fun of the architecture now or you planning on licking the walls?”

        Sora turned a darker shade of pink. “Er, uh, no. It’s nothing, nevermind!”

        “The others back in the real world are watching us on my computer,” Koshiro said. “Sora was just, uh… guessing where the camera probably is aimed right now. I think?” He glanced at Sora who nodded, still embarrassed.

        Jijimon let out a low noise at the back of his throat as he dug into his ear again. “Bah! No good’s gonna come of somethin’ like that. Seems to me that’s just askin’ for a whole lotta grief and crap.”

        Mimi blinked. “Grief?”

        “Watchin’ the battle from far off ain’t any better than bein’ there,” Jijimon. “‘Cept your butt’s not on the line.”

        Sora raised the Digimental of Courage into the air, aiming her Digivice towards it “Digimental Up!”

        Without Piyomon around, all the Digimental of Courage did was glow and disappear into her Digivice, forming the image of an egg on her screen. Sora typed away at the buttons of her Digivice, just as she had done when she sent her Digimental to Mimi the other day. Thinking of Daisuke, she triggered the command to send the Digimental to their newest member, hoping that her idea would work and that they did not need to be in the same room to pass their Digimentals around. There was a brief spark of red on her screen before the Digimental disappeared without a trace. She smiled faintly, feeling certain that she succeeded. “There. Now Taichi can protect him.”

        Mimi blinked and cast a curious look Sora’s way. “What do you mean?”

        Sora smiled. “I sent Daisuke Taichi’s Digimental.”

        Koshiro’s eyes lit up. “Wait, you mean we can send the Digimentals to anyone no matter where they are?” The possibilities brought a smile to his face. “Brilliant! This will be invaluable whenever we have to split up our group.”

        Mimi hummed as she looked over the Digimental of Friendship. “Digimental Up!” Her words hung in the air for a moment, but nothing happened.  “Huh?”

        Koshiro cast a thoughtful look in Mimi’s direction. “That’s strange. Maybe you can’t put the Digimental in your Digivice when you’re currently using one.”

        “I’m already evolved,” Shutumon said. “Do you want me to de-evolve and try it then?”

        Mimi shook her head and smiled at her partner. “Not right now, Shutumon, but let’s see what this Digimental changes you into later, okay?”

        Koshiro accepted the Digimental of Friendship from Mimi then smiled at Tentomon. “I guess it’s our turn to try a Digimental, Tentomon.”

        “Alright, Koshiro,” Tentomon said. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

        Koshiro grinned and raised both Digivice and Digimental into the air. “Digimental Up!”

        The Digimental of Friendship disappeared into Koshiro’s Digivice moments before a beam of light shot out from its screen to envelope Tentomon in something not unlike a cocoon. “Tentomon, Armor Evolve!” The light sparkled like electricity in a sphere-like shape, but it did not grow in size. With a violent flash, blue lightning struck outward and danced in the air at no more than a meter in length. The glow around the Digimon’s body faded, revealing a silvery insect body with sizable pincers framing a massive blade not unlike the sharp edge that jutted from the Digimental of Friendship. At the center of the unusual insect’s back was a lone red eye, that looked like a jewel. Despite all logic, he hung in the air, with lightning dancing at his sides. “Blade Kuwagamon!”

        Koshiro stared in awe at the unusual evolution his partner had undertaken. “Blade Kuwagamon… You look just like a sword!”

        Sora stared at Blade Kuwagamon, her eyes wide. “Wow…”

        “Awesome!” Mimi said.

        “Now I can help protect us,” Blade Kuwagamon said. “We can go to the next temple without fear.”

        Koshiro nodded, his smile stretching from ear to ear. “Right.”


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting to live verses death and rebirth. The Digimon Kaiser brings with him questions about morality and mortality. Perhaps he’s not the only one who is willing to go to extremes.
> 
> * * *

        The whistle of a Trailmon cut through the air over the sound of countless slaves going about their work inside among countless buildings that could only be the supply depot for the area. The train-like Digimon spat steam into the air that sparked red near its source, which nearly matched the glow of its eyes. There were more like of its kind lined up along nearly a dozen set of tracks leading off into countless directions, each lugging numerous train cars that the smaller Digimon filled with not just minerals from the quarry, but other goods such as fish and coral from the nearby port.

        The supply depot was larger than the Chosen anticipated it to be, appearing more like a small city rather than a hub for storing and transporting raw materials. Numerous small tracks for the carts from the quarry led to a sizable unmarked building with an interior too dark to make out from the small crop of trees the group used as a hiding place. The buildings all blended together in bland uniformity, differing slightly in structure, but without anything to label them or add any sort of decoration. The only three places in this area stood out in particular – the train station, a port just to the east of the station, and another Dark Tower that had been placed at the very heart of the buildings.

        The port was a short distance away from the train station, leading to the ocean. Numerous boats and marine Digimon worked to fish and gather resources from the sea. They docked supply ships to fill or unload their vast cargo holds. The boats were not alive like the Trailmon, but often the blasts of their horns echoed that of the Trailmon, possibly in some sort of unspoken code. The Trailmon and ships were constantly coming in and out, lingering only long enough to pass along their cargo to places unknown.

        All this activity made it tricky for the Chosen to remain undetected, to say nothing of any plans to free so many enslaved Digimon. Much of the surrounding landscape had been cleared away, the ground flat with large patches of short grass broken up by only the occasional tree or bush. Reaching the supply depot from their hiding place meant crossing at least fifteen meters of open space.

        “This is… unbelievable,” Takeru whispered. He sat crouched between a bush and a large tree, peering carefully between leaves and branches. He squinted his blue eyes, seeking out any sign of the Digimon Kaiser. The way the supply depot was arranged felt far too sophisticated for his liking.

        Hikari knelt by Takeru’s side with Daisuke half-crouched opposite the Chosen of Hope. The sheer number of controlled Digimon was unpleasant and daunting; the sheer scale of the operation was almost overwhelming. The only good thing she could think of it was that at least there was no one getting whipped… or at least, not that they could see from their hiding place. “Just how much of the Digital World is under his control?”

         “A sizeable amount, I’d guess,” Takeru said, a tightness underlining his soft voice. “If not most of it.”

        Daisuke let out a quiet snort. While he did not have any expectations of what they would find when they followed the tracks from the quarry, what he saw was not terribly shocking compared to the things he had seen from the Digimon Kaiser already. In fact, he might have been more surprised if the tyrant had not created some sort of grandiose set up like this. After all, he saw bad guys create evil operations like this all the time on television. “Whatever. We’ll smash the Dark Tower here too and the next one, and the one after that, and the one after that too!”

        “Yeah!” V-mon said, barely managing to keep his voice down to his anxiousness. “It doesn’t matter how much he controls, ‘cuz we’ll free it all!”

        Daisuke leaned back and turned to Takeru. “Okay, so what’s the plan this time? Same as before?”

        Takeru paused to consider the situation. If he was being honest with himself, the number of enemies at the quarry had been vastly superior to theirs and they should have left their plan as a mere distraction for the Digimon Kaiser. However, the scale of the atrocities committed by the Digimon Kaiser had been too much for the Chosen to accept and not one of them considered pulling back until they freed every single Digimon there. They had gotten lucky. On their side, they had one Adult, one Armor, and one Child Digimon, while there were many Adult level enemies. If the Evil Rings allowed the slaves more freedom to think for themselves, or if the Digimon Kaiser _had_ shown up, things would likely not have gone so well.

        The supply depot was larger than the quarry by far, and a casual glance made it obvious that there were many more Digimon to fight them. There was also a very real and very frightening possibility that not even Perfect or Ultimate Digimon were immune to the Evil Rings. Just because the Chosen had not come across any so far did not mean that they were not under the Digimon Kaiser’s control.

        Takeru looked over the Chosen Digimon. Patamon was back in Child form and seemed ready and able to evolve again at a moment’s notice. Tailmon appeared fine, but she was an expert at hiding signs of weakness. V-mon was the only one who showed fatigue, but the fire in his eyes told the Chosen of Hope that the small dragon was not ready to quit yet. The three of them had used quite a bit of energy already. As much as Takeru hated to consider it, perhaps a strategic withdrawal was in order. However, just as he opened his mouth to say so, a familiar beep interrupted him.

        Daisuke jumped when he realized that the noise came from his D-Terminal. His efforts to answer it were awkward, as he fumbled a bit due to being unused to using gloves or a computer. Fortunately, Hikari helpfully guided him through the interface so that he could read the email. “Hey, it’s from Sora.” His eyes widened drastically. “What, seriously?!” He scrambled to fish out his Digivice, dropping his D-Terminal in his haste. Fortunately, Hikari was quick and close enough to grab the miniature computer before it hit the ground.

        Takeru felt unsure if he should be alarmed by Daisuke’s reaction. “What did it say?”

        Hikari glanced at the email before she had to stifle a giggle behind her hand.

        “I got Senpai’s Digimental!” Daisuke shouted. A broad grin split his face as he looked at his Digivice before he held the screen in front of Takeru’s face. “Look! Look! Now V-mon can evolve too, and with _Senpai_ ’ _s_ Digimental!”

        “Sora just sent it over,” Hikari said as she closed Daisuke’s D-Terminal.

        Takeru blinked, but his surprise lasted for only a moment before he smiled as well. “That’s great, Daisuke.”

        Daisuke turned to V-mon to show his partner his Digivice as well. “Look, V-mon! Now we can evolve you into an awesome Armor mode!”

        V-mon caught Daisuke’s infectious excitement and beamed at his Chosen Child. “Great! I’ll be able to help!”

        A terrible rumbling tore through the air, building into a roar that nearly deafened the Chosen. The sound came from all around the Chosen, forcing them to cover their ears even as they scrambled to their feet. Strong arms that ended in claws tore away the trees that had kept the group hidden, splitting the trunks in half or outright ripping the trees out of the ground by the roots. A small army of Tyranomon surrounded them, each wearing an Evil Ring around their neck.

        “Spotted!” Takeru shouted as he whipped out his Digivice. “Patamon!”

        Patamon nodded, and moments later, he transformed once more into Pegasmon. He leapt into the air and spread his wings to unleash a hail of stars towards the enemy Digimon. “Shooting Star!”

        The attack fanned out in a wide arc, sending a number of Tyranomon stumbling as they literally had stars in their eyes. Tailmon charged forward to punch one of the red dinosaurs in the stomach while it was still off balance, knocking it down. She jumped up to kick the companion to its right in the head then used the Tyranomon as a springboard to take down a third. Once she landed, she barely spared a moment to glance back at the Chosen and pointed at the opening she created. “This way!”

        Hikari did not hesitate to do what her partner said to escape the dangerous pincer attack, Takeru following hot on her heels.

        “Daisuke!” V-mon said, clenching his fists.

        Daisuke caught the gist instantly and nodded to his partner. “Right.” He held his Digivice high. “Digimental Up!”

        Light engulfed V-mon, gently wrapping itself around him like a cocoon. It increased in size slowly as its glow increased and decreased in a regular pulsing rhythm. Abruptly, the cocoon burst into flames, revealing the new Armor Digimon that the Digimental of Courage created. The Digimon V-mon had become was almost two head sizes taller than Daisuke, but many of his features remained, though more mature looking. Red armor decorated with vibrant orange and yellow flames protected his sleek body. A sharp blade the size of a sword protruded  from the forehead of his helmet like a horn and metal claws each the size of butcher knives replaced his fingers and goes. “Fladramon!”

        For a long moment, Daisuke forgot where they were and the danger they were in, particularly since he was still surrounded by multiple Tyranomon. His attention was completely on Fladramon and the awe he felt towards his partner’s transformation. Slowly, his body began to tremble, as excitement completely swept him away. “Alright! You look _awesome_ V-mon, er, Fladramon!”

        Fladramon grinned, showing off his new sharp teeth. When he pumped his fist into the air, flames swirled around it, engulfing his entire arm. He lunged at the Tyranomon that dared to approach Daisuke while his partner was distracted, slamming his flaming fist into the dinosaur’s face. “Knuckle Fire!”

        “Daisuke!” Hikari shouted when she realized the other Chosen Child had not followed. “Come on! Hurry!”

        Daisuke jerked his head up at the sound of alarm in Hikari’s voice and noticed that more Tyranomon, dozens of them were coming from the supply depot, threatening to cut him off from his friends. He shouted her name as he ran towards her, only to stop short as a Tyranomon lashed out at him.

        “Fire Rocket!” An aura of fire surrounded Fladramon as he launched himself at the Tyranomon that went after Daisuke, knocking his opponent back into two of its companions. He looked back at Daisuke once he landed, smiling. “Don’t worry, Daisuke. I’ll protect you.”

        Briefly, Daisuke marveled at how _adult_ his partner sounded, and how much more like a superhero V-mon had become when transforming into Fladramon. He quickly shook himself out of his thoughts and flashed his partner a smile and a thumbs up as he raced after the other Chosen. “Thanks, V… Fladramon! You’re amazing!”

        Fladramon let out a pleased chuckle before launching another attack.

        The Chosen Digimon forced the Tyranomon back, allowing Daisuke to catch up with Hikari and Takeru as they fled in the opposite direction of the supply depot. Unfortunately, for every Tyranomon they knocked down, two more arrived to attack, with more coming. Whenever the Chosen Digimon managed to break one of the Evil Rings, other Tyranomon who were still under the Digimon Kaiser’s control seized them immediately, and dragged them back to the supply depot.

        Takeru glanced over his shoulder, grimacing as he watched a Tyranomon scream and struggle to free itself. A part of him raged, screaming at him to go back and save them, all of the Digimon, but he knew that they were hopelessly outmatched. The knowledge was like bile in his mouth, making his words sour when he spoke. “We need to put some distance between us.”

        A strange sound carried over the noise of battle, an electronic or mechanical series of tones that nearly sounded like a melody. The air seemed to ripple around them, creating a strange sensation that passed through the Chosen’s bodies. Abruptly, clothes the Chosen Children wore distorted, as though the data that created them was consumed by a massive glitch, covering their bodies in strangely colored bulky blocks that blurred at the jagged edges. A second later, the strange phenomenon disappeared, leaving them wearing the strange outfits that replaced their normal clothes – the off-white dress for Hikari, Takeru’s black leather clothes, and Daisuke’s flaming bomber ensemble.

        For a moment, the Chosen Children could only gawk at themselves, completely taken aback. Daisuke was the first person who managed to speak. “Alright!” He tugged at his jacket. “I’ve got my awesome clothes back!” He paused briefly, reaching up to find, much to his surprise, that the goggles Hikari gave him had not returned, but instead the pair he received from Taichi remained resting atop his head.

        Hikari looked down at herself then her companions, unnerved by the sudden transformation. “What just happened?”

        Neither Takeru nor Daisuke had time to answer, as an unpleasantly familiar condescending voice spoke first.

        “My, my, what do we have here? Rats, scurrying under my feet?”

        The Chosen whirled about to stare as a Dark Tyranomon loomed over them. Not only did it appear without warning, but also none other than the Digimon Kaiser stood on its head, sneering down at him. The caped boy cocked his head back, his arms folded over his chest, as a wicked smirk played across his face that oozed with arrogance.

        Daisuke jerked and scrambled back a few steps from the giant black dinosaur Digimon, which stood far too close for their comfort. “You! _?_ ” Despite his shock, he recovered quickly enough to grit his teeth and glare at the Digimon Kaiser as he thrust a finger towards the tyrant. “We’re ready for you this time, Tiny Tower!”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s cheek twitched, curling his mouth faintly upward almost in a sneer. “ _Digimon. Kaiser_.” His expression smoothed out as his smug air returned. “But I’m not surprised you can’t even remember something as simple as _two words_ if you think _running_ from me is the same as being ‘ready.’”

        An angry flush came to Daisuke’s cheeks as he clenched his fists. “Who’s running?” He performed a mock punch in the Digimon Kaiser’s direction. “We’re just falling back to a better position to kick your butt!”

        “Falling on your backsides, you mean,” the Digimon Kaiser said, condescension dripping from every word. “Why don’t you go home, before I order my Tyranomon not to miss this time?”

        The glare Takeru gave the Digimon Kaiser could burn through steel. “If you think we’re going to let you do whatever you like, you’re out of your mind!”

        The memory of the injustices they saw at the quarry was still fresh in Hikari’s mind, made even more vivid by the Digimon Kaiser’s presence. “Why are you doing all this? Why are you enslaving all the Digimon in the Digital World?” Her eyes burned with the promise of tears that she forced back. “Why are you _hurting_ them like this?”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s eyes passed over Hikari, settling instead on Takeru. “ _Let_ me?” He paused to chuckle. “You think you can stop me, just because you broke a couple Dark Towers and let a few of my slaves run screaming into the night? Just how _difficult_ do you think it was for me to capture them in the first place?”

        Daisuke snorted. “Harder than it was for us to set them free, I’ll bet! They’re gonna be even harder to find now.”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s smile widened faintly as he raised his black Digivice into the air. “As for the Dark Towers…”

        The ambient light from the sky disappeared where it touched the Dark Digivice, as the shadows itself seemed to pour out from the screen, nearly surrounding the Digimon Kaiser. He directed the darkness at a point off in the distance, which the Chosen Children could not help but follow with their eyes. The darkness struck the top of an empty hill before surging upwards with the roar of a tsunami, expanding and growing until it solidified into the shape of a Dark Tower. For a brief moment, strange circular characters appeared on the surface, illuminated by the glow of a color that the children could not readily identify, but it disappeared before they could make out anything.

        The Digimon Kaiser’s amusement grew as he took in the shocked expressions on the Chosen Children’s faces. “They’re even _easier_ to replace.”

        The sound of water made Hikari shudder deep down at her very core. Something about witnessing the creation of the Dark Tower terrified her enough that she was unable to suppress tremors that ran through her body. It was difficult for her to look away from the source of her strange fear, but somehow she managed to turn her gaze towards the Digimon Kaiser. “ _Why?_ Why are you doing this _?_! You’re one of us!”

        The Digimon Kaiser did not so much as glance Hikari’s way.

        Daisuke felt his ire grow, but he bit back the insult that hovered at the tip of his tongue, as he noticed how distressed Hikari was. “Jerks like him don’t _need_ a reason, Hikari-chan. I’ll bet just some bully who’s too weak to pick on anyone in the real world.”

        The crack of the Digimon Kaiser’s whip cut off anything else the Chosen intended to say. “Enough!” His smile became more teeth than lip. “If you want to play, then so be it.” He snapped his fingers, which invoked a terrible roar from the Dark Tyranomon, which was answered by the army of Tyranomon, creating a monstrous chorus so loud that it hurt the Chosen to hear it.

        Tailmon’s ears flattened from both the noise and her anger. She growled as her tail lashed behind her as sharp as a whip a second before she lunged forward, slamming her fist into the chest of the nearest Tyranomon and sending it flying in to the ones assembled behind it. “Cat Punch!”

        “Knuckle Fire!” Fladramon followed the cat Digimon’s lead, ramming his fist in to the Tyranomon’s chin and causing it to fall backwards like a toppling tree.

        Pegasmon spread his wings and rained stars down upon a pair of nearby Tyranomon, knocking them back. “Shooting Star!”

        Daisuke pumped his fists above his head and let out a mighty whoop. “Yeah, Fladramon! Kick their butts!” He jumped up with another cheer as he watched his partner knock down another Tyranomon.

        However, Daisuke’s celebrating was cut short as the nearly deafening snap of leather beside his left ear made him jerk back instinctively. He registered the sharp pain that drew a line across the edge of his ear a moment later as he stumbled back to keep himself from falling from his awkward landing. “What the heck _?_!” He covered his sore ear with both hands and quickly caught sight of the Digimon Kaiser’s smirking face. The Dark Tyranomon loomed dangerously close to Daisuke, head bowed so that he and the young tyrant stood barely a meter apart from one another.

        “Now then…,” the Digimon Kaiser said, drawing the words out in a near purr. “I believe we have unfinished business.”

        Daisuke refused to be intimidated and lowered his hands, curling them into fists as he shifted into a defensive posture. “You wanna take me on? Fine! Get down here and ditch the whip and let’s see what you got!”

        The Digimon Kaiser twirled his whip leisurely as he smirked down at Daisuke. “I assure you, even if I disposed of the whip, it would not be enough of a handicap to save you.”

        Daisuke scoffed and swiped his thumb across his nose as he flashed a cocky grin. “Hah! Yeah right! Without your stupid whip or all your mind controlled puppets, I’ll bet you can’t even touch me.”

        The Digimon Kaiser stopped spinning his whip and held it tight between his hands. “As if I’d want to touch you. Even with my gloves, I’d have to wash my hands.”

        Daisuke barked out a laugh. “The great Digimon Kaiser can’t even stand to get his hands dirty? I knew it!”

        “Daisuke!” Hikari shouted when she noticed Daisuke conversing with the Digimon Kaiser. “Don’t provoke him!” She tried to run over to her friend, but sometime during the battle, the Tyranomon had moved in to cut her and Takeru off from Daisuke.

        Daisuke spared a brief glance in Hikari’s direction. For a moment, the sight of the Tyranomon separating them made his pulse quicken with fear. However, he managed to recover quickly when he noticed that Fladramon was still fighting close by. He knew that with his partner by his side, the Tyranomon would never touch him. “Don’t worry, Hikari-chan! Tiny Tower is nothing but hot air if you get him on his own without his stupid whip. I’m not scared of _him_.”

        The Digimon Kaiser pulled his whip tight enough to make the leather creak with strain. “Be quiet, _insect_ , or I’ll _teach_ you fear.”

        Daisuke flapped his fingers in an exaggerated pantomime of talking. “Blah, blah, blah. All I hear is some whining and big talk, but no _action_.” He paused to lean forward slightly, leering at the Digimon Kaiser. “What are you, _scared?_ ”

        The sharp snap of the whip punctuated the Digimon Kaiser’s answer as he lashed out at Daisuke. The goggle boy was ready for the attack this time and jumped backwards. Instead of lashing his leg, the tip of the whip tore into the earth where the Chosen Child once stood, leaving a scar behind in the ground. “Silence, you… _insect_!”

        In spite of the near miss, Daisuke failed to feel intimidated. “What’s wrong? Can’t hit a moving target?” He snorted as he took a deliberate step backward. “Can’t reach me now, can you? So why don’t you drop the whip and fight me fa–”

        “ _Knuckle Fire!_ ” The attack came quickly, from behind the distracted Digimon Kaiser. Fladramon dove past the other Tyranomon, bounding up the Dark Tyranomon’s back before striking at his skull – _inches_ away from the Digimon Kaiser. The Digimon Kaiser jerked back with a yelp, leaping back to avoid the biting flames. Unfortunately, there was nothing but air to greet him. With a startled cry, the tyrant fell to the ground from his lofty perch as the Dark Tyranomon howled in pain.

        The Digimon Kaiser recovered quickly enough, flipping about so that he landed on his feet when he hit the ground, kicking up dirt upon impact. The human child wobbled slightly before he fell backwards on to his rump, sprawled on the ground. He was silent, save for his harsh breath as he stared up at Fladramon as the armored Digimon continued his attack on the Dark Tyranomon.

        The sudden attack caught even Daisuke by surprise, but he recovered quickly as he saw the Digimon Kaiser sprawl to the ground without anything resembling grace. He burst out laughing and pointed at the fallen dictator. “Oh man, Fladramon got you good! You should see the look on your face!”

        The Digimon Kaiser did not reply as he stared at Fladramon, watching the Digimon flip away from his opponent and land near Daisuke. The tyrant trembled slightly, curling his fingers so that his fingertips clawed at the ground. “Get… out…”

        Daisuke’s smile broadened and he made an exaggerated gesture of cupping his ear as he leaned towards the Digimon Kaiser. “Eh? What’s that? You give up? You’re scared you’re gonna lose because you just saw how more awesome Fladramon is than all the Digimon you’ve captured?”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s jaw clenched, gritting his teeth until they hurt. “Get… _out_.”

        Daisuke leaned back with his hands on his hips. “Sure. Just as soon as you let all these Digimon go and tear down all those towers and factories and stuff.” He paused for a moment. “Oh, and you should probably change too. Those clothes are stupid looking, even for an evil king from another world.”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s entire body went rigid before he whirled to glare at Daisuke. Even with his glasses, his expression was one of absolute fury. He leapt to his feet as he pulled out his black Digivice, aiming it directly at Daisuke. “ _Get_ – _out!_ ”

        Daisuke barely had time to blink before a bolt of darkness shot out from the screen and struck him in the chest. A moment later, he was gone.

        “ _Daisuke!_ ” Fladramon’s agonized cry tore through the battlefield, but not much else was able to escape him before the Digimon Kaiser whipped about to unleash the darkness upon him as well. In an instant, the armored Digimon vanished from the Digital World.

        “Out, out, _out!_ ” the Digimon Kaiser shrieked, his voice rough to the point that it nearly cracked with a wavering pitch. He flashed his Digivice about, aiming it in all directions he thought a Chosen might have been, as if he were swatting at flies. “ _Get out of my Digital World!_ ”

        Streaks of darkness went wild in all directions. As it struck the Tyranomon, for a moment their bodies lost their light completely before a strange glint of an eerie light came from where the Evil Rings rested around their necks. An instant later, the darkness disappeared, leaving them completely untouched by the blind attack.

        Takeru ran in the opposite direction of the Digimon Kaiser, fighting back his instinct to join up with Hikari to protect her. The best thing they could do was separate, to give them both a fighting chance to escape. “Pegasmon–”

        The command Takeru had prepared for his partner died on his lips as he watched the darkness consume Pegasmon. His legs slowed, suddenly filled with lead. The sight brought him back to a horrible memory and suddenly he was eight years old again, on the mountaintop. Darkness surrounded him, save for a single brilliant pillar of light. Within that light was Angemon, smiling at him and reassuring him, even as his partner slowly dissolved and disappeared in to the darkness.

        The Chosen of Hope barely noticed when the darkness took him as well.

        “Hikari!” Tailmon raced towards her Chosen, maneuvering around the grasping arms of the confused Tyranomon with impressive nimbleness. “Get out of the way–” Despite her great speed and agility, not even she could avoid the darkness when it caught her and took her away in an instant.

        Hikari froze when she saw Tailmon disappear. Her heart lurched from watching her friends vanish one by one, yet despite her partner’s last words to her, she stopped running and drew out her Digivice. She was alone in the Digital World, surrounded by the strong Digimon that no longer acted of their own volition, without any of her friends to help her. Even if she could somehow manage to escape, she knew there was nothing she could do. The battle was lost. “Digital Gate Open!”

        Light took Hikari away from the Digital World only an instant before the darkness would have reached her.

* * *

        The return to the real world had been as rough as the first time the Digimon Kaiser ejected the Chosen Children from the Digital World. Those gathered around the computer had been ill prepared for it, which resulted in Daisuke crashing into both Taichi and Yamato when he appeared. The three had barely started to stand when Chibimon collided with the back of Daisuke’s head, sending the children back to the floor. Fortunately, because the group who had gone after the Digimentals had returned only a few minutes prior, they managed to drag the fallen boys out of the way before Patamon tumbled gracelessly from the computer screen, closely followed by Takeru then Tailmon. Hikari was the only one who came back standing on her own two feet.

        Daisuke grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head where Chibimon hit it. “That stupid Kaiser…” He clenched his fist tightly while glaring at the computer screen. “He did it to us again!”

        Koshiro helped Daisuke stand, though he kept his eyes on the visual feed from the supply depot. “I guess we should’ve expected him to try this again. I was hoping that he at least couldn’t do it to those of us with the new Digivices, but…” His words tapered off as he looked towards Takeru.

        Takeru remained on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. His face was pale, his eyes unseeing. He did not even seem to register that Koshiro had spoken to him. It took him a long moment to realize where he was and that everyone was looking his way with varying amounts of concern. He blinked and quickly shook his head before he turned to smile sheepishly at Koshiro. “What? I missed that.”

        “Takeru?” Yamato was by his brother’s side in an instant. “What’s wrong?”

        “N-nothing,” Takeru muttered. He hesitated before accepting his brother’s hand, who pulled the Chosen of Hope to his feet. “I’m fine.”

        Patamon hovered beside Takeru’s head. “I’m sorry, Takeru. If I had remembered let you ride me after I evolved, I could’ve gotten us out of there instead of getting caught trying to reach you.”

        Koshiro looked from Patamon to Chibimon before rubbing his chin, brows furrowed. “Hmm… It’s just like what happened with Palmon and Tentomon. Even when they were evolved into their armor modes, coming back here undid their evolution. It’s just like when V-mon changes back into Chibimon…”

        “I was Fladramon, but now I’m not,” Chibimon said, with a slight sulk in his voice as he crossed his arms.

        Daisuke smiled as he picked up Chibimon. “Hey, cheer up! If you were Fladramon when you got set back you would’ve been too big when you fell on top of me.” His grin widened. “Besides, you were _so cool_! You were punching out those t-rexes left and right and you probably made Tiny Tower wet his pants!” He felt pleased as he was rewarded by a cheerful laugh from his partner.

        Hikari turned a troubled gaze towards Chibimon. “Chibimon, you’ve got to be more careful. The Digimon Kaiser might be our enemy, but he’s still a human. If your attack hit him by mistake…” She was unable to continue that thought, but everyone present was able to fill in the rest for themselves, bringing a somber mood to the room.

        Chibimon giggled, savoring Daisuke’s praise a moment more before he paused and turned to look up at Hikari. “I don’t care.”

        Hikari jerked, surprised. “You what?”

        “I don’t care,” Chibimon said, his tone sounding surprisingly serious despite its high pitch. “Human or not, if he hurts Daisuke, I’ll hurt _him_.”

        “But you can’t!” Mimi said, horrified by Chibimon’s declaration and the uncaring way he said it. “Humans aren’t as strong as Digimon. If you attack him he… he might die!”

        “If Digimon die, they’ll be reborn,” Hikari said, her voice subdued. “Humans… humans can’t do that, Chibimon.”

        Taichi dusted himself off, his expression solemn. “Yeah. When we die it’s game over. For good.”

        Chibimon looked at each of the Chosen Children who spoke in turn before settling his gaze on Taichi with a snort. “Then he shouldn’t try to hurt Daisuke.”

        Daisuke frowned, troubled by the conversation. “Who said anything about killing anyone? We’re just going to beat up the bad guys until they give up, right?” His anxiety grew as he noticed the uneasy expressions on the others’ faces, as well as the fact that they seemed hesitant to answer. “Right?”

        “Daisuke…,” Hikari murmured. She tried to make herself say more, but the words would not come.

        Taichi rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly when Daisuke looked his way. “Yeah… that… It’s not like we _want_ that to… but sometimes…”

        Takeru glanced at the others, then sighed and turned to Daisuke. “It’s not always that simple. Some Digimon won’t stop, no matter what. And they’re willing to… go to great length to hurt others, both human _and_ Digimon alike.”

        Patamon landed on Takeru’s head, his expression grave. “Sometimes there’s just no other option. There are Digimon who can’t be reasoned with, who are so evil that their only hope to change is to be reborn and start all over again.”

        Daisuke resisted the urge to rub away the goose bumps that formed along his arms. “Reborn? You mean like… kind of like losing all the levels they got in a video game but they remember everything? They just gotta start from level one again, right?”

        Takeru looked away, his jaw clenching. This was not a conversation he wanted to have, even on a good day. He instead focused on the weight of Patamon on his head, and the reassurance it brought.

        “I guess it’s something like that,” Patamon said. “I’m not sure how it is for the Digimon who are reborn in the Village of Beginnings, but for me, it was… just going back to being an egg for a while. I still remembered everything, I remembered Takeru and all that we went through, and I evolved back to Child level after a little while.”

        Takeru clenched his fists almost painfully tight as he felt as though a lump was forming in his throat. He flinched when he felt someone touch his wrist and glanced up to see Hikari at his side. He could see the silent question hidden in her concerned eyes, but he forced his gaze away, saying nothing as he glared down at his feet as though they had done him some terrible wrong.

        Daisuke’s eyes widened as he outright gawked at Patamon. “Wait, you _died_?” He waited for Patamon to nod before he looked at the other Digimon. “Wait, so then… did anyone else…?” He shook his head briefly. “No, wait, never mind. That’s just… dying for Digimon isn’t so bad, right? I mean, it just set you back a little bit? It’s not like you’re not _you_ anymore, so it’s not like it’s forever even if we mess up and… I mean it’s not like one of us _kids_ died… or, wait, since we’re special ‘cause we’re Chosen Children or whatever, does that mean if we die we just go back to being babies too like them, or…”

        Mimi’s eyes shimmered with moisture, but somehow she managed to hold back her urge to cry. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore!” Her voice cracked at a high pitch, strained from intense emotion. “Can’t we please talk about something else? _Please?_ ”

        Daisuke flinched and looked away, muttering apologies that were too quiet to hear clearly.

        Chibimon frowned as he looked at Daisuke. He did not like how the conversation was upsetting his partner, not in the least. He turned to eye Mimi before looking directly at Hikari. “It doesn’t matter.”

        Koshiro shifted uncomfortably in place, unnerved by how Chibimon seemed more irritated than anything else by the conversation. “What doesn’t matter?”

        “Any of it,” Chibimon said. “About hurting and dying – it doesn’t matter.”

        “It doesn’t?” Jou repeated, as the words sounded foreign to him. “What…?”

        Sora frowned as she looked at Chibimon. She realized that he was young and had only recently hatched, but surely even a newborn could understand the desire not to harm others. “What are you saying, Chibimon?”

        “I’m saying I only care about Daisuke,” Chibimon said, his arms crossed. “Everyone’s always hurting him, and it’s up to me to protect him.”

        “Chibimon…,” Daisuke said softly as he looked at his partner.

        Taichi scratched the back of his head as he let out an uncomfortable hum that rumbled in his throat. “I can understand that. About a year ago when some punk picked a fight with me, Agumon bit his leg and chased him off.” A bittersweet smile drifted across his face before a frown erased it a second later. “But Agumon held back a _lot_ on that guy. It’s fine if you want to protect Daisuke from humans who are jerks too, just go easier on them than Digimon, alright? Daisuke isn’t the kind of guy who wants people getting killed over him.”

        Daisuke realized after a moment that Taichi was looking at him to answer and nodded a little too vigorously. “Yeah, I don’t want _anyone_ to die. Not even the bad guys.” Slowly, determination and an almost desperate idea set in and he clenched his fist close to his heart. “We’ll take down the Digimon Kaiser without killing him or any of the Digimon! I don’t care if it happened before; I won’t let it happen again!”

        Severe lines appeared on Chibimon’s face for a moment, turning his expression ugly. The expression was gone when he turned to Daisuke with much softer eyes, but the displeasure still lingered. “Okay, Daisuke.”

        Daisuke beamed at Chibimon. “Right, we can do it together!”

        Yamato looked at Daisuke and Chibimon before turning his attention back to Takeru. His little brother still looked pale and uneasy, and he was certain the conversation was not helping. “Takeru…”

        Takeru glanced up at his brother, though he did not lift his head. He smiled slightly, the expression not quite reaching his eyes. “I’m fine.”

        Yamato stared hard at his little brother, his disbelief of that statement clear in his blue eyes. Takeru’s smile crumbled and fell under that look. The Chosen of Hope lowered his gaze back towards his feet, saying nothing more.

        Taichi furrowed his brow as he looked around at the gloomy expressions on his friends’ faces. He nodded after coming to a decision and clapped his hands once to get everyone’s attention. “Alright! Who wants to go out for burgers? My treat!”

        Yamato paused at the sudden change of topic, regarding Taichi briefly before a smile slowly grew across his face. “I guess I can help share the burden. Leave it to the senpai, right?”

        “W-wait, if you put it like _that_ ,” Jou said as he adjusted his glasses. “I’m the senpai!”

        Taichi grinned and clasped Jou’s shoulder. “Alright, alright, it’ll be _Jou’s_ treat then.”

        “E-er, what?” Jou paused at that, his glasses sliding down his nose as he realized what was happening. “I-I–”

        Sora giggled. “How about we just pool our money instead? I mean, don’t forget we have some Digimon with hearty appetites~!”

        Tailmon chuckled. “Including a particularly young one.”

        “I’m only hungry if Daisuke’s hungry!” Chibimon said as he hopped up to hang off his Chosen’s arm.

        Daisuke laughed as he flashed a wide grin. “Hey, I’m _always_ hungry! Let’s go stuff ourselves silly, Chibimon!”

        “Okay~!” Chibimon said, with a bright smile.

        Hikari felt relieved that the tension had mostly dissipated from the conversation, even if she still felt uneasy about the things Chibimon said. He was still young, she reminded herself, having hatched only a few days ago. Hopefully, he would better understand the value of life over time. What troubled her more was the fact that Takeru still avoided looking at anyone. She could guess what he was dwelling on, and she was certain that the only reason Patamon had not noticed was because the Child Digimon was on top of Takeru’s head and thus unable to see the Chosen of Hope’s expression. She felt compelled to say something to Takeru, but she was not sure of exactly what, particularly since she doubted he wanted her to draw everyone’s attention to it. Perhaps she would be able to think of something by the time they next had the opportunity to be alone together.

* * *

        Daisuke readjusted the duffle bag slung over his shoulder as he walked briskly from the soccer field to the boys’ locker room, still wearing his soccer uniform. He hummed a jaunty tune, the opening to one of his favorite anime, with Chibimon softly humming along. He was in a great mood that morning. Not only was he still riding the high from hanging out with his new friends yesterday afternoon, but that morning he made ten goals at practice, got praised by the coach, _and_ managed to put one over on Jun. Next time maybe she would think twice about sprinkling salt into his milk, or having a glass of milk of her own that he could switch when her back was turned.

        A boy in a Pokémon t-shirt suddenly cut off Daisuke just as the Chosen Child was nearing the corner of the building. “Hey!” the boy said, arms stretched out at his sides to block Daisuke’s path. “Hold on a second!”

        Daisuke instinctively hopped back a step so that he would not be within arm’s reach of the other boy, his cheer instantly replaced with wariness. “Yeah, what is it?”

        The boy pointed behind Daisuke. “You dropped something back there.”

        Daisuke frowned before sparing a glance at his duffle bag. He had made it a policy to keep the bag partially open at all times so Chibimon could breathe, but he doubted something could have fallen out without the Digimon noticing. “Dropped what?”

        The boy shrugged, his expression nonchalant. “I dunno, Man. They looked small and shiny. Maybe keys?”

        Daisuke felt his insides clench at the idea of losing his key ring. Jun would make his life miserable without his keys – or rather, she would make it even _more_ miserable than she usually did. “Where did you see them drop?”

        The boy gestured towards the school building. “Back there near the wall. They were flying pretty far with how you were swinging that bag of yours around.”

        Chibimon narrowed his eyes as he listened to the other boy, and then reached over to poke Daisuke in the leg through the duffle bag. The Digimon smelled a _rat_ , especially since he had the keys right with him in the bag.

        For a moment, Daisuke hesitated, not quite trusting this boy whose name he failed to remember. He thought this kid was in his class, but he was far from certain about that guess. He noticed Chibimon poke at him, but the gesture was too vague for him to figure out what his partner was trying to tell him. Was it a signal that the boy was being truthful or not? He wanted to look in his bag to be sure, but held back the urge while the boy was still watching him while standing a little too close for comfort. Ultimately, he decided that he could not risk losing his keys and walked back in the direction the boy indicated, keeping his guard up some sort of setup. “Okay, _where_ exactly?”

        “Further back,” the boy said while making a vague gesture. “Go stand next to the third window. That’s where it is.”

        Daisuke glanced around then eyed the window in question, half expecting to see someone standing on the other side watching him, ready to pull some sort of dirty prank. He saw the inside of the library with thankfully no one inside, and it did not appear as though anyone was nearby aside from him, Chibimon, and the boy in the Pokémon shirt. Satisfied that no one was sneaking up on him, he focused on the ground, searching for any glint of metal or something less than wholesome the boy might have been directing him towards, like dog poop perhaps. “Around here?”

        The boy shifted his attention between Daisuke and some point towards the sky. “Yeah, that looks like the spot. Just keep looking. I’m sure you’ll get it any minute now.”

        The sudden piercing shout of a girl’s voice caused Daisuke to jerk. “Hold it right there!” Someone unleashed a loud curse at the same time he realized the commotion was coming from somewhere above him. He snapped his head upward just in time to see something speeding down towards his face.

        Before either Daisuke or Chibimon could react, someone with a strong grip suddenly roughly pulled the goggle boy to the side. At the same moment, Daisuke felt more than saw something fly past his face with lightning speed, only to be caught right in front of him. He realized that the object was a bucket dangling in someone else’s hand, still mostly full with water. For a shaky moment, all he could do was stare, as the bucket was swung around to splash the boy in the Pokémon shirt, who shrieked due to the cold water.

        “Hey!” the boy shouted. “What’s the big idea _?_!”

        The newcomer did not reply, instead focusing his narrowed chocolate brown eyes on the boy in the Pokémon shirt with surprising intensity. He was about Daisuke’s age with neatly trimmed short brown hair. Bizarrely enough, in Daisuke’s opinion, the boy who caught the bucket wore the school’s uniform, which somehow seemed to fit the grim expression and rigid demeanor he possessed. He released his grip on Daisuke’s arm, but still held the empty bucket tightly at his side.

        It took Daisuke a moment to recall that the boy in the uniform was someone from his class, as wearing a uniform that was optional was too strange _not_ to notice, though the name of his savior escaped him. It was hardly important, however, as he focused more on the bucket that would have collided with his head, had his classmate had arrived just a second later. His eyes instinctively traveled up to the open window and a few seconds later, he realized that he had been standing beneath his homeroom. He saw no one in any of the open windows from his vantage point, but he did not expect the culprits behind this incident to stick around.

        Slowly, the blood returned to Daisuke’s face, his pale features growing flushed with anger as he rounded on the boy in the Pokémon shirt. “What the hell! You tried to crack my skull open!”

        “No I didn’t!” the boy in the soaking wet Pokémon shirt shouted as he held up his hands. He stumbled back a step before running away at full speed towards the entrance of the school. “I had nothing to do with this!”

        The boy in the uniform watched the other boy flee, his stern expression never changing until the soaked boy disappeared back into the building. After a moment, he turned to Daisuke. “He will be disciplined, so don’t trouble yourself over this.”

        Daisuke had to do a double take at the boy who saved him. He had never heard anyone his age talk in such a formal manner. Between the other boy’s speech and the uniform, if Daisuke had not been certain that they were in the same class, he would have pegged the other boy as someone much older, perhaps a teenager who got lost on the way to the high school. Although, he supposed the fact that they were around the same height and the other boy had a youthful face despite the hard lines marring it would have been a tipoff about his true age as well. It just made the situation feel all the more surreal. “I guess?”

        The boy in the uniform looked Daisuke over with a critical eye before he nodded. A ghost of a smile appeared, one that did not quite belong on such a serious face. “Good, you’re unharmed. I’ll escort you to your classroom and explain the situation to your teacher.”

        “Uh… thanks,” Daisuke said slowly. He still felt disoriented from both the close call and the boy who rescued him. It was all so bizarre that he wondered if he was really in front of his portable television and some late night art film was permeating his dreams. It would explain why Jun fell for her own lame trick…

        Daisuke shook his head to clear away such an absurd notion and tried to get his mind on the present. “I mean, thank you… For saving my life I mean.” He forced out a humorless chuckle. “Man, if you weren’t passing by…” His eyes drifted towards the empty bucket as a feeling of nausea crawled its way up his throat.

        The stranger’s smile disappeared and his jaw clenched. “It’s inexcusable.”

        The cry of a girl’s voice – the same voice that had shouted only minutes ago – drew the boys’ attention towards the building. “Hey!” A second later, Miyako appeared from around the corner, breathing heavily with her cell phone in hand. “How bad is the damage?” She slowed to a stop when she got a good look at Daisuke and the boy in the uniform before she let out a quiet huff. “Eh? You mean I practically fell down the stairs getting here for nothing? I was just about to call an ambulance!”

        The stoic boy suddenly held the empty bucket out towards the girl, his expression once again calm as the tension eased from his jaw. “Good morning, Miyako.”

        “Thanks, Iori,” Miyako muttered as she took the bucket. “Next time, shout up at the window that you’ve got everything under control. I wouldn’t have wasted my time running out here if I knew Motomiya’s brains weren’t splattered all over the sidewalk.”

        Daisuke felt his temper break with an audible snap. “Waste your time _?_! Nothing _?_! That wasn’t _nothing_! Those jerks nearly _killed_ me!”

        “And Iori saved you,” Miyako said calmly. “I know it’s shocking at first, but you really should get used to it, Motomiya, or you’re going to have a hard time getting anything accomplished.”

        Daisuke outright gawked at Miyako. “ _What?_!”

        “You know,” Miyako said before dropping her voice low. “The whole needing to have your life saved by someone else. You better get used to it since it’s going to be happening pretty often.”

        Daisuke could hardly believe what he was hearing. He was so taken aback that he could not think of a single thing to say in response.

        Miyako glanced around to verify that there was no one else within earshot. “Anyway, we can talk about it some other time. Here isn’t a good place for any sort of private conversation. Especially because of that reputation of yours.”

        “If you wish to catch Akashi for his involvement, you’d best hurry,” Iori said, cutting in to the conversation. “He ran towards his classroom, and should still be quite _wet_ with guilt.”

        Miyako flashed Iori a rather vicious looking smile. “Trust me. _No one_ is going to get away from me.”

        Iori was silent as he watched Miyako race off. Once the girl had disappeared into the building, the young man turned to Daisuke. “Please don’t misunderstand, no one is blaming you for this. Whatever your ‘reputation’, no one has the right to harm you. The weak and cowardly simply go after targets they feel are safe. They believe they will not be punished for targeting you – they are _mistaken_.”

        Daisuke managed a nod once he regained his wits, though he did not truly believe it. “Thanks,” he muttered, trying not to let his lingering irritation for Miyako show in his voice and failing.

        Iori looked at Daisuke for several moments before his eyes widened slightly. “Ah, how rude of me. I did not properly introduce myself,” He straightened up, placing his arms to his sides before bowing slightly. “I am Hida, Iori Hida.”

        Daisuke bobbed his head in an awkward almost bow. “Daisuke Motomiya. We’re in the same class, right?”

        “Yes, we are,” Iori said as he straightened up. “I was on my way to our class when I noticed… what was happening.”

        Daisuke anxiously ran his fingers through his hair and nearly pulled off the goggles Taichi gave him by accident. He readjusted the goggles as he tried to focus on something, anything else besides his anger towards the other boys and Miyako or the near concussion. “Yeah, well, it happens.” _A lot._ “I’m pretty much used to it by now.” _Though no one’s ever tried to crush my head before…_ “So, uh, thanks, but be careful or they might start pulling… stuff… on you.” He worried then about Hikari, Takeru, and even Chibimon. If the pranks on him had escalated to this point, then what if…

        A shudder ran through Daisuke and he let that thought go unfinished, discarding it altogether. “Anyway, I’ve got to get changed for class, so…”

        Iori shook his head. “Don’t concern yourself over that. I’m not afraid of cowards, and they’d find me a poorly chosen target,” He turned back towards the building, his eyes sharp for anything out of the ordinary. “Let’s go. I believe it’d be best if I went with you, in case any teachers come to the wrong conclusion.”

        Normally, Daisuke would have been suspicious of a classmate’s sudden interest in him, but given the circumstances, he felt relieved instead. “Okay, if you don’t mind then I don’t mind the company.”

        Iori nodded before he proceeded to walk into the school building, mindful to stay by Daisuke’s side. He held the door for the other boy before the two walked down the hall, making their way towards the locker room. Along the way, a teacher spotted them – or rather, seemed to spot Daisuke.

        “Motomiya!” the teacher said, with a voice sharp and sudden enough to remind Daisuke of when the Digimon Kaiser’s whip struck the goggle boy’s ear. The teacher was far more intimidating than the childish tyrant,  well over twice Daisuke’s side and nearly twice as wide, being built from as much fat as muscle.

        Daisuke cringed instinctively, both from the shout and because he knew what was coming. He was in no mood for this, but that never mattered – everyone at school except for a few rare exceptions cared how he felt. All he could do was just swallow his anger and wait for whatever lecture the teacher had for him to be over.

        The teacher reached Daisuke in a few quick strides, looming over the boy with a scowl of disapproval. “Just what are you up to this time?”

        “Nothing, Sir,” Daisuke said, the response as automatic as his urge to keep his eyes on the floor.

        “Nothing, huh?” The instructor’s expression was of suspicion. “And just are you doing with–” He stopped short when he finally noticed Iori, his expression shifting from irritation to confusion. “You’re with Hida.”

        Iori gave a slight but respectful bow. “Good morning, Mr. Fujimoto.”

        The teacher, Fujimoto, recovered quickly, returning his suspicious gaze to Daisuke. “Get to class. If you’re late, you’ll be holding buckets in the hall.”

        Daisuke flinched and fought the urge to mention what had happened, knowing that it would be useless. Instead, he tried to be discreet as he inched his way around Fujimoto. “I will, but I need to get changed first.” When the teacher stepped to the side to remain in his path, he tried to give the man his most innocent smile. “The bell hasn’t rung yet so I’ve still got time.”

        “We are on our way,” Iori said as he straightened up. “We are simply heading to the locker room so that my classmate may change. There was an incident, and I am making certain that Daisuke is not harassed further.”

        Fujimoto’s eyes narrowed. “Incident? _What_ incident? Who have you been harassing, Motomiya? What sort of trouble are you getting in to _now_ –”

        Iori stepped between Daisuke and Fujimoto, locking gazes with the man. His brown eyes were hard and unforgiving, his face a mask of stern disapproval. Such a harsh expression seemed completely out of place on an elementary school student, more fitting on someone much older and with more authority. Still, the expression was enough to catch the teacher completely off-guard.

        Small beads of sweat appeared on Fujimoto’s brow as he and Iori stared each other down for nearly a minute. The boy’s gaze did not waiver even to blink, boring in to him like a knife. After a few more moments, the instructor coughed and looked away. “Anyway, hurry up.” With that, he bid a hasty retreat, disappearing down the hallway as Iori’s eyes followed him with laser-point accuracy.

        Daisuke stared after the retreating teacher, dumbfounded. “Whoa… I never saw _anyone_ stare down Mr. Fujimoto before.”

        Iori did not relax, maintaining his rigid, disapproving posture, even after Fujimoto disappeared around the corner. “I do not approve of figures of authority speaking so carelessly.”

        “You’ve probably haven’t been going here long then,” Daisuke said lightly, only half teasing.

        “I have,” Iori said. “I simply haven’t been in a position to see their impropriety before.”

        Daisuke stared blankly at Iori. “Impowhata?”

        Finally, Iori seemed to relax his stance faintly, and turned to look Daisuke with softer eyes. “Inappropriate behavior, given his status.”

        “Oh,” Daisuke said before shaking his head. “Yeah, well, that’s what they say about me I guess.” He shrugged then paused as he realized they reached the locker room. “Anyway, thanks for the escort, and the rescue. I owe you one.”

        The corner of Iori’s mouth tugged upward in a faint but genuine smile that managed to dispel just a little of that mature aura he wore. “You are most welcome. I will go to our teacher and inform him of the situation. Assuming that Miyako hasn’t done so already, of course.” He bowed to Daisuke, a little more deeply than before, then turned and proceeded down the hallway, leaving the goggle boy at the locker room.

        Chibimon waited until the boy was gone before he poked his head out, ears drooping. “I’m sorry, Daisuke. I should’ve protected you better. I knew he was lying and I couldn’t tell you.”

        Daisuke stepped into the locker room quickly before anyone saw Chibimon. To his relief it was empty, which allowed him to rub his partner’s head without fear of getting caught. “Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered. “It happened way too fast for me to realize what happened until it was all over too. Maybe we should figure out some sort of signal, like, uh… one poke means yes, two means no, and more than that means emergency or whatever?”

        “Okay, Daisuke!” Chibimon nodded sharply, his expression determined. He stopped and watched as his Chosen hurried to change clothes before the bell rang. With Daisuke distracted, Chibimon turned his gaze towards the door to the locker room and _glowered_. While he was thankful for Iori, he could not forget that the boy only had to step in because _Chibimon_ had failed to protect Daisuke.

        The entire incident only served to convince the Digimon that he needed to step up his game, to do even _more_ to protect Daisuke. It truly did seem like the whole world wanted to hurt his Chosen – the senpai, Jun, the Digimon Kaiser, bad Digimon, the school, and even random buckets. If Chibimon wanted to make sure that Daisuke stayed safe, he would need to be more vigilant, if not more _proactive_.

        Chibimon was going to make certain that Daisuke was safe, even if he had to hurt everyone in the whole world.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another injured Digimon brings with it a fresh crisis that is too much for the Chosen Children to handle on their own. The tension is only growing.  
> 
> 
> * * *

        School could not have ended soon enough for Koshiro. Normally he did not feel any urgent need to rush home, taking his time to consider his homework or to attend computer club meetings. Often he used the club to discreetly work on matters involving the Digital World. However, as trouble escalated in the Digital World, he felt the pressure on him increase. Out of all of the Chosen, he was the only one who understood programming language and could access aspects of the Digital World that were out of reach of his friends. This made it more important than ever for him to unlock the secrets of the Digimon Kaiser’s power, the Evil Rings, and the Dark Towers. The work he could do at the computer lab was trifling to what he could accomplish at home. Not to mention, he wanted to spend more time with Tentomon now that his partner was safely back at home.

        Despite how pressing it felt to Koshiro that he return to his computer as soon as possible, he made sure not to call attention to himself by moving too quickly. The last thing he needed was his peers or the teachers to grow curious about why he was in a rush. He was absolutely awful at making up excuses.

        However, a sudden email from Tentomon while Koshiro was changing into his outdoor shoes, made the Chosen of Knowledge forget all about pretending everything was normal. Koshiro crammed his feet into his shoes and took off at top speed, barely registering the shrieks of a couple of girls he almost collided with in his haste. He shouted an apology without bothering to look back.

        Tentomon had never been very good at being stealthy, so unlike the other Chosen Digimon, he did not try to watch over Koshiro at school. Instead, he was in charge of monitoring the Digital World and doing research of his own during school hours. He was to give a report of anything he found out once his partner came home so that they could brainstorm about it together.

        Unless there was an emergency.

        Koshiro was out of breath by the time he reached his apartment door, even though he took a brief rest inside the elevator as it went up. “I’m home!” he said automatically between pants after throwing open the door, his face flushed.

        “Oh, Koshiro?” Yoshie said, her curious voice floating from in the kitchen. “Home already?”

        Koshiro nodded, despite the fact that his mother could not see it, as he fumbled to get out of his shoes as fast as possible, yelping as he fell over in the process. He recovered quickly and kicked off his remaining shoe towards the front door before hurrying to his room. “Big emergency! Digital World!” He lacked the breath to explain in full sentences. He would have to give the details to his mother later, but right now he needed to get to his computer before it was too late.

        “Koshiro!” Tentomon was already facing the door before his Chosen even entered the bedroom, having heard the commotion from the entryway.

        Koshiro practically collapsed into his chair. “What’s going on? What’s the emergency?” He turned towards the monitor displaying the Digital Gate, seeing the answer for himself before Tentomon could reply.

        “I received a strange email moments ago,” Tentomon said. “It’s a distress call,” The insect Digimon turned to the screen, where an email was front and center for Koshiro to see. “‘Emergency. Critical Error.’” Tentomon then turned back to Koshiro, fidgeting his front pincers anxiously. “See?”

        Koshiro glanced over the secondary computer monitor that displayed the email on the side of his desk before set to work tracking down its sender. “Critical error… Could it be…” He let the thought trail off with a shiver as he focused on his task. In less than a minute, he had the source located and brought it up on the main screen where the Digital Gate displayed the landscape of the Digital World.

        The monitor displayed a wasteland, the ground tinged grayish brown and virtually utterly barren as far as the eye could see. What little foliage present there appeared as though it was made of gears and wires. Sparse mechanical trees and bushes twitched not from the wind, but from clunky parts that only halfway functional, though whatever they were made to do escaped Koshiro. He would have spent more time pondering them if something else did not demand his attention. A brown robot Digimon, a Guardromon, lay sprawled across the ground, sparks spitting from the torn plating in its metal chassis, the ground beneath it stained dark with unknown fluids.

        For a moment, Koshiro could only stare, needing time to process what he saw. There was a strange sense of something almost like relief when he realized what the email meant – in his imagination he feared it was something more dire that affected the entirety of the Digital World. However, such a feeling was fleeting, as horror was quick to replace it when he realized that the Digimon on the screen before him was dying. “That Guardromon is in trouble! We’ve got to help it!” He swiftly out his Digivice and pointed it at the screen, acting less on a plan and more on instinct. “Digital Gate open!”

        Nothing changed. There was no flash of light or sudden pull to prelude the typical transportation between worlds. Koshiro smacked his forehead hard enough to leave a faint red mark. The sense of urgency that made him rush to act had obviously interfered with his ability to think clearly, which he found all the more annoying given what his crest was. He knew his Digivice had not evolved yet, even if it contained the Digimental of Friendship. He needed his friends’ help in order to get to the Digital World.

        Koshiro felt the urge to either slap himself again or curse but he forced both back. Sora, Taichi, and Yamato were still at school – he had just _been_ there. Any one of them could have taken him through the gate and he did not slow down to let them know about the emergency. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me today,” he muttered as he pulled out his D-Terminal. He hoped that by the time he sent an email to his friends and they arrived that it would not be too late for the Guardromon.

        Yoshie’s voice through the door made Koshiro jerk, his fingers fumbling across the keypad to turn part of his email into nonsense. “Koshiro? Your friends are here!”

        Koshiro fumbled to fix the typo then paused, blinking, as what his mother had said settled in. “Huh?”

        Koshiro swiveled around in his chair just in time to see his bedroom door open, revealing a rather disheveled Yamato, precariously clutching a school bag. The Chosen of Friendship’s face was flushed, his breathing labored. “Koshiro! What’s happened?”

        Taichi immediately followed suit, still rumpled from the long run from school. “Yeah, we saw you take off and tried shouting after you, but you didn’t answer us.”

        “E-excuse me!” Sora’s voice came from somewhere behind the boys, as she arrived only seconds after her friends. She paused in the doorway only briefly to give Yoshie a polite bow in greeting before she walked quickly in to the room where all the other Chosen were huddled. “I’m h-here! I had to stop and send an email first!”

        Koshiro blushed faintly. “Sorry, guys. I…” He paused and shook his head. “There’s no time for explanations right now. I need one of you to open the gate. We’ve got a Digimon in major trouble.” He slid away from his desk and pointed to the screen so that the others could see the Guardromon for themselves.

        “Got it!” shouted both Taichi and Yamato in virtually the same instant, as the two boys pulled out their Digivices. Thanks to their Digimentals, they both had evolved their Digivices to the new incarnation. Taichi’s was orange and white, while Yamato’s was icy blue and white. The two stopped, Digivices in hand, as they realized what they had done, and looked at each other awkwardly.

        Sora did not wait to see if the two boys were going to fight over who would open the gate and held her Digivice forward. “Digital Gate open!”

        In a flash of light, the five were transported into the wasteland near a crop of mechanical trees. Up close, the plants looked chipped and old with rust coating them, as though they required some sort of maintenance that had not been administered for a very long time. The air was thick with the hum of electronics and the clatter of gears moving, some smoothly while others clunked feebly along, creating more noise than any of the Chosen expected. It was disorienting for the children at first, but their confusion cleared up quickly when Tentomon called their attention.

        “Over here, Koshiro!” Tentomon said. “The Guardromon is this way!”

        Within minutes, the Chosen reached the Guardromon and the sight of it made them recoil to varying degrees. As bad as the machine Digimon had appeared on the other side of the Digital Gate, in person the damage was even worse. Rows of long gashes peeled apart the Digimon’s metal chassis in even strips, exposing frayed or cut wires and damaged circuitry. Sparks danced in erratic patterns inside its body, spitting some out to fall into the oil that pooled beneath the Digimon’s prone body. It was a wonder that the oil had not ignited already from the sparks, but perhaps even the properties of combustible fluids did not necessarily behave like in the Digital World like they did in the real world. The Guardromon’s visor was cracked with nothing but blackness underneath, leaving the children with no way of knowing if it was awake and suffering. The only thing that made them certain that it was still alive was the simple fact that it had not deleted to data yet.

        For a moment, the Chosen Children could only stare, taken aback by the damage and reconciling it with the fact that what they were seeing was grave injuries to a creature that was alive as any of them, rather than just a broken machine.

        Sora was the first to speak, though her voice came out in a choked whisper. “Is… is it…?” She hesitated to finish her question, but they all knew what she was going to say regardless.

        Koshiro approached the Guardromon to get a closer look at the fallen Digimon, only marginally relieved to see that there were no signs of data dissolving from the Digimon’s body yet or an Evil Ring controlling it. “Not yet, but unless we repair it right away, it’ll…” He did not want to finish that thought, and judging from the looks on the others’ faces, he could see they felt the same way. “We need to get it some help fast.”

        Taichi grimaced as he moved closer, hesitant to see the damage more clearly, but knowing they needed to. “Can’t you fix it?”

        Koshiro shook his head, his expression pained. “I wish I could, but my skills are in software, not hardware.”

        Yamato jerked his head towards Koshiro. “What? But… you made the D-Terminals!” He faltered before he could continue his thought, as he had to admit to himself that there was a vast difference between a living creature like a Digimon and the D-Terminal, but he knew that they had to do _something_.

        Koshiro’s eyes widened before he snapped his fingers. “That’s it!” He whipped out his D-Terminal and hastily set to work on a new email. “ _I_ can’t fix Guardromon, but I know who can!”

        Taichi blinked and scratched the side of his head. “Who?”

* * *

        “Miyako Inoe at your service,” Miyako said upon entering Koshiro’s apartment. She had changed out of her school uniform into a pair of navy overalls atop a somewhat worn yellow t-shirt. Her hair was tied back into a tight bun and she sported a pair of prescription goggles instead of her glasses. At her side, she carried a bulging, almost alarmingly tattered satchel marked with countless strips duct tape to patch obvious tears in the material. Every moment she made was heralded by the sound of countless metal pieces striking each other from within the bag, which was likely the reason why the bag was practically made more from duct tape than canvas at this point.

        Daisuke arrived not long before Miyako did, as well as the rest of the Chosen Children, thanks to the email Sora sent them when following Koshiro. He outright gawked at Miyako when the class representative arrived. “Inoe _?_! What the heck are _you_ doing here? And why are you dressed like a mechanic?”

        Miyako’s gaze passed over the bulk of the Chosen Children without reaction, as though they were not staring at her with varying amounts of surprise, until she focused on Koshiro. “Okay, where’s the patient?”

        “Hello, Miyako,” Takeru said, with a small smile. He understood the confusion the other Chosen Children felt. He had information they did not – a fact he felt rather guilty about. However, he never really found a good opportunity to bring it up, and clearly neither had Koshiro. Still, it was a bit pointless to worry about that now. “I know you made the D-Terminals, but do you really think you could help the Guardromon? I mean, he’s a machine… but he’s a _Digimon_ …”

        Miyako tilted her head back as she regarded Takeru. “If it’s a machine I can fix it. I’ve been taking stuff apart and putting it back together since I could crawl.”

        Koshiro smiled faintly, failing to hide the uncertainty he felt towards his decision, but it was too late to second-guess himself now. “We don’t know how much time the Guardromon has left, and I don’t know anyone else who might be able to help it in time.” He gestured towards his bedroom. “Guardromon is this way.”

        Miyako brushed past Koshiro and everyone else that stood between her and the bedroom. Jou stood by Guardromon with an expression of helpless frustration creating severe lines on his face as he stood over his patient. He had applied bandages, but they did little more than sop up the leaking oil. The rest of the Chosen Children had lingered outside the bedroom in order to give him space to work, as there was little they could do. Jou barely had time to acknowledge Miyako’s sudden entrance before she yanked him away from the prone Digimon and shoved him towards the door. “ _Out!_ I don’t need your static electricity ruining the circuitry!”

        Jou stumbled forward, arms pin wheeling at his sides. “W-whoa, yikes-!” Before he lost his balance completely, Yamato lashed out to snag one of his flailing arms, holding him steady until he stood solidly on his own two feet again. Heat flooded the eldest Chosen’s cheeks as he offered the blond a weak, but grateful smile, too embarrassed to remark on his near fall. He glanced over his shoulder at Miyako as he slipped his glasses back into their proper position from their previously precarious position at the end of his nose, but the girl had her back to him. “Ummm…”

        Miyako set her satchel on the floor, which created a loud clatter upon impact, and then turned a critical eye towards the small group of Chosen Digimon sitting perfectly motionless on Koshiro’s bed. “You too. _Out!_ ”

        “It’s okay, everyone,” Tentomon said, from his position on Koshiro’s pillow. “You do not need to hide, she is aware of Digimon.”

        Chibimon let out the breath he had been holding in a sigh as his entire body relaxed. He hated having to hold still, especially around someone who made him leery. A frowned appeared on his face as he appraised Miyako and her critical gaze. After a moment, he hopped off the bed and practically ran to Daisuke’s side, feeling more at ease when his Chosen Child picked him up. He did not know what was going on, but he was not particularly fond of Miyako, so he felt no need to talk to her. Then again, he never liked anyone who was harsh with Daisuke for no good reason – not that there was _ever_ a good reason.

        Tailmon and Palmon shared a glance before they exited the room without a word, with Tentomon taking up the rear.

        Taichi’s eyebrows shot up towards his hairline as he looked at Koshiro, who held his hands up almost defensively.

        “I was going to tell you guys,” Koshiro said with a nervous air about him, “but I just forgot. Honest.”

        Patamon fluttered down from his perch on Takeru’s head to join the other Digimon as the majority convened on the dining room table. “You’re lucky. I had to try and keep still while she gave me and Takeru a huge lecture.”

        Takeru laughed awkwardly. “No kidding.”

        Hikari turned to Takeru. “You knew about this too?”

        Daisuke still had not gotten over outright gawking at Miyako, unable to wrap his mind around her behavior, how cavalier she was about barking orders at what most people assumed to be stuffed dolls, then watching them obediently walk away without even the slightest change in her expression. The only reason why he was not running both of his hands through his hair at that moment was because he was still holding Chibimon. “Wait, wait, wait… You’re not surprised by _any_ of this?” He freed a hand make an exaggerated gesture towards his partner, then the rest of the Digimon, as though the class representative had somehow not gotten a good look at the tiny dragon, cat wearing accessories, flying hamster, walking plant, giant ladybug, and bulky sparking humanoid robot the first time.

        Miyako cocked an eyebrow at Daisuke, which pulled at her goggles slightly, before she turned to Koshiro. “ _No one_ is to open this door unless I start screaming like I’m dying or something like that, okay? And even then, _girls only!_ ” She did not wait for an answer, instead slamming the door shut, which caused everyone to flinch back instinctively. Daisuke yelped and took a step back as well, which was echoed by Chibimon, as the goggle boy had been standing directly in front of the door when it closed.

        Takeru paused for a moment as he looked at the door Miyako had just shut in their faces, and then turned to Hikari. “I only learned about it the other day, when she came to… _talk_ to me about my hiding Patamon in plain sight.” The Chosen of Hope had the good grace to look sheepish. “After that, we had that fight with the Kaiser and I guess my mind was… elsewhere.” His eyes drifted towards Patamon, but only for a second when he noticed that his partner was watching him.

        Yamato also observed Takeru out of the corner of his eye, trying not to let the tension he felt show in his expression. It was clear to him that something happened against the Digimon Kaiser had badly shaken Takeru, but he was at a loss as to what that was. Granted, he and the other Chosen who had been monitoring the Digital World from the computer had been distracted by the return of Sora’s group, and when the Digimon Kaiser attacked, Koshiro had to scramble to change the camera feed to keep up with Takeru’s group as they scattered and attempted to escape. However, as far as he had seen, nothing the Digimon Kaiser did during that ambush was anything worse than they had already seen, and no one in that group mentioned anything particularly alarming beyond what happened in the quarry, and the Chosen of Friendship was certain Takeru seemed more or less all right despite that battle.

        In spite of this knowledge, Yamato was certain something was wrong, and it was maddeningly frustrating. He attempted to broach the issue when he cornered Takeru near the bathroom earlier, where they would have relative privacy, but his little brother had blown him off. The dismissal was done with a smile and a reassurance that he was worrying too much, but he knew Takeru better than that. It made him acutely aware that the barrier built when their parents divorced was still holding strong between them, even after all this time and everything they had gone through together.

        “Please forgive Miyako’s behavior, everyone,” Koshiro said, raising his voice so that all his friends could hear him. “She’s a friend I met online, who I’ve been getting advice from about Digimon.” He looked to Takeru. “I knew she lived pretty close, and I met her a couple times in person, but I didn’t realize she would try and meet with the rest of you without asking me to set it up first. I would’ve told you about her sooner if I knew.”

        Sora frowned as she shifted uncomfortably. “Do you think she can… save the Guardromon?”

        Koshiro’s smile grew strained. “I don’t know,” he said, his voice soft. “I can’t think of anything else we can do to help it right now. It’s not as though we can use a Digimental on Guardromon and heal it with evolution like Palmon.”

        Mimi looked to the door then knelt down to scoop up Palmon and hugged her partner close to her chest. “Poor Guardromon…”

        Palmon returned the hug, gloomily. “I wonder what happened to him…”

        “The Digimon Kaiser,” Taichi said, his expression tight. “Who else _could_ it be?”

        Daisuke threw his arms up in the air and waved them around. “Hang on a second!” He paused when he realized that he accidentally swung Chibimon around and pulled his partner close with a quick apology before he returned his focus to the group, only briefly distracted from his outrage. “Since _when_ is _Inoe_ part of the group? Who gave _her_ a Digivice _?_!”

        Takeru blinked at that and turned to look at Daisuke. “I… don’t think she _has_ one?” He paused for a moment as he thought of who he was talking to, then turned to Koshiro with raised eyebrows. “…Does she?”

        Koshiro shook his head. “No, not at all. My online friends and I have been looking for the other Chosen Children since Ryo mentioned there were fifteen of us, especially after Daisuke showed up.”

        Yamato cocked his head in Koshiro’s direction. “So she’s not a Chosen, she’s just someone who’s helping us?” He let out a quiet grunt as he crossed his arms. “But there _are_ more Chosen out there… somewhere.”

        Koshiro nodded with an affirmative sound. “Miyako was one of the kids who helped us fight Diablomon with all those emails, remember?” He paused to let out a weary sigh at the memory. “After Diablomon pretty much exposed us, I had to change my username completely, even find a new email provider, and my friends and I have had to switch to private chat rooms. You wouldn’t believe how many kids out there are desperate to become a Chosen Child too. Not to mention all the spam I got from it…”

        Daisuke approached Koshiro, leaning in closer to Chosen of Knowledge until they were nearly nose to nose. “But she’s _not_ , right? You’re _sure_ Inoe isn’t one of us? You’re absolutely positive?”

        Koshiro instinctively leaned back, though there was little room for him to back away with all of the Chosen Children crowding his apartment’s living room. “Well… uh… _technically_ we don’t exactly _know_. We have no way of figuring out who’s a Chosen Child until they go to the Digital World. After all, we had no idea you were one until you accidentally came with us that first time.”

        Taichi rubbed the back of his neck as he cast a thoughtful gaze towards Koshiro’s bedroom. “It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to test it out.”

        “Yes it would!” Daisuke nearly shouted before clamping his mouth shut quickly. He had not meant to voice that thought aloud.

        Koshiro blinked at Daisuke before rubbed the back of his head, feeling an acute sense of awkwardness. “Actually… Miyako and some of the others online think it might be a good idea to just start trying to bring kids into the Digital World and see who actually can go.” His grimace made it clear how he felt towards the idea. “Though, I would prefer we figure out how to narrow down the search first, since there’s billions of children on the planet. Not to mention the Digimon Kaiser is going to be a problem…”

        Mimi pursed her lips as she let out a quiet hum. “Where do we even start? I can’t think of anyone who _wouldn’t_ want a Digimon of their own, and if they’re not Chosen, then we’re going to disappoint so many people…”

        Sora grimaced. “It’s probably not a good idea to let too many people know about us anyway.” She paused for a moment. “I mean… any _more_ people.”

        Takeru leaned back against the edge of the table and glanced at the Chosen Digimon. “It seems weird that we’d need to hide our Digimon when so many people know… not just because of Diablomon, but also _Vamdemon_ and _his_ little… escapades.” He paused for a moment when he noticed Tailmon grow tense at the same time a hint of sadness settled into Hikari’s expression, both changes in demeanor as faint as a ghost. “But it seems like most people just… tuned it out, like it was a hoax or a stunt of some kind? It seems like when you hear about it in the news anymore, there’s someone talking about some new explanation for it. And the people who actually _believe_ it…”

        Jou pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose with his index finger. “It’s just easier that we avoid that kind of attention.”

        Yamato chuckled awkwardly. “It _might_ cause problems if my band ever makes it big. Taichi and I were the ones that got our faces plastered on the Internet, even if it’s _Koshiro’s_ email they got access to. But then, I’ve only had a couple fans approach me about it… and only half actually ask about Digimon as if they were real. The other half act like it was a publicity stunt and ask me how it was done – like it was some kind of movie we streamed across the ‘net. So much for human denial, huh?”

        Koshiro rubbed his bangs away from his face. “Yeah, but you wouldn’t believe how many emails I got a day from people all over the world. It wasn’t just kids either, but there were _adults_ investigating. If my genius friend in America hadn’t been able to hack into their databases and erase our data…”

        “Then you’d probably still be deleting a thousand emails a day,” Taichi said. He flashed Yamato a grin. “Hey, your band sounds like it was useful after all.”

        “Hey, _thanks_ ,” Yamato said dryly, though he grinned back at Taichi. “Glad we could do something other than wake the neighbors.”

        “It’s not that,” Koshiro said quickly. “Yes, getting flooded with emails was hard on my computer, but there were _investigations_ about us.”

        Hikari jerked, staring at Koshiro with wide eyes. “Investigations?”

        Koshiro nodded, his expression grave. “Yeah. Government agencies and even private organizations, and who knows who else are interested in Digimon. My friend tried to track down as many as he could and give them false leads about who we are and where we live, but…” He nodded to Yamato. “As Yamato demonstrated, they know what he and Taichi look like. It’s unlikely that they’ll be able to find us with just that, especially since my friend gave them a lot of dead ends, and they don’t seem to be looking for us so hard anymore because there haven’t been any other incidents, but still…”

        Takeru stared at the Chosen of Knowledge for several moments as he tried to process what he was hearing. He had heard a lot about Koshiro’s online friends, but the latest information just seemed too impossible. The very idea that some kid on the Internet could lead _government agencies_ astray was just too unbelievable. It was like something out of a movie, not something that could actually _happen_. It was something that spies or terrorists did, not some kid who graduated college when others his age were in elementary school. If Koshiro believed it, it must have been true, but it begged the question - just who was this kid? “You… know some pretty scary people, Koshiro.”

        “Yes, Miyako is a very scary person,” Chibimon said, with a sage nod.

        Takeru paused at that and stared at the little dragon Digimon, then covered his mouth to stifle his chuckles, lest the girl hear him. “N-no, that’s not what I meant. I mean… this guy is a _kid_ , right? And he’s messing around with the _government_? That’s pretty… incredible.”

        Koshiro shifted uncomfortably. “I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true because, uh… well…” He looked away from the others as he rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks turning slightly pink. “He… kind of showed me how to do it too.”

        Taichi’s eyes widened as he outright gawked at Koshiro. “Wait, you mean you can hack into government computers now? For real?”

        Koshiro nodded, only able to glance briefly at his friends’ surprised faces. He knew that they would not judge him harshly for what he did, but it made him nervous to admit he was performing highly illegal activities. He was only glad his mother did not seem to be in earshot at the moment. “I’ve only done it twice – first to see if I could, and the second time to see if that giant egg Hikari summoned over the school was in their database.”

        Hikari felt tension creep into her body at the very thought that she might have inadvertently put them all in danger. “Was it…?” At seeing Koshiro shake his head, she held her chest and sighed out her tension.

        “Fortunately, it seems they haven’t linked that incident to us and Digimon,” Koshiro said. “So far, we haven’t done anything since Diablomon to bring their attention back towards us, so we should be safe.”

        “I guess that makes sense,” Yamato said. “It may be obvious to _us_ that there’s a connection, but no one else’d have any reason to think a giant floating egg would be in any way related to a giant orange dinosaur or a blue and white wolf.”

        “J-just the same, it sounds _really_ dangerous,” Jou said as he adjusted his glasses. “I-it should be done _sparingly_!”

        Takeru nodded and flashed Koshiro a grin. “Still, that’s really awesome! And it means we’ve got more options now.”

        Mimi’s expression was thoughtful as she looked towards the bedroom door. “Would it _really_ be bad if they found out? Isn’t the government supposed to protect us? Maybe they could help us somehow…”

        “No way!” Daisuke said in a near shout. “Don’t you watch movies? If the government found out about Digimon, they’d want to weaponize ‘em to use against other countries, or another country would want to enslave ‘em like the Digimon Kaiser did and conquer the world!” He paused, his eyes widening. “Holy crap, that’s probably what he’s doing! First the Digital World then Earth!”

        Koshiro rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know…”

        The bedroom door opened a crack. “You guys are too noisy!” Miyako shouted, her voice as sharp as thorns. “I need quiet to concentrate, and besides there’s a _patient_ in here with me you know.”

        Takeru jumped at the sound of Miyako’s voice and turned to her, feeling a bit guilty. While he had not said anything _bad_ about her, he still felt partially responsible. “Sorry.”

        “We’ll be more quiet,” Sora said softly. She cast an apologetic look towards the bedroom door despite the fact that she had not been among those talking, and Miyako would be unable to see her.

        A slip of paper slid out from the sliver of space between the bedroom door and frame. “Koshiro, I need more parts than what I brought along with me,” Miyako said, her voice calm. “Please bring me back what’s on this list. Thanks.”

        Koshiro stared at the list for a moment before he took it, flinching when she immediately slammed the door shut afterward. He blinked at the closed door, staring for a moment before he read the piece of paper, a frown slowly forming. “I guess it’s going to take a while for Miyako to finish the repairs.”

        Hikari looked towards Koshiro’s bedroom, disliking how helpless she felt at that moment. “So what do we do while we wait?”

        “I know!” Mimi said eagerly before snatching up the list from Koshiro’s hand. “We’ll all go shopping for that’s on the list! It’s better than just standing around here doing nothing, and I’m really great at shopping.”

        Taichi shared a grimace with Yamato. “Shopping?”

        Yamato glanced to Taichi. “I don’t think she knows what kind of store we’re talking about…”

        “No, that’s not it,” Taichi whispered in Yamato’s ear. “She’s talking about _shopping._   You know, shopping with _girls_.”

        “I know,” Yamato said, with a slight grin. “But I don’t think she realizes there’s a difference.”

        “Now let’s see…” Mimi said as she scanned the list. She hummed softly then tilted her head to the right, as she looked it over a second time. After a moment, she cocked her head to the left and tried again. Finally, turned the list upside-down before her eyes crossed and she let out out a perplexed sound. “What _is_ all this stuff?”

        Koshiro took the list back from Mimi with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I can buy everything myself. I should be back in an hour or so.”

        As Koshiro left to comply with Miyako’s demands, the rest of the Chosen stood about in his apartment, an awkward silence hovering over them. The atmosphere was heavy from the new information that weighted them all down. The very idea that the government had shown interest in them – it was nearly overwhelming for the Chosen Children. In a way, it made the days of dealing with psychotic puppets, badly singing egomaniacs, and huge demon vampires with inappropriately placed faces look like simpler times.

        The Chosen of Hope looked at the others as he stood in silence. While part of him thought Mimi had a point, most of him agreed that it was a bad idea. As fantastical as Daisuke’s fears sounded, they were probably very close to the truth. Digimon could be very dangerous – the Chosen Children knew this better than anyone. There was a good chance that the government would decide that Digimon were _too_ dangerous to have around, or worse – decide that _they_ wanted the Digimon for their own purposes. There was the very real possibility that the Digimon would be confiscated, turned into weapons for whatever war was in style at the time, or worst of all, experimented on.

        Takeru could lose Patamon _again_.

        Takeru snatched television remote from off the table and looked for something to chase such dark thoughts from his mind, though he did turn the volume down low so that it would not disturb Miyako. He noticed the curious looks the others sent his way and smiled sheepishly. “Hope you don’t mind.”

        “I don’t,” Daisuke said, “but Inoe will probably give us all one of her lectures or yell at us again.”

        “I’ll keep it down,” Takeru said, lightly. He flipped through the channels looking for something interesting when he stopped on a news station. “Hm?”

        The instant Daisuke caught sight of the television, he snatched the remote from Takeru’s hand. “Hold it! I wanna see this!” He turned the volume up louder than what was necessary, immediately forgetting about the fact that he just warned the other boy about Miyako’s reaction in favor of the news broadcast.

        A female reporter in her thirties was in front of a school that Takeru failed to recognize. The place looked rather fancy, as the reporter was in some sort of foyer with well-manicured grass and a large ornate fountain behind her. The only hint that the place was a school were the students wandering about in the background, each dressed in light gray uniforms accented with a school pin.

        One of the students stood with the reporter – a young man with shoulder-length and neatly trimmed lavender hair and gray eyes. The smile he gave the reporter was as charming, as though he was perfectly at ease being in front of the camera despite carrying a massive gold trophy that was at least half his height.

        They tuned into the program while the reporter was laughing, with the student quietly, almost modestly, laughed along with her, as though she and the boy standing beside her had just shared an amusing joke that the Chosen missed. “Well, be that as it may, winning this award at such a young age is simply astonishing. Do you think you’ll dedicate more time to this miracle program of yours?”

        The corner of the student’s mouth quirked upward as he let out a small chuckle. “Well, it’s certainly one possibility. I’m truly honored to win such an award, but as a full-time student, I can’t really say.”

        “Well,” the reporter said cheerfully, “I’ve heard that you’re captain of your school’s soccer team.” She paused for a moment, as though building up dramatic suspense. “Perhaps your coach would be willing to let you retire?”

        The student blinked at the reporter as his expression took on the air of innocent confusion. “Hm? Retire?”

        “Daisuke, Daisuke!” Chibimon said as he grabbed his Chosen’s arm. “That’s Ichijouji, right? Ken Ichijouji!”

        “Yeah, it is!” Daisuke shouted, unable to contain his excitement. However, a moment later a frown marred his features. “Wait, what? Retire? From _soccer?_! He can’t retire! I haven’t played a game against him yet!”

        Daisuke’s voice was so loud that the reporter’s words were barely audible to the Chosen in the room. “So that you can spend your time focusing on making more scientific marvels,” she said cheerfully.

        “That’s right, that’s right!” Chibimon said. “How can Ken Ichijouji retire before Daisuke’s beaten him at soccer!?”

        The student, Ken Ichijouji, chuckled politely. “Oh, I assure you, I wouldn’t _dream_ of retiring.”

        The reporter laughed lightly then leaned back to put a hand on her hip as she gave the boy an approving nod. “Well, I suppose your team _would_ be lost without you, but some people believe if you focus more time in computer science you might wind up winning a Nobel Prize one day.”

        Daisuke glared daggers into the reporter and freed a hand to shake a fist at the television.  “Stop trying to talk him into quitting!”

        Takeru stared at the news broadcast before turning to Daisuke, surprised by the other boy’s ire. “Just who is this guy–?”

        “Ken Ichijouji!” Chibimon said. “Daisuke’s _rival_!”

        Ken continued to smile as he shifted the weight of the trophy in his hands. “That may be so, but I’m afraid I simply cannot bring myself to abandon my responsibilities. I have yet to miss a game, and I do not intend to start.”

        Taichi laughed as he took in Daisuke’s intense expression. “You’re still obsessing about that guy?”

        Daisuke clenched his hand around the remote and nodded sharply as he continued to stare intently at the television. “Of course! They say he’s the best soccer player who ever lived, but I’m going to beat him someday!”

        “I suppose so,” the reporter said, “but I doubt anyone would hold it against you if you changed your mind.” She laughed lightly.

        Chibimon growled.  “Daisuke would!”

        “You better believe I would!” Daisuke shouted. “I’d hunt him down myself and keep going after him until he played a game with me!”

        The door to Koshiro’s bedroom opened slightly and from it came Miyako’s booming voice. “ _If you can’t keep quiet, then get out!_ ” Her harsh voice completely drowned out whatever else Ken and the reporter discussed. “I’m having enough trouble working with insufficient parts and a _critical_ time crunch without listening to Motomiya gushing on and on about his mancrush on Ichijouji!”

        Daisuke yelped and jumped, only to lose his balance and fall roughly onto the floor, dropping the remote in the process, which changed the channel to masked fighters battling against a rubber suit monster. His cheeks turned pink as he gawked towards the bedroom. “C-c-c-crush!? I-I don’t have a _crush_ on Ichijouji! I like Hi–” He practically bit his tongue when stopping himself, his eyes instinctively drifting towards Hikari before he forced himself to look away.

        Miyako let out a snort, with one lone, narrowed eye barely visible between the door and frame, which rolled with exasperation. “ _That_ crush isn’t exactly a secret _either_ , Motomiya. Either keep it in your pants and keep quiet or _leave_.” With that, the door slammed louder than ever.

        Daisuke’s face went from pink to bright red. He tried to come up with a retort, but all he could do was sputter.

        Hikari slowly removed her hands from her ears, as Miyako’s yelling had been too loud for her to tolerate. She looked at the door, feeling rather awkward. “Maybe we should go,” she said quietly. “There isn’t much we can do here anyway.”

        Chibimon glared daggers into the door, as though his gaze could somehow get through it to pierce Miyako. He grunted in frustration, knowing well enough that now was not the time to teach her a lesson, so instead he tugged on Daisuke’s shirt. “It’s okay, Daisuke!”

        “I think Hikari has a point,” Yamato said. “Much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think any of us can help them right now. We may as well go rest up and wait until we hear news – hopefully good news.”

        Mimi shifted in place as she looked around at her friends. “I guess… There isn’t anything for us to do just standing around here except talk.”

        Taichi exhaled deeply as he crossed his arms. “Yeah. It’s not like we can go after the next Digimentals right now anyway.”

        Takeru slowly looked around as the others began migrating towards the front door before his eyes settled on Daisuke. While he was still confused about this supposed ‘rival’ of Daisuke’s and why the other boy cared so much, he imagined that the mood for conversation was fairly dead. Miyako had seen to that, though he could not exactly blame her for getting angry. “I guess… all we can do is wait and hope.”

* * *

        The Kido apartment was quiet when Shin returned home late from his internship at the hospital. His normally neatly trimmed green hair lost its glossy shine, many strands jutting out in frazzled fans, and both his glasses and clothes were in need of a good cleaning. “I’m home,” he said when he took his shoes off in the doorway, not daring to raise his voice too loud, as he was uncertain if anyone in his family was still awake at this hour.

        Much to Shin’s surprise, Jou was sitting quietly on the sofa in the living room, the lights set to dim. His younger was slouched back against the cushions, his eyes fixed on the television screen. Normally, that would be an ordinary sight, but what made it worrying was the fact that the television was off.

        Beside Jou was his duffle bag, which served his medical kit. He made it a policy to carry that bag with him to every time the Chosen gathered for a meeting, and it came in handy more often than not. It lay haphazardly on its side, the zipper partially open, which allowed a few rolls of gauze and a sealed bottle of alcohol to fall to the floor.

        Jou did not answer Shin’s greeting. He did not even look up or give any indication that he realized his brother was there at all.

        The sight brought Shin completely to a halt. He stood in the entryway staring at Jou, holding one shoe half-off his foot until he started losing his balance. He quickly swapped out his shoes for slippers before moving swiftly into the living room by his brother’s side. “Jou? Are you okay?”

        Seconds ticked by and Jou remained silent and unresponsive. Finally, before Shin could start to panic, he blinked and turned his head in his older brother’s direction, though he did not raise his eyes. “Welcome home.”

        Shin plopped down onto the sofa beside Jou. “Did something happen? You don’t look so good.”

        Jou’s response was slow in coming, but at least he did not seem distant this time. His expression was just a little tight, hinting at some internal debate he had over the answer. Finally, he looked away, returning his gaze to the blank television screen. “I couldn’t help the injured Guardromon.”

        Shin blinked. “Guardromon? You mean another one of your Digimon got hurt?” He was unfamiliar with the name, but anything that ended in ‘mon’ almost certainly meant Digimon. He rooted around in his briefcase. “Well, good thing I got more of these.” He pulled out an orange colored bottle of pills and held it out to Jou.

        Jou turned to look at the prescription pills. He was strongly considering telling Shin that they were no longer needed, but stopped himself. His brother was taking a huge risk, putting his entire future on the line for their sakes. The thought humbled the Chosen of Honesty enough to accept the pills even if they would never be used. “Thank you.”

        Shin reached out to clasp his little brother’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Hey, it’ll be okay. Believe me, I know how hard it is seeing patients come in, especially if you know them, but after a while, it gets easier, you know? And you know you can just ask me or dad if you need any help or a second opinion.”

        Jou had no reply for Shin – he did not really feel as though he could.  It felt impossible to explain the turbulent thoughts churning through his mind right now, particularly when he was not even certain himself of what he was feeling.

        While it was true that a large part of the pressure to become a doctor came from his family, one of the things that helped keep Jou motivated about such a career was the hope that his education could help the Digimon as well. After seeing so many injuries and death that he could have prevented if _only_ he had the skills, the Chosen of Honesty had taken his studies even more seriously than before. Those efforts finally paid off when he had tended to Tailmon and Palmon; it was proof that he was accomplishing something, that he was useful.

        Or so he thought.

        “Digimon heal after evolving,” Jou muttered. “Why did I never notice that...?” When _that_ bombshell happened, the Chosen of Honesty had been stunned, bewildered even, before a terrible crushing realization settled on top of him.

        All Jou’s efforts had been pointless.

        Still, Jou had tried to recover from it. He had told himself that even if the Chosen Digimon did not need him to heal them, surely other Digimon they came across would. His efforts still had a point.

        Then something else happened to shake Jou’s faith. At least with Palmon and Tailmon he could say that he eased their suffering and made it easier for them to recover. With the Guardromon, there was not a _damn_ thing he could do.

        Jou’s expression darkened along with his thoughts. He noticed Shin looking at him with obvious concern. The sense that he was worrying his brother made him divert his gaze. “Y-yeah. I... I just need... Gomamon. I need to find Gomamon and it’ll be okay.”

        Not that he was ever that useful _with_ Gomamon. For all the talk of him being the leader of the Chosen Children, _Taichi_ or _Yamato_ fit that role far better than he did. They were the ones who could evolve their partners to Ultimate. They were the ones who could combine their Digimon into Omegamon. They were the ones who did the heavy fighting. Taichi and Yamato were the ones that everyone depended on, not _Jou_. When Diabolomon had attacked, _Jou_ had been taking a test, completely oblivious about the bombs that were readying to fall down onto their heads. Once again, the leader was useless.

        It was worse without Gomamon. Without his partner, Jou felt as though he was slipping away. He never had such self-destructive thoughts with Gomamon. Now that his best friend was gone, he was truly realizing just how useless he was.

        “Gomamon,” Jou mumbled.

        Shin wrapped his arm around Jou’s shoulders, the half-hug bringing the younger boy back to the present. “Hey, it’ll be okay,” he said softly. “You and your friends took on much worse things than a kid on a power trip. Gomamon will be back raiding the kitchen for midnight snacks and hogging the bath tub again before you know it.”

        Jou hesitated before he started to tremble. “T-th… that’s right… Gomamon will be…!” His vision grew blurred as he felt a wetness forming in his eyes that quickly began to trickle down his cheeks. The Chosen of Honesty sniffed hard before he removed his glasses, wiping furiously at the wetness in his eyes. “Gomamon–!”

        “Oh geeze,” Shin said in a near yelp, startled by the sudden onslaught of tears. He used both arms this time to give Jou a proper hug, patting his little brother on the back. “It’s okay, Jou. It’s going to be okay.”

        Jou’s body shook as he sniffled again. He could not explain himself at all to Shin. He just felt as though he was coming apart at the seams. Even as he chided himself for worrying his brother, he found himself unable to stop the flow of emotions that he had bottled up inside. “O-okay, it’s… all going to be… _okay_ …”

        The words felt like a lie even when Jou repeated them. Despite the fact that he and the other Chosen Children had made it through impossible odds, somehow those memories offered little comfort. Every step of the way on their adventure, Gomamon had been by his side, protecting him, and helping him grow stronger. Without Gomamon or even the slightest idea where his partner was, the Chosen of Honesty was lost, helpless with the knowledge that he was no use to anyone right now – especially not Gomamon. He was completely useless.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Signs of strain are starting to show on the Chosen Children. Stress and helplessness take their toll as everyone struggles to do what they can for the moment, and keep their focus on their goal in front of them. Their next mission looms on the horizon, and new complications have arisen.
> 
> * * *

        Hikari yawned and rubbed the haze of sleep from her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. She felt so sluggish since she got up that it was only due to Tailmon’s efforts that she managed to make it to her usual spot on the bleachers on time. A part of her just wanted to lie down, regardless of where she was or how cold and hard the metal seats were, but she managed to suppress the urge.

        Tailmon flicked her ear before she turned to look at Hikari as she sat on the bleachers by her partner’s side. She knew that Hikari had a rough night – one of many, recently. It troubled her. Not to mention the Chosen of Light’s lack of sleep made getting up early in the morning for school more of a bother than it should have been.

        Hikari tried to focus on the players practicing on the field, but one boy blurred into another at times, making them little more than indistinct caricatures. Only Daisuke really stood out, as he consistently kicked the soccer ball farthest, and kept contact with it the longest during their practice games. She was happy that he was the star of the team, almost as much as he was, but she knew it would have been better for him if the others on the team did not resent him for it at times.

        Tailmon continued to watch Hikari closely rather than pay attention to the practice. Eventually, a silent sigh escaped her, and she turned her gaze towards the sky, seeking answers that she knew she would not discover hiding behind a random cloud. It was times like these that left her completely at a loss. She could take down an enemy without hesitation. She had been fighting all her life, and she was the best at what she did. Dealing with people and their emotions, however, were difficult. It left her with regrets and a few ghosts haunting her, but it was moments like these with Hikari that were the worst of all.

        Of all the Chosen Digimon, it seemed as though Tailmon was the one who had the most trouble helping her Chosen Child emotionally. It made her envy the other Digimon at times. While they could calm their children down, it was usually Hikari serving to balance _her_ when she was overly stressed by one thing or another.

        No matter how much Tailmon wanted to defeat the nightmares plaguing Hikari, she was powerless against them.

        The sight of a familiar face entering the school grounds brought Tailmon out of her thoughts. Her friend was easily recognizable, even if he stopped wearing Patamon on his head as a hat.

        “Ah, Hikari,” Tailmon said, thankful for something to talk about. “I see Takeru. Patamon must be around, too.”

        Hikari looked up, initially startled by Patamon’s absence, but she waited to comment on it until Takeru came over. “Good morning, Takeru. Where’s Patamon?”

        “He’s around,” Takeru said, with a grin. “After Miyako gave me an earful the other day, we decided to try and copy Tailmon a little.” He paused as she cheerful expression he wore faded, the corner of his mouth twisting slightly in distaste. “I’m not too happy about it, but it’s for his own safety…”

        Hikari’s eyes widened. “For his own safety?”

        Takeru hesitated, feeling guilty for worrying Hikari, before he looked away. “If the government really is looking in to Digimon, and us…”

        Hikari understood instantly. “Oh…” Her gaze briefly flickered to Tailmon before she looked back at Takeru. “But no one around here realized Patamon wasn’t just a hat, right? That should make it okay.”

        “But imagine if they did,” Takeru said, his voice tight. “And having him out in the open was just begging for that to happen.” Not to mention the fact that Patamon had already been exposed once to those two obnoxious boys who insulted Hikari. “At the time, I didn’t care, but now…”

        Hikari reached out to take Takeru’s hand and gave it a squeeze. She tried to think of a way to put his fears at ease, but everything she thought of seemed too flimsy an argument to offer any reassurance. “I’ll be okay.” She smiled a little. “Tailmon can give Patamon pointers how to hide.”

        Tailmon nodded before she glanced over her shoulder with a sly grin. “Not that he can hide from me. Right, Patamon?”

        Patamon locked eyes with Tailmon from a gap between the bleachers, as he snuck underneath them early on during the conversation. After a brief startled moment, he chuckled and flashed his friend a grin. “It’s still a hundred years too early for me to be a match for you, right, Tailmon?”

        Tailmon laughed along with her friend. “Of course.” When the snickering died down, she turned back to Hikari and Takeru. “Anyway, wasn’t there something you wanted to ask him, Hikari?”

        It took Hikari a second to recall what Tailmon meant. “Oh! That’s right! Takeru, what do you think about joining Daisuke on the soccer team?”

        Takeru blinked. “Hm? Me?”

        Hikari nodded. “I think you’d do great on the team.” She spared a glance around them to ensure that neither Daisuke nor Chibimon were in earshot, before she leaned in closer to Takeru’s ear, lowering her voice to barely a whisper. “Besides, Daisuke really needs a friend on the team.”

        Takeru’s expression grew thoughtful as he considered Hikari’s request. It was not as though he was particularly opposed to the idea. He was fairly good at soccer, thanks to his brother and Taichi. A part of him insisted that he simply did not have time for school clubs when being Chosen Child was a priority, but he had to admit that helping Daisuke was _also_ a priority. When he considered things in that way, it seemed like it would be best to do as Hikari asked. “He won’t mind? I mean, he might think I’m butting in.”

        Hikari shook her head and the corner of her mouth tilted upward. “Daisuke is unhappy that no one else at on the team is taking the game seriously, especially since the coach made him the team captain. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to have someone else on the team trying his hardest like he is.”

        Takeru slowly nodded as he returned Hikari’s smile. “All right, if you say so. I’ll go talk to the coach then!” With that, he set his bag down beside his friends before he hurried across the field.

        “Takeru will be a good addition.” Tailmon said. She could hardly care less about how well the soccer team did, and she certainly held no school pride for the school’s name. However, soccer was important to Daisuke, which made it important to Hikari, and thus it was important to her as well.

        Hikari’s expression was relaxed as she watched Takeru talk with the rather grumpy looking older man who acted as coach. “Yeah. Takeru has gotten very strong these past two years, so I’m sure he’ll do well on the team, and I’m sure Daisuke will appreciate having him there.”

        Patamon puffed out his chest with pride as he thought of all the training he and Takeru had done alongside Hikari and Tailmon. “That’s right. Takeru is much stronger and faster than anyone on that team could ever hope to be.”

        Tailmon gave Patamon a sly smile. “Who knows? It might even embarrass the others to get shown up by the rookie. They might actually pretend to get their act together.”

        Hikari covered her mouth to hide a giggle. “That would be pretty funny, especially since half the team is still giving Daisuke a hard time.”

        Patamon’s amusement turned to a scowl as he gave the team an appraising look. “Takeru isn’t going to let them get away with that.” He was not about to let any of the kids at school bully Daisuke or Hikari if he had anything to say about it, but he was much more limited in what he could do about it when compared to Takeru. He glanced at Tailmon, knowing that she felt the same.

        Tailmon shared a knowing look with Patamon before she turned her focus to Takeru. “Looks like the coach is letting Takeru join.” She chuckled briefly as she watched the Chosen of Hope jog onto the field. “Or rather, ‘giving him a chance’.”

        Hikari leaned forward in her seat as she focused her energy on paying attention to Takeru and Daisuke. She felt a touch worried when Daisuke shot Takeru a confused then briefly annoyed look before charging after the soccer ball. “Come on, Daisuke…,” she whispered. “Don’t be jealous…”

        Patamon discreetly reached over and patted Hikari’s arm with his wing. “Don’t worry, Hikari. Takeru knows what he’s doing.”

        Hikari spared a brief smile towards Patamon, but her attention quickly returned to the soccer field. It troubled her that Daisuke looked a lot more unhappy about Takeru’s presence than she anticipated.

        Tailmon flicked her ears as she listened to the coach sort the players into two groups, sending them to opposite sides of the field. “I guess he’s going to have them play against each other.”

        Hikari clasped her hands together, silently praying that Daisuke and Takeru would wind up on the same side. She let out a low groan when the coach sent them in different directions. “Oh no…”

        “Well, _that’s_ going to get Daisuke’s competitiveness going,” Tailmon said, watching the boys take their places on the field. “But at least Takeru’ll be able to show Daisuke that he can actually play.”

        Hikari rubbed her fingers together as she tried to calm the growing sense of anxiety gnawing at the back of her neck. “I just hope Daisuke doesn’t get _too_ competitive with Takeru…”

        “Takeru can handle it,” Patamon said cheerfully. “Just watch. Takeru will win Daisuke over yet.”

        Daisuke raced across the field at top speed, completely outpacing the other boys on his team. He laughed and shot Takeru a smirk. “How’s that?”

        Takeru’s legs moved with surprising speed and precision to suddenly swipe the ball from Daisuke. He swerved around the other boy in a wide arc before darting towards the other side of the field. “Pretty good!”

        Daisuke stumbled a couple of steps as he gawked at Takeru, startled by how easily the other boy outmaneuvered him, but he was only caught off guard for a moment before he tore across the field after Takeru. “Hey! You think you can swipe the ball and get away with it?”

        Takeru easily dodged the other players on Daisuke’s team, leaving them stumbling and staring after him as he charged straight for the goal. A glance over his shoulder informed him that Daisuke was closing the distance between them, which meant he needed to take the shot before the other boy caught up to him. Roughly aiming, he gave the ball a mighty kick and was satisfied to see it soar over the goalie’s head, hitting the net hard.

        Daisuke slowed to a stop as he stared at Takeru and the confused goalie with wide eyes. He barely noticed the coach blowing the whistle and tossing the ball back into play. He gave the Chosen of Hope an appraising look laced with a mixture of irritation and admiration, unsure of what to think of this new development. “You’re not bad,” he said at last before he hurried back into position.

        Takeru followed suit with a smile on his face. “Thanks. My brother taught me.”

        Daisuke cast the other boy a curious look before his chest puffed up with pride. “Oh yeah? Well Senpai was the one who taught me everything I know, and he was the star MVP, so he showed me a lot of awesome trips!”

        “Yeah, he and my brother were on the same team,” Takeru said. “Whenever I came to visit my brother, we’d go play soccer.” He wanted to mention that their Digimon would play as well, and they found the perfect secluded spot for all four of them to play without someone spotting them, but there were other people in earshot. After that fateful day in August, his parents started letting him visit Yamato a lot more than before. That adventure had actually changed their lives drastically, many ways for the better.

        Back at the bleachers, Tailmon’s ears twitched, as she caught hints of their conversation. “Daisuke seems impressed.” She smiled wryly. “So does the coach.”

        Hikari allowed herself to relax at the news. “Thank goodness… I was starting to worry for a minute there.”

        Patamon beamed, feeling as though he might burst with pride. “I told you Takeru could do it.”

        Hikari smiled as well as she watched Daisuke’s scowls and suspicious looks melt away into grins and playful banter with Takeru. She leaned back against the seat behind her as she watched her friends run up and down along the soccer field after the ball, feeling a sense of peace wash over her. She lost track of how many points were scored on either side, but both Takeru and Daisuke had a chance to show up the other members of the team, who appeared surprised at best and annoyed at worst.

        It soon became very obvious that the game was not one group of boys verses another, but a match between Daisuke and Takeru. The others on the field were little more than obstacles in the pair’s path, as both Chosen Children zipped around them to score and interfere with the other boy’s progress.

        Tailmon could not help her wry smile as Chibimon cheered every time a score was made, regardless of who did it. She turned back towards Patamon, who sat quietly beside her. “I’m surprised you’re not cheering too.”

        Patamon cocked his head slightly and gave his friend a playful smirk. “I don’t _need_ to cheer. Takeru is so good that the entire team could be against him and he’d _still_ win.”

        “My, my…” Tailmon’s smile became rather sly, her tone teasing. “Too afraid to be seen cheering like a fanboy?”

        Patamon’s cheeks took a rosy hue before he turned away, discreetly using a wing to shield his blush from Tailmon’s gaze. Somehow she could always see right through him. “O-of course not! I’m not a child anymore you know.”

        Hikari jerked as the piercing sound of the coach’s whistle snapped her awake. She had failed to notice when she closed her eyes. It seemed to her that she had just leaned against the bench behind her for only a moment, but her back ached enough from the awkward position that it made her wonder how long she had been sitting there. She bit back a groan so as to not draw attention from Tailmon or Patamon as she stretched and tried to work the kinks out of her sore muscles.

        Daisuke lightly punched Takeru’s shoulder as the two boys hurried back to the bleachers. He was in high spirits, as he managed to eke out a victory over Takeru at the last second, which made his win all the sweeter. “Man, that was _awesome!_ We’re gonna _cream_ the other team at the next game!”

        Takeru laughed as he kept up with Daisuke. Adrenaline kept his fatigue away enough for him to enjoy the moment and how happy the other Chosen Child was. He was glad that Daisuke did not notice that he had purposefully slipped up his footwork just enough for the other boy to steal the ball and get the win. Winning the match did not matter to him like it did to Daisuke. His entire goal was to prove his ability in the sport and bond with the other boy, which he succeeded in spectacularly. “It was a lot of fun! It feels good to actually play soccer again instead of just jogging.”

        “Alright, alright!” the coach said, with a bright laugh. He seemed to be ignoring the faces on the other players as he grinned at Takeru and Daisuke. “This seems to be a good time as any to give the big news!”

        Most of the other members of the team seemed uninterested in whatever announcement the coach had for them, instead standing about in tired or listless poses, looking around as though they were all simply waiting to be dismissed. A few boys muttered amongst themselves in grumbling tones about the sweat they had worked up thanks to Daisuke and Takeru and how the two boys made them look bad.

        It all made Takeru arch his eyebrow slightly as he regarded the rest of the team, before he returned his attention back to the coach. He was not particularly interested in the other boys, so the fact that they might be irritated that actually had to _exert_ themselves during practice was not his problem for him.

        “Okay, settle down now,” the coach said, cutting off the whispers. “I’ve got the news on who we have our next practice game against.” His smile grew even wider than before. “And I know at least _one_ of you is going to be _excited_.”

        Daisuke’s eyes widened when the coach made eye contact with him and a certain suspicion began to form in his mind. “Who is it?”

        The coach’s raised his eyebrows as he gave Daisuke a knowing look brimming with excitement. “ _Tamachi_.”

        Daisuke felt his pulse quicken, his eyes widening. “Y-you mean the team with the genius kid Ken Ichijouji?”

        “The one and _only_ ,” the coach said.

        A faint tremor ran through Daisuke’s body that quickly turned into quaking as his enthusiasm built until he jumped into the air with a mighty whoop and pumped his fist. “ _Alright_! We get to take on the champ! This is the best news _ever_!”

        “Now, now,” the coach said with an undercurrent of laughter, “don’t get too excited. It’s just a _practice_ game, so it’s not going to count towards the all school finals.”

        “Yeah, sure,” Daisuke said, his tone distracted. “I got it, I got it.”

        Takeru cast a curious look in Daisuke’s direction. He was still trying to figure out what made Ken Ichijouji so important to the other boy. He decided to ask Hikari about Ken later, and see if she had any insight for him.

        One of the boys let out an overly loud sigh. “Are we _done_ yet?” A nasal whine permeated his every word as he rolled his head and eyes back dramatically. “I need to hit the shower before class!”

        “I don’t want to stand in the hall,” another boy said.

        The coach paused, his enthusiasm diminished as nearly every member of the soccer club let out some sort of complaint. He sighed and waved his hand towards the school buildings. “Yeah, yeah. You’re all dismissed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

        Daisuke darted off towards the bleachers in an instant, so overflowing with vigor that he had to perform a cartwheel on the way. “Hikari-chan!”

        Hikari smiled brightly at Daisuke’s enthusiasm. “I heard.” Or rather, Tailmon heard and relayed the information to her. “Congratulations, Daisuke!”

        Daisuke snatched up the duffle bag with Chibimon inside at the end of the bleachers then slid onto the seat beside Hikari. “This is great! I’m going to get to show off to the genius champ! Maybe… maybe afterward he’ll give me some pointers on how to improve my game, or at least give me an autograph.” He practically quivered with excitement and pumped his fists fiercely into the air with a gleeful cry.

        Chibimon hopped out of the bag briefly before waved his hands, excitedly. “Yay, yay~! I’m so happy for Daisuke~!”

        Takeru smiled at his friends as he reached the bleachers at a more sedate pace. His expression turned wry as he sat down. “Well, I guess this means I’ll have to practice even more so I won’t slow you down.”

        Daisuke vigorously rubbed Chibimon’s head. “You bet!” He flashed Takeru a grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you all the tricks.” He paused as his eyes suddenly lit up. “Hey, I have an idea! Let’s practice here after school today.”

        Hikari blinked and cocked her head slightly. “Isn’t there a practice after school today anyway?”

        “Yeah,” Daisuke said, “but I meant _after_ that.” His enthusiasm diminished a little, nearly taking away his smile. “Those other guys always try to leave early or skip out so we never get a good workout like before school.”

        “Sounds good,” Takeru said as he returned Daisuke’s grin with one of his own. “We don’t know when Miyako will have any word for us on that Guardromon, and it’s definitely better than waiting.”

        “We can always ask her right now,” Patamon said. He pointed past the others towards the walkway leading towards the school. “She’s right over there.”

        Hikari let out a curious hum as she quickly spotted Miyako’s distinctive lavender hair. “That’s strange. Isn’t she usually here earlier?” She took another look at the other girl when she noticed something amiss, her eyes widening slightly as she figured out what it was. “And she’s not wearing her uniform…”

        “Hm?” Takeru turned to crane his head. He paused to take in the sight of Miyako before his smile slipped away, a frown replacing it. “She looks exhausted.”

        Hikari furrowed her brow. The sight of Miyako out of uniform should not have been strange to her, but the other girl was always so rigid about wearing it, that it made her worry a little. “I hope she wasn’t up all night…”

        A sour expression tainted Daisuke’s enthusiasm, and he directed a narrow gaze in Miyako’s direction. A beat later, his smile returned, as enthusiastic as ever, as he hopped up onto his feet. “Anyway!” He turned to his friends. “We better get showered up and changed before we’re late.”

        Takeru nodded as he picked up his bag. “Right.” He turned to his partner as he got up as well. “Let’s go, Patamon.”

        Patamon nodded before he ducked back under the bleachers and out of sight, searching for a more discreet route to follow his partner.

        Hikari got up and paused to stretch out the kinks in her muscles. “I’ll go ask Miyako about Guardromon.”

        Tailmon nodded. “We’ll let you know if there’s any word.” A second later, she disappeared amidst the branches of a nearby tree, leaving no sign that she had ever been there at all.

        Takeru tipped his head towards his friends before he followed Daisuke to the locker rooms at a jog.

        Hikari moved briskly to catch up with Miyako, though she hardly needed to bother, as Miyako’s movements were sluggish and slow. She nearly caught up to the other girl when she noticed Iori call out to Miyako.

        “Miyako, you’re late,” Iori said as he approached the class representative, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. “I was coming to look for–” The boy stopped, freezing in mid-step once he stood front of Miyako. The sight of her sent both eyebrows shooting up to disappear amidst his bangs. After a moment, a frown marred his face, turning his expression severe as he stared _hard_ at the exhausted girl.

        Miyako took one look at Iori and groaned. “I know, I know. Don’t say it. I didn’t have time last night to get my uniform washed.”

        Iori crossed his arms as he fixed the other student with a look of stern disapproval. “Miyako. I understand that you are excited about the new OVA being released, but _honestly_ … These late night marathons of yours–”

        Miyako waved her hands in front of Iori while hissing harshly through her teeth. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” She looked around then quickly spotted Hikari. She raised her voice to a louder level than usual, her tone sweet enough to cause cavities, as she plastered an exaggerated smile on her face. “Good morning, Yagami! How are you today? How long have you been standing there?”

        Iori blinked at Miyako’s response before he turned to look at Hikari. “Ah, good morning. I apologize for not properly greeting you, I did not see you.”

        “Good morning,” Hikari said. She wondered what that exchange was about, but felt it too impolite to pry. “It’s alright. I just got here.” She focused on Miyako. “Um, I–”

        “The repairs aren’t finished yet,” Miyako said quickly. “But I’ve got it stabilized and I’ll have it up and running again by tonight at the latest.” She glanced at Iori then inclined her head towards Hikari. “ _That’s_ why I couldn’t get my uniform clean in time for school. I’m doing a favor for a friend.”

        “Oh, I see,” Iori said slowly, his harsh expression replaced with one of mild surprise. “I apologize, I should not have assumed.” He hesitated for a moment. “Still… you should not work yourself to such extremes.”

        Miyako waved dismissively. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’ll go to bed early after I’ve finished.”

        Iori’s gaze narrowed on Miyako for a long moment before he gave a faint nod. “All right,” he said slowly. “I’ll leave it at that.”

        “Great,” Miyako said. “Because we’ll be late unless we get to class right now.” She paused for a moment as she took a closer look at Hikari. “By the way, Yagami, you should get more sleep too.”

        Hikari jerked, surprised Miyako noticed, and tried to disarm the other girl’s reproachful gaze with a smile. “I’ll do my best.”

        “I agree that you _both_ should get some rest,” Iori said before he proceeded towards the school doors. “After school, preferably.”

        As soon as Iori was halfway to the doors of the school, Miyako leaned towards Hikari to whisper in the other girl’s ear. “Guardromon is out of critical condition, so don’t worry about that. Tentomon is keeping an eye on it while we’re at school, and he’s going to email me at the first sign of problems. I have an excuse ready to go if that happens so I can leave school immediately.”

        Hikari nodded, relieved for Guardromon’s sake and that Miyako had so much forethought. “Thank you for helping Guardromon.”

        Miyako straightened up just a little bit. “No problem.” She beamed as she readjusted her glasses. “It’s what I’m here for.”

* * *

        Hikari stifled a yawn behind her hand as she plodded her way through the apartment complex to the Izumi residence. Taking a nap after school had been a mistake. She felt more tired now than she did before she laid down.

        Tailmon followed Hikari along the rooftops, hopping from building to building with amazing agility. She occasionally glanced down at Hikari, making certain that her partner was all right.

        Taichi glanced back over his shoulder at Hikari after ringing the doorbell to the Izumi apartment, half worried that he might have lost his little sister since the last time he checked to make sure that she was still keeping pace with him. “You sure you’re not coming down with something?”

        Hikari stifled a yawn behind her hand before waving to Taichi in a dismissive gesture. “I’m fine, I’m fine. I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

        Tailmon hopped down to land behind Taichi and Hikari, crossing her arms. “You haven’t been sleeping well at all lately.”

        At that moment, Koshiro’s mother opened the door. Yoshie peered outside, and then smiled. “Ah, yes, Koshiro’s waiting.”

        Hikari felt relieved by the interruption, as she really did not feel like discussing the topic right now. After taking her shoes off in the doorway with her brother, she noticed that the other Chosen had already arrived and were gathered around in the living room. Even Takeru and Daisuke made it to the apartment before the Yagamis, despite how long the two boys spent practicing soccer after class was over.

        It took a moment of looking around for Hikari to spot Koshiro sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table where his open laptop rested. “How’s Guardromon doing?”

        Daisuke shot up from his seat on the sofa with a big smile on his face. “Hikari-chan! Glad you could make it!”

        Hikari found the energy to smile at Daisuke thanks to his immense enthusiasm. “Nice to see you again too, Daisuke.” She glanced about as she entered the room and was momentarily startled by the sight of Jou sitting in the corner. He looked as if he had not slept well either, with bags under his eyes and his skin very pale. Even his slumped posture spoke of exhaustion, and his eyes seemed slightly dull.

        Jou noticed that Hikari was looking his way and lifted his head just enough to meet his friend’s eyes and give her a ghost of a smile. The expression lasted for barely a second before he turned his gaze back down at his hands, where he fidgeted with his Digivice – turning the small device over and over in his hand.

        Tailmon hurried inside to join up with the rest of the Chosen Digimon while taking in who was present. She stopped and glanced around a second time before turning to Koshiro. “I take it that the Guardromon didn’t wake up yet?”

        Koshiro looked up from the laptop screen then shook his head. “Not yet.” He turned his gaze back to his computer to make a few more keystrokes. “But Miyako and I have been working on something that we wanted to show all of you.”

        Yamato tilted his head as he leaned over the side of the couch, resting his elbows on the back. “On your laptop?”

        Koshiro nodded. “I just finished making a program that’ll allow us to get Guardromon’s side of the story even if it can’t tell us itself right now. Miyako is finishing up the last of the repairs as we speak.”

        The door to Koshiro’s room suddenly burst open, swatting into Taichi’s backside in the process, as he had been accidentally standing in the way. He staggered forward with a yelp and whirled around while covering his posterior. “Hey!”

        “Okay!” Miyako said as she tugged on the straps of her overalls. “I’ve done all I can! Guardromon is still out, and it might not look very pretty right now, but it should be all set for the experiment.”

        Taichi rubbed his sore rump, frowning. “Next time, watch where you’re slamming doors, Miyako.”

        Koshiro was on his feet in an instant, scooping up his laptop into his arms. “That’s great, Miyako!”

        Miyako readjusted her glasses and smiled with satisfaction. “Of course. Did you expect anything less?”

        Sora peered into Koshiro’s room and frowned. “How are we supposed to ‘get his side’ if he’s not awake?”

        Koshiro grinned as he entered the bedroom. “Follow me. If my program and Miyako’s hardware installation works…”

        “Of course it’ll work,” Miyako said. “If we can make D-Terminals from parts and old electronics then we can do this much.”

        A thick blue tarp covered nearly the entirety of the bedroom floor, stained with countless dark smears of grease and oil. Though the Guardromon rested at the center of the mess, the Digimon looked as if Miyako took out the time to scrub Guardromon clean and polish its chassis, its metal body glistening in the light. The gaping wounds that had been so painful for the children to look at before were gone without a trace, as though they had never existed in the first place.

        Mimi smiled as she saw the state of Guardromon. “Wow, you did a great job, Miyako. Guardromon looks like new!”

        Instead of looking pleased by the compliment, Miyako’s smile twisted into an expression of distaste. “That’s nice of you to say, but you don’t have to sugarcoat it, Miss Tachikawa. I know this is not my best work. We couldn’t find anything to match Guardromon’s exact shade and type of metal – though that’s to be expected since I’m working with alien materials – and the soldering is a bit rough since I had to be careful not to make too many sparks considering all the things in this room that could catch fire.”

        Mimi stared at Miyako for a moment, taken aback. Looking again at the Guardromon with a more critical eye, she could see what Miyako was talking about – the tiny ridges of lines made from the soldering, and the places where the color abruptly transitioned to a slightly different hue were there if one knew to look for them. She shook her head before she turned her gaze back to the younger girl. “Don’t worry about it! You did a _wonderful_ job, and I’m sure Guardromon will appreciate it too!”

        Miyako’s cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. “Th-thanks, but I’m still going to see if I can do better once we get some Digital World materials.”

        “Don’t mind Inoe, Mimi,” Daisuke said as his eyes rolled towards the ceiling. “She argues with the teachers if she doesn’t get extra credit questions even if she’s already got a perfect score. She’s an overachiever.”

        Miyako folded her arms over her chest as she shot Daisuke an annoyed glance. “Better than an _under_ achiever.”

        Daisuke’s entire body flinched before he whirled towards Miyako, bristling. “What did you say?”

        “No fighting you two, _please_ ,” Sora said more sharply than she intended before quickly softened her voice. “Not here. Guardromon might be better physically, but it could still be mentally damaged.” She looked away from Daisuke and Miyako after they had the good grace to appear chastised, and then turned her attention to Guardromon. She could not feel at ease about the wounded Digimon’s health until it woke up.

        Koshiro placed his laptop on his desk and hooked it up to a few wires that led into Guardromon’s neck. “We’ll know in a minute.” He tapped away at the computer to make sure that the connection was in place. Once everyone squeezed themselves inside his cramped bedroom, he executed the program and immediately backed away from the screen so that the others could see it clearly. “Okay, this should playback the last few minutes of Guardromon’s memory files.”

        The laptop flashed to life with a burst of static. The screen flickered for a few moments before the white noise parted, revealing a giant factory. The place was filled with machine Digimon, including other Guardromon. The various Guardromon went about their business patrolling the factory for about a minute before, suddenly there was a loud clang that caused all the Chosen to jump. The image on the screen swiveled around just in time to see the wall collapse. In that instant, a large cluster of Evil Rings flew in to the room and attached themselves to every Digimon they could.

        The hands of the Guardromon flew up, as though the Digimon was trying to protect itself from the assault. Screams and chaos flooded the speakers, and the images on the screen blurred, as the Guardromon apparently attempted to escape. The image cleared briefly when an Evil Ring flew by, and attaching itself to a second Guardromon that had been apparently running alongside the one who had been injured.

        The image fixed itself on the other Guardromon, whose eyes blazed an ugly shade of red. “Red Alert,” it said, its voice monotone.

        An explosion rocked the screen, turning everything into static and screeching noise that forced the Chosen to cover their ears. It took a while for the image to return, but it was distorted, barely rendering from blocks of mosaic into familiar shapes, such as a tiled floor covered in debris, and the dented arm of a Guardromon.

        Before the image flickered out completely, the Guardromon had managed to focus on one last thing – a Digimon approaching it from where it lay on the floor. The machine Digimon had been a patchwork of gray pixels until the very last second before the screen finally went dark and silent.

        An unpleasant hush settled over the room. At first, no one knew what to do except glance at one another or the still unconscious Guardromon.

        Koshiro braved breaking the silence when he muttered that he saw something, though his voice was too quiet for the others to make out clearly. He rewound the recording to the last few seconds and, after a couple failed tries, froze it on the final image – Andromon with glowing red eyes.

        “Andromon…,” Hikari whispered, her voice wavering. “And all those Guardromon too… They’re…!”

        Anger, hot and bitter tasting coated Takeru’s tongue, turning his words caustic when he managed to speak. “It was the Kaiser.” He glared at the image. He could not see where the Evil Ring was in that single frame, but he had no doubt that one was there somewhere. “I knew it had to be him.”

        Taichi spat out a curse through ground teeth as he punched his fist into his palm with a meaty smack.

        Yamato clenched his hands into painfully tight fists as he practically growled out a swear word of his own.

        “We’ve got to help them!” Mimi said, her voice wavering slightly. “What if other Guardromon are hurt too? There’s no one like Miyako-chan to help them! What if the Digimon Kaiser is… is…”

        The thought was too terrible for Mimi to finish, but she did not need to – everyone in the room was thinking the same thing.

        Miyako crossed her arms over her chest. Her enthusiasm had died down to a thin-lipped expression of determination. “If other Guardromon are hurt then bring them back here and I’ll repair them too.”

        Takeru pushed himself away from the wall he had leaned on while watching the recording. “We need to head to Factory Town.”

        Daisuke thrust his fist into the air, his hand grazing Taichi’s hair thanks to how closely everyone was packed together. “Yeah! We’re gonna get Tiny Tower for this!”

        Chibimon hopped into the air, flailing his hands around as though it might make him look bigger. “Yeah, get him!”

        “We should all go,” Sora said quietly. She turned to her side, her gaze straying to the floor then stopped when she reminded herself that Piyomon was not there. She was unable to hide the pain from her expression or voice when she next spoke. “Or at least… everyone with a Digimon.”

        Taichi glanced down towards the Chosen Digimon even though he knew Agumon would not be among them. The idea of being left out of a mission because his partner was in the hands of the enemy sat like a lead weight in his stomach, but given the situation, he had no choice but to sit out. “Yeah. We’ll monitor you guys from here.”

        “I don’t like not going,” Yamato said in a near grumble. “But we’d just be a liability – a target.”

        Koshiro nodded. “It’ll be fine. You guys can watch over us like last time. Miyako knows how to work the programs, so if you need to–”

        “I’m going too,” Miyako said.

        Every eye in the room focused on Miyako, startled and confused by the sudden declaration, especially since she told them to bring wounded Digimon back to her only a few moments ago.

        Takeru was the first to speak up. “Miyako?”

        “U-um, uh,” Jou said, fumbling over his words. He paused to adjust his questions and properly collect his thoughts. “Unfortunately, people who aren’t Chosen can’t go to the Digital World…”

        Mimi’s brow furrowed with worry. “And without a Digimon you’d be in great danger, Miyako-chan.”

        “ _No way!_ ” Daisuke shouted, which caused everyone standing near him to jump. His expression was flustered, almost panicked, and his cheeks a bright shade of pink. “You are _not_ a Chosen Child, so don’t even try and hitch a ride with us, Inoe! Just stay here and wait for us to get back!”

        Miyako cast a deadpan stare in Daisuke’s direction. “It occurred to me,” she said slowly, her tone icy, “that it would be best if I took a page from _Motomiya’s_ book for a change, as ridiculous as that might sound. If I happen to be a Chosen Child, then I would find my Digimon, like he did, and I could be of better assistance on the inside.”

        Daisuke’s expression contorted. “ _No_ _way!_ ”

        “You’re going to a _factory,_ ” Miyako said sharply, raising her voice to drown out Daisuke’s, “and I’m an expert with _machines_. I can also act as a field medic to any other Guardromon or other machine Digimon we find inside.”

        “No way, no way, _no way_!” Daisuke shouted, crossing and uncrossing his arms in broad strokes in front of his chest, forcing those standing near him to move away. “You can’t do it, so there’s no way!”

        Yamato rubbed his arm where Daisuke accidentally slapped him before regarding Miyako. “Have you tried?” He turned his gaze to Koshiro. “I know we tried with Mimi’s parents, and that was a great big _failure_ … but have we actually tried to see who is a Chosen and who isn’t? For Daisuke, we just, uh… accidentally did it.”

        Taichi rubbed the back of his head, perplexed and a little worried by how strongly Daisuke reacted to the idea of Miyako being a Chosen Child. “Even if it works, we might not find your Digimon before the fighting starts even if it does work.”

        Miyako slid her glasses upward and took a deep breath before replying in an exasperated tone. “Look, you don’t lose anything by having me try it. All I have to do is stand near you when you go in and, boom, we see if I’m one of the lucky fifteen who get to save the Digital World. Just give me 30 minutes and I can guarantee that if it works, I’ll have a means of protecting myself until we find my Digimon.”

        Sora tilted her head. “I… guess there’s no harm in trying. It’d be good to find more Chosen, and the worst that could happen is that it doesn’t work.”

        Mimi’s brow furrowed with concern as she watched the younger girl dart past her for the door. “Miyako, are you _sure_ you–”

        “ _Thirty minutes_ ,” Miyako said loudly. Her stare pierced each person she looked at as she returned to the doorway and shoved her feet into her shoes. “Don’t you _dare_ leave without me.” She gave the Chosen no chance to respond one way or the other, slamming the door loudly behind her.

        Daisuke stared at the front door for a long moment with a creeping sense of dread. He whirled towards the others and gestured towards the computer. “Come on, let’s go before she gets back!”

        Taichi quirked an eyebrow at the younger Chosen, his expression contorting. “What’s gotten into you, Daisuke?”

        Takeru had similar thoughts as he looked at Daisuke. He gathered that the newest Chosen Child did not like Miyako, but Daisuke seemed downright panicked at the idea of the girl trying to enter the Digital World with them. It made him wonder if there was something he was missing. “Is something wrong?”

        Daisuke nudged Takeru and Koshiro towards the laptop. “Come on! We all know that Inoe isn’t a Chosen Child, so we should just hurry up and go after the Digimon Kaiser before it’s too late!”

        Taichi put his arm on Daisuke’s shoulder to still the younger boy. “Hey, hang on a second now.”

        Sora turned a worried gaze towards Daisuke. “We don’t _really_ know for sure if Miyako is one of us or not.”

        “It can’t hurt to check,” Yamato said.

        Daisuke’s muscles tensed as his gaze darted from one Chosen to the next. “But Inoe _can’t_ be a Chosen Child!”

        Hikari furrowed her brow. “Why not?”

        “Come on, Hikari-chan,” Daisuke said as he gave Hikari a pleading gaze. “You _know_ what Inoe is like. She’s the complete _opposite_ of a hero! She’s a suck up to the teachers, rats people out even when they’re not doing anything wrong, gives endless lectures thinking she’s _always_ right, and puts people down whenever they don’t meet her insanely high standards! She’s like… like…”

        Daisuke fumbled for words and made vague gestures, as though he was groping the air for the words to explain himself. “You know how on TV the hero always has this guy making things harder for him to hide his secret identity? Always snooping and tracking him down and getting him in trouble? She’s like _that_!”

        Taichi rubbed the back of his head, as the mood grew somewhat awkward. “Daisuke, this isn’t a TV show.”

        “Besides,” Koshiro said quickly, “we can trust Miyako. She’s kept our secret for years now and has helped us a lot already. She’s not going to do anything to stop us from doing what we need to do.”

        Daisuke looked around, but saw only troubled gazes staring back at him, which made him feel increasingly uncomfortable. “Yeah, but…” He fumbled for something else to explain his feelings, but the words would not come.

        “Daisuke,” Hikari said gently as she placed her hand on Daisuke’s arm. “It’ll be okay. If Miyako really _is_ a Chosen Child, then it’ll be for a good reason. Trust me.”

        Daisuke jumped slightly at the touch, his cheeks turning pink. After a moment, he reluctantly nodded. “I… if you say so, Hikari-chan…”

        Chibimon hugged Daisuke’s leg tightly, not liking his partner’s distress at all. “Even if she _is_ a Chosen, you’re still the _best_ , Daisuke! Always, always!”

        Daisuke smiled a little at Chibimon. “Thanks, Buddy.”

* * *

        By the time Miyako returned to the Izumi home, she was out of breath and carrying a large backpack. She also was not alone. Iori stood behind her and bowed politely in greeting to the others.

        Daisuke groaned and held his forehead. “First Inoe and now Hida? Who else from our class is going to be in on this?”

        “I’m here because Miyako said she needed protection,” Iori said, slowly. His expression was neutral as his eyes scanned the apartment, focusing on the Chosen before he settled on the Digimon, who were trying to hide under the table due to the sudden arrival of an unfamiliar face. He stared at the strange, colorful creatures, his eyes widening slightly. The Digimon in return were careful not to move, for the most part, imitating stuffed animals.

        Takeru blinked. “You?”

        Iori turned his attention to Takeru and nodded before he pulled out a bokken that he kept strapped to his back, showing it to the others. “This.”

        Daisuke’s expression contorted. “A wooden sword? You can’t be serious!”

        Taichi eyed the bokken. “I don’t think a wooden sword is gonna do much against Digimon.”

        Iori looked from Daisuke to Taichi without changing his expression. “Have you ever been hit by a bokken?”

        Taichi rubbed his head. “Well… no. “

        “Then allow me to assure you,” Iori said, “in the right hands, a bokken is quite dangerous in its own right.”

        Koshiro was ill at ease as he looked Iori over. While the younger boy was talking with Daisuke and Taichi, he pulled Miyako to the side and whispered in her ear. “Did you already him about Digimon?”

        Miyako threw her arms up in the air. “Are you kidding? I didn’t have enough time.” She flashed Koshiro a confident grin. “But don’t sweat it. If Iori and I both get in, he can protect me. Trust me, he’s _that_ good. And even if he can’t get in, I trust him to watch my back from the computer screen. If _he_ gets in and I don’t, then he’ll be able to help drag back any Digimon you need me to repair, and if we both don’t go then he’ll be my assistant.”

        Iori turned his attention to Miyako for the most part, but his eyes constantly strayed to the coffee table. He did not understand a much of what was going on, but it scarcely bothered him. The only thing that stuck out was the supposed doll in the shape of a little blue dragon thing that inched closer to him from underneath the table, staring at him with wide red eyes. He considered calling the imp to the others’ attention, but Miyako spoke before he could make the decision.

        Miyako made a sound that was between a groan and a sigh after seeing the dubious expressions on the Chosen Children’s faces. “Look, if it works for either of us, you’ll have help on the other side, plus a new Digimon. If it doesn’t, then I’ve got an assistant to help me out here. It’s not like it’ll cost us any more time to try it. Just open up the gate already so we can get going!”

        Taichi scratched his cheek as he looked around at the others. “I guess she has a point.”

        “I think it’s a good idea,” Chibimon said as he suddenly jumped out from beneath the table, rushing over to Iori. “When that bucket attacked Daisuke, Iori caught it and saved Daisuke!” He hopped up and flailed his arms about once he reached the new boy. “He was so fast, like out of a movie!”

        Iori stared down at the little blue creature, his eyes widening just a fraction. For a moment all he could do was look at the little thing as it hopped around in front of him. Not only could this creature move, when it spoke he could understand it, and it also knew who he was. “I… see…?”

        Chibimon stopped bouncing around and beamed at Iori, flashing his sharp teeth in a wide smile. “Thank you for protecting Daisuke~!”

        “You’re… welcome,” Iori said, slowly, as he tried to process what was going on. “And… you are?”

        “Chibimon!” Chibimon said. “I’m a Digimon!”

        “Chibi… mon? Digi… mon?” Iori repeated slowly. After a moment’s hesitation, he snapped out of his surprise enough to remember his manners, and bowed to the strange creature. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Chibi Mon.”

        Chibimon paused for a moment then shook his head as he marked an X in front of him with his arms. “No, not Chibi Mon. Chibimon!” He raised his paws to the sky. “And when I evolve, I become V-mon!”

        Iori tilted his head as he regarded the creature. “V-mon.”

        Chibimon nodded at that, then gestured towards the other Digimon. “And that’s Patamon, Tailmon, Tentomon, and Palmon!”

        Iori gazed at each Digimon in turn, who looked back at him with expressions ranging from curiosity to uncertainty. He imagined their expressions reflected his own, or at least would have if he were not wearing a carefully made mask of neutrality.

        The Digimon gave up pretending to be stuffed animals and moved out from beneath the table so that they could properly greet their guest. Iori gave a bow to them as he did to Chibimon. “I am Hida, Iori Hida. Pleased to meet you, Digimon.”

        Koshiro set his laptop down on the dining room table. “Okay, then everyone who’s staying here better step back.” When everyone moved into the proper positions, he turned to Takeru. “Would you do the honors?”

        Takeru nodded, and then pulled out his Digivice. There was no point in delaying anymore. Whatever was going to happen with Miyako and Iori would be settled with three simple words. “Digital Gate open!”


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their numbers suddenly bolstered, the Chosen had no time to rejoice. They were playing right in to the Kaiser's hands, with full knowledge of the trap ahead. They could only hope that knowing would somehow minimize the threat and increase their odds of success.
> 
> * * *

        The first thing Iori became aware of when the blinding light died down was that he was no longer at the Izumi residence. Gone was the well decorated but cramped apartment. In its place was a vast sweeping plain with short silver strands of grass that bowed to a gentle breeze. Overhead, the sky was filled with light gray clouds peppered with spots of black. There was little to look at besides the other children, save for a massive dome structure. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell just how large the dome was or how far away they were, as there was little in their surroundings to give it a true sense of scale.

        The second thing Iori noticed was that his clothes had changed – his school uniform was gone and had been replaced with a white gi, black hakama, and white obi. With his wooden bokken, he looked like a little samurai.

        Iori felt dazed as he looked at their surroundings then at his clothes, as though the details were slow to filter into his mind. As he slowly became aware that he was not dreaming, his normally placid expression turned into a frown as he voiced his uncertainty with a hum at the back of his throat.

        Miyako’s shriek pierced the air, shocking Iori out of his introspection and putting the Chosen instantly on alert. There was no sign of attack, as they expected. Instead, Miyako was looking frantically at herself, particularly at the elbow-length purple gloves she wore. Her clothing had changed like the others, from overalls to an outfit reminiscent of her school uniform, only far more elaborate. Her blouse was white with short sleeves of a transparent violet material. A large purple bow covered her chest instead of a sash, adorned with a heart shaped golden broach pinned at the center of it. The sailor-style collar, pleated skirt, choker, and high-heeled knee-length boots were the same shade of purple as her bow, with white or darker purple serving as accents. To top everything off, she had a golden tiara on her head with a purple tear-shaped jewel hanging down over her forehead.

        Takeru and the others outright gawked at Miyako. After a moment, shock gave away to the almost irresistible urge to laugh. The Chosen of Hope tried to keep his amusement out of his expression, but his body started to shake from repressing his laughter. He covered his mouth with his hands and coughed to hide the small giggles that escaped him. It was a pathetic cover up and he knew it. “It’s… really interesting, Miyako.”

        Daisuke had far less restraint than Takeru and doubled over laughing. He attempted to make some sort of witty remark, but the words kept getting choked due to his laughter.

        Somehow, Iori managed to appear unaffected through it all even as the rest of the Chosen tried desperately not to laugh at Miyako’s outfit. He tilted his head slightly and looked his friend over with a more critical eye. “Your clothes changed as well.”

        Koshiro covered his mouth as well, though a small chortle escaped him. “N-nice look, Miyako.”

        Mimi giggled not from finding Miyako’s outfit funny, but because of genuine enjoyment. She beamed at the younger girl. “You look so cute, Miyako-chan! I’m jealous… I’m still waiting for _my_ clothes to change into something cute too.”

        Miyako’s face turned bright red and she glared at the others while wagging a pointing finger at them. “Th-this… this is… is _sexual harassment_! I _demand_ to speak with whoever is in charge of wardrobe around here! This is _not_ how a hero should look, or, er, at least not how _I_ should look!” She whirled to glare at the sky. “Gennai! Tenraimon! Whoever is watching us, if you don’t give me something decent right now, I swear I’ll wring your neck if I ever catch you!”

        Iori looked over his outfit, taking the change much more calmly than Miyako was. He felt over his clothes, noting that they were certainly real. He then glanced over to the others. “Almost everyone’s clothes have changed.”

        “Yeah,” Takeru said with a small shrug. “We don’t know why, either.”

        Daisuke finally managed to catch his breath as he wiped away the tears from his eyes. “Oh… oh man. H-Hikari-chan! G-get out your camera! We’ve _got_ to have a picture of this!”

        Miyako gave Daisuke a glare that could curdle milk. “Do it and die.”

        Daisuke could not stop himself from snickering. “L-let me guess, if I don’t then in the name of the moon you’ll pun–”

        Miyako suddenly grabbed Daisuke by the collar and yanked him forward with one hand, choking him off midsentence while she glared into his eyes. “You make just _one_ more joke about my outfit and I’ll show you how I don’t _need_ a Digimon to kick your butt all the way back to the real world, Motomiya.”

        Daisuke gagged and struggled to free himself from Miyako’s iron grip. “Okay, okay! I got it! No more jokes!”

        V-mon growled as he rushed forward, to his Chosen’s aid. “You try it! Just you try and hurt Daisuke!”

        Miyako snorted, but let Daisuke go. She turned away from him and eyed the others, daring them to make any comment.

        Iori was the only person who responded to the challenge. “You should have said ‘mon,’ anyway.”

        Miyako glared at Iori. “Et tu, Iori?”

        Iori’s expression did not change, but he bowed slightly in apology. “It felt like good comedic timing.”

        “Come on,” Hikari said, “we shouldn’t fight each other.” She smiled at Miyako, hoping to soften the other girl’s sour mood. “Anyway, this is a good thing, Miyako. Your theory worked.”

        Miyako grunted as she turned her gaze down to her clenched fist. “Yeah, yeah.” She held up the Digivice resting within her palm. “I’m a Chosen Child like the rest of you, just with a cheesecake uniform for fan service or whatever. Iori is a Chosen Child too if what’s in his hand is a Digivice like mine.”

        Iori blinked at that before his eyes widened. The shock of the change in their surroundings had yet to settle in, leaving him more surprised that he did not notice that he was holding onto something until Miyako pointed towards it. He held up the holy relic as his expression reverted to a blank mask. “Digivice?”

        Miyako made a dismissive wave of her hand. “Long story short, that’s a holy item that lets you bond with a creature from this world who was made for you, who we should track down and find after this mission.” She paused for a moment and cocked her head slightly. “Oh, and to clear up a few more points: you’re a hero for justice called a Chosen Child. This is the Digital World, and we’re going to save its inhabitants, Digimon, for their sake and because if the Digital World gets messed up, our world does too. Questions?”

        Iori looked at his Digivice for a moment, then looked at Miyako. “Is this what you meant when you said it might be a ‘first come, first serve’ basis?”

        A flash of panic appeared on Miyako’s face before she let out a hiss through her teeth. She then forced out a laugh, as though it would cover up her hasty shushing. “O-of course not! That was totally _not_ related to this whatsoever! T-try to keep up, Iori!”

        “I apologize,” Iori said, before he looked down at his Digivice. “I suppose I’ll just have to do my best.”

        “Of course!” Miyako said with much more energy as she put her hands to her hips.

        The smile finally disappeared from Daisuke’s face. “Wait…”

        Koshiro let out a hum as he rubbed his chin. “How strange… Miyako, I remember you said before that you never saw Parrotmon and Greymon’s battle, right?” He waited until Miyako nodded. “It can’t be a coincidence that the first kids we try to bring into the Digital World wind up as Chosen Children. Could it really be just exposure that causes it, or are we creating new Chosen Children every time we bring someone in?”

        “I don’t think that’s it,” Takeru said. “Remember? Ryo said that there were only fifteen crests.”

        Koshiro’s brow furrowed. “That’s true… But this still seems too cooincidental.”

        Mimi tilted her head slightly at Koshiro. “You mean like how the seven of us were separated from the others at summer camp at the same time and it was our Digimon who were together waiting?”

        Koshiro’s expression turned blank as he looked at Mimi before he blinked slowly. “That’s… true I guess.”

        “ _Nooooo!_ ” Daisuke shouted, startling the group. “No way! Inoe _can’t_ be a Chosen Child!”

        Miyako arched an eyebrow at Daisuke. “Slow on the uptake as usual, Motomiya?” She thrust out her Digivice in Daisuke’s direction so that he could see it. “ _Yes_ I _am_ a Chosen Child. Just. Like. _You_!” She poked his chest on the last word for emphasis before she used that same finger to slide her glasses upward along the bridge of her nose. “Deal with it.”

        Daisuke shook his head. “No way! There’s just no way!”

        Hikari’s expression grew troubled and she approached Daisuke to touch his shoulder. “Daisuke? What’s wrong?”

        Daisuke pointed at Miyako. “ _She’s_ what’s wrong! How can someone like _Inoe_ be a Chosen Child?”

        Miyako’s cheek twitched. “And just what is it about ‘someone like me’ that can’t be a hero, but someone like _Motomiya_ can?”

        Daisuke faltered before he made wide, vague gestures at his sides. “Your character type is always the snitch at school who picks on the hero and becomes unimportant about halfway through the season because the heroes have much bigger things to deal about than some jerk always going after them and turning them in to the teachers! How can someone like you be a _Chosen_?”

        Miyako’s eyes narrowed, taking on a dangerous glint as she took a bold step closer to Daisuke. “Oh, so reporting a _delinquent_ who regularly _beats people up_ to the teachers is a _bad_ thing now? Does that mean I better not report a _criminal_ to the _police_ or I won’t be a real ‘hero,’” she made air quotes with her fingers, “like you think I should be? And just what kind of ‘hero’ thinks it’s better to beat someone up when they’re angry than be _responsible_ and report them for their behavior?”

        “Like the teachers care,” Daisuke said, nearly spitting the words. “Once they make up their minds about you, they don’t care _what_ you say. It’s no wonder you love them since you suck up to them so much!”

        Miyako clenched the hand not holding her Digivice into a fist. “I don’t ‘suck up’ to the teachers!”

        Daisuke scoffed. “If you sucked any harder, they’d be able to use you to clean up hotel carpets.”

        “Stop it!” Hikari shouted as she got between Miyako and Daisuke, holding up her hands. “No more fighting! I mean it!”

        Daisuke jerked back, as Hikari’s interference startled him and disrupted the momentum he built up during the argument. He tried to respond, but the words tumbled out half-formed and awkward. Red faced, he looked away, managing to force out a muttered apology directed at Hikari.

        Miyako took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “ _I’m_ not the instigator here, but I’m willing to ignore Motomiya if he’s willing to get over whatever _issue_ he has with me being here.” She turned away from the others, folding her arms over her chest. “Besides, we have more _important_ things to do, remember?”

        Takeru glanced between Miyako and Daisuke uneasily. Whatever good feelings he had about discovering two new Chosen Children were dashed by the fact that it resulted in such intense friction. From what he could tell, Miyako believed the terrible rumors about Daisuke and in turn, the goggle boy resented people like her who looked down on him. Takeru could hardly blame either of them given the circumstances. He hoped that Miyako would figure out that the rumors were nothing more than empty lies and that Daisuke would be able to relax his guard around her.

        “That’s right,” Hikari said, trying to balance sounding firm without becoming fierce and worsening the tension. “We’re here because we were _all_ Chosen to protect the Digital World. None of us would be here if we were a bad person.”

        Mimi nodded along with Hikari and had been set to agree with the younger girl, when a sobering thought suddenly occurred to her. Words muttered with an unpleasant note left her lips before she could consider if it was a good idea for her to say them right now. “Except the Digimon Kaiser.”

        The reminder brought a somber mood to the group. Hikari grimaced, but remained firm in her stance. “We don’t know the truth behind the Digimon Kaiser yet, but either way, none of us here is a bad person.”

        Koshiro rubbed the back of his neck, as the tension made him feel an increasing sense of nervousness. “L-let’s just focus on why we came here for now, okay?”

        Daisuke cast a suspicious eye Miyako’s way, though she failed to see it as she was still pointedly ignoring him. He bent down to whisper into V-mon’s ear when no one was looking their way. “We better keep an eye on Inoe just in case. If that jerk can be here, then maybe he can make it so other jerks can just waltz on in too.”

        V-mon nodded sharply. “You got it, Daisuke!”

        Daisuke shushed V-mon quickly with an anxious look towards the others. “Let’s keep it between us for now. We can’t let Inoe know we’re on to her.”

        The little blue dragon nodded again, clenching his fists. He narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Miyako, his jaw clenching. He did not understand why she was a Chosen, but it ultimately didn't matter. She was not _his_ Chosen, so he did not care about her at all – so long as she stayed away from Daisuke.

        “Koshiro, why are no Digimon coming to confront us?” Tentomon asked as he hovered overhead, cutting into the drama as he inadvertently reminded the group where they are and why they had come. “They must know we are here.”

        Koshiro turned towards the factory town, brow furrowed. The city was undeniably quiet and unassuming. The bickering had made the Chosen an obvious target, and yet no controlled Digimon had moved to take advantage. He let out a low hum at the back of his throat. “Either the Digimon have been vacated elsewhere…”

        “Or it’s a trap,” Tailmon said, her arms crossed and tail lashing behind her. “And there’s no way to avoid it.”

        V-mon looked up from conspiring with Daisuke to blink at Tailmon. “Huh? What do you mean? We could just… not go insi… oh.” He slouched a bit. “If we don’t go inside, we can’t free the Digimon!”

        Hikari let out a quiet sigh as she surveyed Factory Town. “We don’t have a choice. We have to save those Digimon.”

        Daisuke scratched his head beneath his goggles. “So what do we do?”

        A sudden beep interrupted the conversation. Hikari pulled out her D-Terminal – the source of the beeping – and read the email she just received. “It’s from Big Brother! He says that he and the others are watching from Koshiro’s computer and will warn us if they see anything suspicious.”

        Koshiro snapped his fingers. “Of course! With my desktop they can get a better look around at our surroundings than we can!”

        Miyako’s shoulders grew ridged as she cast a wary look towards the sky. “So they’re watching us right now?”

        Mimi patted Miyako on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Miyako-chan. You don’t have to feel self-conscious. Your outfit is so cute!”

        Miyako’s cheeks pinked and she let out a quiet grunt. “Thanks,” she muttered, “but I’ll bet some of them were laughing like Motomiya.”

        Hikari decided not to mention that Taichi added a PS to the email that was a comment about Miyako’s outfit. She doubted that Miyako would find it as humorous as her brother did. “Anyway, we should get ready to go in.”

        Iori quietly watched the Chosen discuss the situation. He had little to say about the fight between Miyako and Daisuke, and it certainly did not seem like his place to comment on it; he did not know Daisuke well enough to know if the criticism was valid, so anything he said would have been biased. Likewise, it was not his place to comment on the situation he was currently in – for precisely the same reason. He had so little understanding of the Digimon, of his sudden change in clothes, or his surroundings that he had no choice but to follow Miyako’s lead and do his best to protect her. “I will do my best.”

        “Is there really no other way…?” Tailmon muttered as she eyed Hikari. While she certainly wanted to rescue the Digimon captured by the Kaiser, she did not like the idea of walking headfirst in to a trap, especially when it might endanger Hikari.

        Takeru furrowed his eyebrows as he crossed his arms, surveying the opened gates with a critical eye. “That dome is new. I don’t remember there being one at Factory Town last time we were here…” After several moments, he turned to Koshiro. “Can Taichi or my brother get a good look of the dome?”

        Koshiro blinked before he tilted his head thoughtfully. “I’m sure they can, but why?”

        “Well, it’s just…,” Takeru trailed off before he glanced upward, trying to see the top of the dome. Unfortunately, no matter how much he squinted, he could not see anything. “I sincerely doubt the Digimon Kaiser came in through the front gate. So how did he get in? Did he damage the dome?”

        “Oi!” Daisuke shouted towards the sky. “Senpai, could you check the dome for any big holes or something that looks like a trap?”

        “You don’t need to shout, Daisuke,” Koshiro said. “If the others miss what we said the first time, we can just send an email.”

        “Have them check for underground passages too,” Miyako said as she faced Koshiro, her back pointedly aimed towards Daisuke. “Someplace that big has to have a sewer system, and no one would expect an army to come in that way.”

        Takeru’s eyes widened. “Of _course_! The _sewers_!”

        Mimi grimaced and stuck out her tongue. “Not there again. Don’t you remember the last time we went through that sewer?”

        The chime of Hikari’s D-Terminal signaled silence before anyone could respond. “There’s no damage to the dome, just a doorway in the front and back, and both are open.” She frowned. “They can see inside too, but they haven’t spotted any Digimon so far. Oh, and Miyako, they found about half a dozen sewer entrances, but it’s too dark for them to see what’s inside.”

        Koshiro blinked. “Too dark?”

        “You’re lucky I came prepared,” Miyako said as she reached into her pocket, only to fumble against her skirt. “Oh darn it! My flashlight was in my pants!”

        “That’s weird,” Takeru muttered as he crossed his arms. “I don’t remember the sewer being dark last time.”

        Hikari looked over in the direction of the nearest sewer entrance that Taichi indicated. “Maybe the Digimon Kaiser turned out the lights to hinder us.”

        “Something about that seems off,” Koshiro said as he rubbed his chin. “I just can’t put my finger on it...”

        Tailmon flicked her ears. “Either way, we now have two options. We either go through the sewers or the front gates.”

        “Or the back,” Hikari said. “But I don’t think that’ll be any better than going in through the front.”

        Takeru tilted his head, looking at Factory Town at a slight angle as he considered their options. “If we don’t go through the front, he may pursue us in to the sewers. Assuming there’s a trap at all, I mean. He’d immediately know the trap failed and if he came in through the sewers, he’d know about them.”

        “Let’s split up,” Daisuke said. “If one of them is a trap then the others will still be free to save ‘em!”

        Miyako made a show of rolling her eyes with a quiet scoff. “And if there’s more than one trap, what then?”

        Daisuke shot Miyako a glare. With her back to him he could not see her expression, but her condescending tone rubbed him the wrong way. “He can’t catch all of us off guard! Besides, Senpai and the others will be watching to give one group the heads up that the other is in trouble.”

        “At the very least, it’d split the Kaiser’s attention,” Takeru said. “I guess we just need to decide who goes where. I imagine the front gate would be the most dangerous route, so Patamon and I’ll take that one.”

        Koshiro turned towards the dome. “We should probably split into three groups then to cover the front, back, and sewer entrances.”

        Tailmon glanced towards Hikari, her ears canting back. While she was more inclined to follow Takeru and Patamon through the front gates, it meant bringing Hikari with her. And at this point, she preferred to keep Hikari out of danger as much as she could. Tailmon could manage, but even now, Hikari was practically dead on her feet. “Hikari and I will take the sewers.”

        “I call dibs on the back way!” Mimi shouted as her hand shot into the air. “I am _not_ going back into those sewers.”

        Takeru shook his head. “We don’t have the manpower for that. If everyone had their Digimon, sure, we could risk that. But as it is, we only have _five_ fighters. It’d mean someone would go alone.”

        Hikari let out a quiet hum. “We could just all go in through the front in waves. If the first wave gets caught in a trap, the second will help them out of it.”

        A chime from the D-Terminal drew away Hikari’s attention. “Ah, the others back home think that splitting up might be a good idea too. They think Takeru and Daisuke should make a big scene at the entrance and the rest of us should sneak in through the sewer.”

        Mimi let out a groan. “Not again.” She suddenly grabbed Daisuke’s hands. “Hey, Daisuke, trade with me!”

        Daisuke’s cheeks turned pink as he stared at Mimi who batted her eyelashes at him and turned on the charm. “I-I-I uh, I...”

        “I think his hormones are saying ‘yes,’ Miss Tachibana,” Miyako said before letting out a disgusted snort.

        Mimi beamed, her face lighting up. “Really? Thank you, Daisuke~!” She hugged Daisuke who squeaked in response, the pink in his cheeks turning to red.

        Iori tilted his head as he watched the Chosen discuss their strategy. After a moment, he turned to look at Miyako. “I notice we’re not included among the ‘five fighters’.”

        Miyako looked at Iori sideways. “Until we get our Digimon, we’re basically liabilities.”

        “Okay then, let’s go,” Koshiro said.

        “Hang on,” Miyako said, raising her voice. “I’m going with the group heading in the front too.”

        Koshiro blinked, startled. “Eh? Why?”

        Miyako pointed down at her feet. “High heels. I can barely walk in these things. You think I can tramp around slick tiles and slime in these?”

        Koshiro rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, right, good point.”

        “If Miyako is going through the front, so will I,” Iori said. He understood very little, save that there was danger involved, and he had promised to protect Miyako. Even if he felt slightly out of his league and very much confused, he understood enough to know that the fact that he was even there confirmed that he was still had a job to do.

        Miyako flashed Iori a grin. “I was just about to say...”

        Koshiro frowned as he glanced towards Takeru and Mimi. “Do you think you can handle protecting these two by yourselves?”

        Mimi did her best to look cheerful, though her smile did not quite reach her eyes. “Palmon and I will do our best, right?” She turned to her partner, a slight emphasis on her question.

        Takeru was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “So long as they keep their distance, Patamon and I will do our best to make enough noise. Maybe toss a few ‘tiny towers’ here or there.” He grinned slightly towards Daisuke. “Right~?”

        Daisuke blinked at Takeru, but after a second, he remembered the reference and laughed, flashing a grin at the other boy. “Right!”

        “We should go,” Tailmon said. “We don’t have much time before the Kaiser notices us.”

        “Assuming he hasn’t already,” Takeru agreed, and then glanced up to his Digimon. If it really was a trap, then the Digimon Kaiser no doubt knew they were coming and was simply lying in wait, ready to attack. They needed to be ready for anything, as he did not doubt the Digimon Kaiser was going to throw his worst at them. As much as he wanted to avoid a trap, they did not have the luxury of waiting if there were more injured Digimon like Guardromon slowly dying inside.

        The very notion sent a repulsed shudder through Takeru, bringing up that haunting memory of Angemon. It only flashed in his mind for a second before he harshly shoved it aside and began walking off with bold strides. “Let’s go.”

        Iori turned to Miyako, his expression entirely without emotion. “This is all rather hard to believe.”

        Miyako looked at Iori sideways and shrugged. “Eh, just try to run with it for now. Think of this as a really realistic dream where stuff doesn’t make much sense because L-O-L dream logic or whatever. I’ll give you the full details about everything when we get back to the real world.”

        Iori frowned, a flash of unease appearing on his face for a brief instant. He looked down at the strange holy item that appeared with him, the Digivice, then looked his clothes over. Only his bokken had not changed, and that was comfort enough for now. When his eyes met Miyako’s again, he nodded.

        With great tension and hesitation, the two groups split up. Takeru and Mimi headed towards the inviting front gates with their Digimon close beside them, while Miyako and Iori followed at a safe distance – assuming any distance was ‘safe’ when it came to walking head-first in to a trap. Meanwhile, Tailmon lead the way to the closest entrance to the sewers, followed by Hikari, Koshiro and Tentamon, and Daisuke and V-mon.

        No one knew what to expect, so all they could do was expect the worst, while hoping that ‘worst’ was something that they could handle.

* * *

        “I don’t like this, _at all_ ,” Yamato said, his voice rough like a growl. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides as feelings of anger and helplessness swelled up inside him the longer he glared at the computer screen. “They’re walking head first into a trap! We _know_ it’s a trap, and there’s not a damn thing we can do about it!”

        Sora shifted uncomfortably as she stood near Yamato and Taichi as the three of them hovered in front of Koshiro’s computer, all mindful to avoid crowding too close to the unconscious Guardromon. “He knows we won’t refuse to go in,” she said, her voice soft. She looked at her Digivice that she held clutched tightly in her hands. She was still adjusting to the new shape, even though it felt more comfortable in her hands than its previous form. “He knows we won’t leave the Digimon to suffer.”

        “He’s got us by the _balls_!” Yamato shouted, practically spitting out the words as though they tasted vile. A heartbeat later, he realized that he used vulgar language in front of a girl and had the good sense to cast a sheepish look in Sora’s direction. “…Proverbially.”

        Taichi paced in front of Koshiro’s desk like a large cat trapped in a tiny cage. He had gotten into a routine of pausing in front of the computer, arms tightly folded against his chest, before he found just standing there, watching the Digital Gate as it showed his sister and friends going into battle, was too much and he started moving again for lack of anything else he could do. “Maybe we should tell the others to just blow a hole in the dome and come in that way. Doubt that brat would expect something like _that_.”

        “We don’t know that we _can_ damage the dome,” Jou said as he wrung his hands in his lap, at the end of Koshiro’s bed. “Kaiser could have tried that first. So if _he_ couldn’t break it and had to sneak in through the sewers…”

        Taichi exhaled deeply through his nose before he responded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

        “I just can’t…” Sora said in a wavering tone that died off on an unpleasant note. Her brow furrowed as she looked to the Digital Gate, waiting for the Digimon Kaiser’s inevitable appearance. “He’s a _Chosen Child_ , and yet…”

        Taichi scowled at the screen as he watched Mimi and Takeru enter the dome. “Yeah… What the heck happened to that guy to make him like this?”

        Yamato paced beside the bed and shot a glare at the computer screen. “We don’t know that he wasn’t _always_ like this.” He practically growled the words, gritting his teeth. As he watched his brother peer around the city with a nervous air, his hands tightened into fists. “He’s just a little brat throwing a tantrum, and doing whatever he wants, to whoever he wants, no matter _who_ gets hurt.”

        “I wish Gennai were here,” Taichi said. “Maybe he could help us figure out how one of us could be _evil_.”

        “I don’t give a damn,” Jou said. His voice came out so quietly that the others nearly missed it, but it was his tone that caught their attention. His voice was as hard as the grip his hands had on one another in his lap. “I don’t need or _want_ to know anything about that brat. I just want Gomamon back.”

        A weighty silence settled upon the room as the other three Chosen Children stared at Jou, startled by his words and uncharacteristic demeanor. Seconds ticked by slowly and with great discomfort until Taichi finally blurted out the first thing that popped into his mind. “Jou? Are you okay?”

        Jou’s gaze did not rise from his hands. He seemed almost transfixed by the whiteness of his knuckles, and how his hands trembled faintly. Taichi had been ready to speak again when his shoulders slumped and he let out a heavy breath. “I’m fine.”

        Yamato stared hard at Jou, focusing on the other boy’s posture, the tension lines marring Jou’s normally boyish face. He did not believe the Chosen of Honesty’s lie for a single second. “‘Fine’.”

        Jou seemed to realize that no one believed him and he turned his head slightly so that he focused on a point on the wall away from the others. “I’ll be fine when I get Gomamon back,” he said quietly.

        Sora felt her heart ache. She stood up and moved to sit by Jou, then touched his knee. She felt him flinch, but he still did not look at her or anyone else. “It’s going to be okay. We’re… we’re going to save them.”

        Taichi stood at the end of the bed on the other side of Jou and gave the older boy a pat on the back. “That’s right! We’ve already got half of them back, so we’re due to get the rest of them back soon!”

        Jou let out his breath in an ‘oof’ when Taichi patted him and sat slightly slumped forward from the friendly gesture for a prolonged moment. Finally, he straightened up and nodded, though he still had trouble lifting his eyes. He knew that he was worrying his friends needlessly, and regretted being so careless with his words. “T-that’s right,” he said, trying to sound hopeful even if he did not really feel it. “There might even… even be someone at Factory Town… Maybe…” He could not finish the thought for fear of being crushed should Gomamon not be there.

        Taichi flashed Jou a grin. “Right! For all we know, Gomamon is there for whatever trap the Kaiser has set up, so all the others have to do is free him!”

        Yamato nodded at that. “Just hang in there, got it?”

        Jou could do little more than nod. He could not bring himself to find solace in anything his friends were telling him, but he did not want to argue the point. He wanted them to return their attention to the Digital Gate, and away from him so that he would not have to think about it anymore. “R-right…”

* * *

        Factory Town had changed quite a bit in a couple years, with the dome being the most prominent difference the Chosen noticed. However, the addition of a dome was not the only thing that had changed in this area. The Digimon town had grown considerably in size, at least by a factor of four, with tall towering metal structures – both buildings and construction equipment alike.

        However, the most disturbing difference from the last time the Chosen set foot in Factory Town was that everything was at a complete standstill. Conveyer belts and cogs no longer spun, metal arms were frozen in mid-grab like the skeletal arms of a creature made from machinery that had been stripped of flesh. The signs that resulted from the Digimon Kaiser’s invasion were still present in the form of spilled boxes of machinery, scorch marks or bullet holes scarring the walls or ground, and the occasional splatter of oil. The lack of life and the scars of a recent battle made the place a ghost town that was smothering under a terrible weight of _silence_ that pressed down on the Chosen and made every footstep double in volume.

        “Hey,” Takeru said as he came to a stop in the middle of street, just inside the monstrous gateway to the outside world. He noticed a faint echo when he spoke that distorted his voice with a faintly metallic tinge when it came back to him. “Wasn’t this place… _doing_ something the last time we were here? Even though it was just building and taking things apart. It looks like all the machines have… _stopped_.”

        Mimi looked around at the countless pieces of machinery that surrounded them before her gaze latched onto a large patch of oil surrounding some small shards of metal. Reminded of Guardromon, she shivered a bit and rubbed her arms as she stepped closer to Palmon. “This is kind of creepy…”

        “It feels like an abandoned industrial complex,” Iori said as he followed Takeru and Mimi. “I… assume that it’s not supposed to be abandoned.”

        Palmon craned her head about, her eyes wide and blinking. “Where are all the Digimon?” She glanced over at Mimi and followed her partner’s gaze. When she spotted what Mimi was looking at, her mouth twisted in a grimace. “The Guardromon…”

        “They’re probably all brainwashed by now,” Miyako said, her arms folded in front of her. “The Digimon Kaiser probably has them lying in wait for us. There’s plenty of places to hide in here, and they have the advantage of being familiar with the terrain.”

        Patamon scanned the area from high above, frowning. “I don’t see anyone but us. Do the others back at Koshiro’s place see anything, Takeru?”

        Takeru checked his D-Terminal. “No messages yet. I guess they haven’t seen–”

        At that moment, the huge gates slammed shut behind the Chosen. A deep, vibrating rumble echoed through the silence as Factory Town sealed itself off from the outside world. The deafening noise continued to linger as the Chosen turned back to stare at the door that cut them off from any chance of escape.

        “Wow,” Takeru said, his voice dry. “Who would have expected that.”

        Miyako took a few steps closer to Iori as she scanned the area, trying to hide her nervousness. “Get ready!”

        Long seconds ticked by as the group stood close to one another, searching for any sign of attack. The tension only grew more unbearable as the wait stretched on and nothing around them moved.

        Mimi let out a quiet sound of displeasure as her eyes darted about anxiously, her Digivice clutched tightly in her palm. “Maybe… maybe the door just shut by itself?”

        There was no opportunity to answer, as an angry cry pierced the air and drew the group’s attention to their rear flank, where Iori and Miyako were exposed. “ _Feel the wrath of Heaven’s fury!_ ”

        Miyako had barely a moment to widen her eyes as she saw the blur of something barreling towards her. Iori was in front of her just as three swords collided centimeters away from her face with a mighty clatter. Somehow, his bokken held back not one but two rapiers made from unknown metal. She screamed as she realized how close the attack had come to her and scrambled away on instinct, only to trip on her high heels and crash onto her backside in an undignified heap.

        Iori strained against the force of his opponent’s swords until he used the creature’s strength against it. With a masterful stroke he redirected the enemy’s swords to the ground then pushed his opponent back so that he could get a better look at who he was dealing with and ready to counter its next move.

        The attacker was a Digimon no taller than any of the Chosen Children but twice as wide. It bounced back from Iori after being repelled, its metal boots clanking against the floor with such a clatter that it was hard to imagine how the Digimon managed to sneak up on the Chosen in the first place. The Digimon appeared to be a knight in heavy armor and chainmail, or rather a giant baseball with noodle-like arms dressed up as a reasonable facsimile of a knight. Two giant blue eyes peeked out from a raised visor that rested around level with its shoulders, as the Digimon’s head was fused with its round body. Aside from the eyes, there was nothing of the Digimon’s face but blackness, but its displeasure was evident in its narrowed glare and the affronted tone it used. “You dare defy the vengeance of Heaven? Your punishment will be severe indeed!”

        Iori kept his gaze on the Digimon, holding his bokken in front of him. “Attacking an unarmed opponent is cowardly.”

        The Digimon jerked, its eyes boggling. “ _What_? You _dare_ call the Digimon Kaiser’s greatest knight a coward? Unthinkable! Have you no shame? You shameful enemies of the Digimon Kaiser above all would know that any invader has made the first strike!”

        “I would ask the same of _you_ ,” Iori said as he pointed the tip of his bokken at the enemy Digimon. “There is no honor in attacking an unarmed opponent, woman or otherwise.”

        “Iori!” Mimi shouted before she turned to her partner. “Palmon!”

        “I’m ready, Mimi!” Palmon said as she clenched her fists.

        “Iori, get back!” Takeru said as he grabbed his Digivice. He mentally cursed at how quickly the Kaiser’s controlled Digimon had focused in on the more helpless members of the group. “Patamon!”

        “Ready, Takeru!” Patamon said as he dove down to join Palmon, prepared to evolve and fight.

        “Wait,” the Digimon said as he held up one of his rapiers. “Is it not the custom to give one’s own name first?”

        The question came so unexpected that it was enough reason for the Chosen to pause. Frowning, Iori stepped forward, but he never had the chance to speak.

        “Fine then,” the Digimon said sharply. “Mine I shall give!” He made a sweeping gesture to his right with one of his rapiers. “I am the undefeated champion of the Digimon Kaiser’s Factory Town.” He drew his left sword outward in an arc. “A budding supernova in the great Digimon Kaiser’s glorious army.” He brought his rapiers together in an X shape. “The mere mention of my name strikes fear into the hearts of my lord’s enemies.” He drew his swords apart with a scrape of metal and formed them into a V. “My comrades call me the Silver Thunder of the Digital World!” He crashed his swords together to create a sound not unlike thunder. “Gladimon, Adult Vaccine Warrior.”

        Miyako forgot about her close call or that she had been scared of this Digimon in the first place, and was the first to break the awkward silence that followed Gladimon’s speech. “Is this guy for real?”

        Takeru stared at Gladimon, taken back. It felt like a scene from an anime, not something he’d actually witness in real life. “Silver… Thunder?”

        Iori showed no reaction to the small ‘show’ Gladimon made of a simple introduction. “Are you done?”

        Gladimon pointed one of his rapiers at Iori. “Now you have no excuse. Reveal thy identity, you wretch, then face the wrath of the Silver Thunder!”

        “Iori, watch out!” Takeru said, snapping out of his bewilderment to remember that Iori and Miyako were still in grave danger. “He’s–”

        Iori moved quickly, crouching forward before he slammed his bokken into the Digimon’s chest. Like a pool stick hitting a cue ball, the armored Digimon bounced back violently across the road and into a building nearby, shattering the bricks and metal upon impact due to the sheer force propelling him.

        Takeru stopped dead in his tracks and outright gawked at the giant hole the Iori made with Gladimon. A _single blow_ dealt by a child _his age_ wielding a _wooden_ sword created a hole that Angemon could walk through.

        Iori straightened up as he drew back his bokken, holding it to his side. His expression was quite stern, as a wind with strangely appropriate timing blew past him and whipped his outfit about. “I don’t give my name to _villains_.”

        Mimi gawked at the destruction Iori caused, her mouth hanging open in a small O shape. “That… how did he…?”

        “Amazing…,” Patamon said, his voice hushed with awe. “I didn’t think humans were capable of being so strong.”

        Miyako pulled herself back onto her feet, wobbling a bit due to her heels. She smirked at the gawking expressions of the other Chosen as she readjusted her glasses. “Now you know why I brought Iori along as my bodyguard.” With her glasses back in place, she was able to get a proper look at the hole as a few more bits of debris fell to the ground. “Though… that’s impressive even for Iori.”

        “B-but he’s… human!” Takeru said, turning to face Miyako in shock. “And that was an _Adult_ Digimon!”

        “Do we have the time to discuss this now?” Iori asked. “The trap has been sprung. Should we not go forward?”

        “Couldn’t have put it better myself,” Miyako said before pointing ahead of them. “Let’s _go_ , Chosen Children!”

* * *

        “What… what the hell was that?” Yamato muttered as he still stared at the laptop, struggling to mentally process what he had just witnessed. “Did you see that…?” The question was rhetorical, as there was no way anyone could have missed the sight of a single boy with a wooden stick smacking around an Adult Digimon. The expressions his friends wore were proof enough of that.

        “How did…,” Taichi said, though words quickly failed him. Instead, odd noises came out as he gestured wildly towards the screen, as if somehow he could somehow articulate his thoughts through pantomime.

        “T-that was… amazing,” Sora muttered, her hand over her mouth. It was the only word she could think of to describe what she just witnessed. Anything else felt utterly, woefully inadequate.

        “He… h-he is human, right?” Jou asked, before he let out an awkward laugh. “I-I mean, of course he’s human, but…!”

        Taichi finally wrenched his gaze away from the screen to turn to the other Chosen Children. “Who _is_ this guy _?_!”

        Yamato shook his head slowly. “We’re going to have to have a _long_ chat with Koshiro and Miyako about this.”

        “But… but this is good, right?” Sora asked before she turned towards the other Chosen Children, surprise giving way to enthusiasm. “It means he can protect himself, and he’d be a great help!”

        Taichi raked his fingers through his hair as he tried unsuccessfully to accept the fact that one of the newest Chosen Children could fight an Adult level Digimon and _win_. “R-right. Right…” He let his hand drop as he shook his head to clear it. “Let… let’s just check in on Hikari and the others for a little while.”

        Yamato nodded at that and typed at the keyboard before stepping away so that everyone could see the Digital Gate as it switched perspective. The brightly lit view of Factory Town changed instantly to an oppressive darkness that initially made him wonder if he had accidentally turned the computer off before he heard the sound of movement – footsteps against slime-covered brick. “Damn, it’s still really dark.”

        “I really don’t… remember it being so dark,” Sora said as she stared hard at the screen, squinting to make out any detail at all. “In fact, I’m fairly certain it _wasn’t_ that dark. I remember being able to see as we ran away from those Numemon.”

        Jou furrowed his eyebrows as he readjusted his glasses. “What’s going on…?”

        Yamato frowned as he crossed his arms. Nothing was making sense, and he did not like it at all. Even for the Digital World, which was notoriously loose with what it defined as ‘normal’, something seemed off. The fact that he could not pinpoint the reason _why_ made it all the more frustrating.

        “Hey,” Taichi’s voice cut into Yamato’s thoughts, causing the Chosen of Friendship to turn towards the Chosen of Courage. Taichi’s expression was intense as he glared at the screen, his arms folded against his chest even more tightly than Yamato’s, and spoke without looking away from the screen. “You know what gets me the most about the fact that Iori can kick a Digimon’s butt all on his own?”

        Yamato blinked, startled by the sudden question. “Yeah?”

        Taichi let out an irritated breath. “I am _so_ insanely jealous of him right now.”


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>         The Chosen knew that they were walking into a trap, but hoped forewarning would be enough to emerge victorious. Fumbling about in the darkness will not discourage them, but they will need more than determination, as underestimating the Digimon Kaiser is never a good idea.
> 
> * * *

        The darkness of the sewers was oppressive to the point of being unnerving to the Chosen Children. Less than three meters from the entrance, the world beneath Factory Town became pitch black, darker than any night in the Digital World that they could remember. It was nigh impossible to see anything ahead of them, even after their eyes adjusted to the lack of light. The shadows hid all of their surroundings, making it impossible to tell where the walkway or sewage canal were in relation to each other without nearly falling into the latter. That alone made their trip slow to a crawl.

        “Koshiro, please be careful,” Tentomon said as he walked in front of Koshiro. After banging on the ceiling in the dark, he decided that being on the floor was marginally safer than flying.

        “Stay close to me,” Tailmon said as she held Hikari’s hand tightly in her paw. Her eyes reflected the little light that eked in from the entrance whenever she looked back, much like the shine of a real world cat. “I’ll take the lead.”

        “This isn’t a good i–” Koshiro’s words ended in a cry of alarm as his foot strayed too close to the canal and began to topple.

        “Look out!” Tailmon shouted. For just a moment, she released Hikari’s hand and lunged to grab Koshiro’s arm, yanking him back to the safety of the walkway in the nick of time. “Be careful.”

        Koshiro clutched his laptop tightly to his chest as he leaned against the wall, not caring how it smeared a layer of slime against his back, as he focused more on the pounding of his heart. “Th-thank you, Tailmon.”

        Tentomon fumbled in the dark, his sight not much better than the children’s, until he reached Koshiro’s side. “Are you okay, Koshiro?”

        Koshiro nodded, shaking a little. “Y-yeah.”

        “This isn’t going to work,” Hikari said. “Even if the Digimon can see in the dark better than we can, we’re not going to get through this place safely without a light.”

        Daisuke’s eyes lit up with inspiration, though no one could see it. “I’ve got it!” He patted himself down until he found what he was looking for. “Ah hah! Looks like _my_ outfit still has my pockets and stuff!” He whipped out a flashlight, just a small one barely larger than a double A battery, and clicked it on, creating a bright but thin beam of light that briefly blinded Hikari and Koshiro as it shone in their faces. “Ta da! I almost forgot I brought it along with the rest of my basic hero kit.”

        Though Koshiro had a couple spots dancing in his eyes after Daisuke redirected the flashlight to their surroundings, he felt relieved by the presence of such a powerful light. “Good work, Daisuke!”

        “That was really good thinking, Daisuke,” Hikari said. Her smile turned to a more curious look after a moment. “But what do you mean by ‘basic hero kit?’”

        Daisuke chuckled before he fairly beamed at Hikari. “It’s just stuff I’ve seen come in handy in hero stories like ours. You know, stuff like a flashlight, compass, telescope, mirror, pens, a couple of puzzles… Stuff like that. I put them in my pockets every time we might be going to the Digital World.”

        Hikari blinked, surprised. “Oh. That’s a good idea, Daisuke! Maybe we should be bringing more with us when we come to the Digital World…”

        “Daisuke’s so smart~!” V-mon said, with great pride.”You can definitely count on Daisuke!”

        Tailmon crossed her arms as her expression turned disapproving. “It’s something to consider. We’re very under-prepared. While that’s forgivable at first, it will eventually come back to bite us. Like now.”

        “It’s just so strange,” Tentomon said as he looked around at their surroundings. “These sewers weren’t this dark before. When we were escaping the Numemon, we didn’t need flashlights to see. Our path was perfectly clear.”

        Hikari focused her gaze towards the ceiling, which was only barely visible outside of the beam of light created by Daisuke’s flashlight. “Maybe the Digimon Kaiser turned off all the lights.”

        Koshiro snapped his fingers and jerked upright. “Of course! _That’s_ what was bothering me!” He sat down and opened up his laptop on his crossed legs, tapping away at the keyboard the instant the computer awakened from sleep mode.

        Daisuke blinked at Koshiro. “Huh? What’s up?”

        “The lighting program!” Koshiro said. “Haven’t you ever wondered why some places are well lit even though there’s nothing giving off light, like light bulbs or candles or anything like that?” He scarcely waited for Hikari to nod, missing Daisuke’s blank expression. “The Digital World has lines in its code that dictate the lighting levels of a particular area, which is why we’re able to see at all in this place. The sewer’s lighting level must’ve been dropped to zero, which is why it’s pitch black!”

        Tailmon scrunched her forehead as she stared at Koshiro, trying to process what he was saying. “‘Dropped to zero’?”

        Tentomon hummed thoughtfully as he scurried over to Koshiro’s side, his shell faintly reflecting the soft glow of the laptop. “During Factory Town’s gradual expansion, the Digital World must have adjusted the light levels for the sewer systems.”

        “What…?” Tailmon’s ears canted back, unconsciously displaying her frustration towards the conversation. “What purpose would _that_ serve?” She felt like _something_ was amiss, and she always trusted those instincts. “What possible benefit would there be to removing the light in the sewer?”

        “Actually…,” Koshiro said slowly. “I think it’s possible the Digimon Kaiser did this. Back when we were first exploring the Digital World, I found some coding physically written on the walls, and when I erased a part of it, the lights dimmed drastically. He could’ve found that same coding written somewhere in Factory Town and did the same thing I did. Though I’m not sure if he meant to turn out the lights in here or if it was for another purpose…” His fingers stilled for only a moment as his expression turned uncomfortable. “If the Digimon Kaiser is manipulating the Digital World’s code…”

        Hikari leaned over the computer screen, though she was unable to figure out what Koshiro was working on. “So we have to find where the code is and redraw it?”

        Koshiro’s troubled expression melted away as a confident smile replaced it. “We don’t have to. I’ve been spending a lot of time studying all the info I gathered from the Digital World even after we lost contact with Gennai, and I can use my laptop to directly manipulate the coding from here like… this!” In the instant his finger struck the enter key, the darkness faded away and the details of the sewer became as clear as though they were back outside.

        Daisuke jerked back and blinked repeatedly as his eyes adjusted to the change in light. “Whoa!”

        Hikari beamed at her friend. “Great job, Koshiro!”

        Koshiro could not stop himself from letting out a triumphant laugh. “It worked! It really worked!”

        Tailmon squinted her eyes as they adjusted back to the light, a sly smile on her face. “That Kaiser thought he was being smart. He’ll be in for a surprise.”

        Daisuke quivered with excitement as he clenched his fists before pumping his arms into the air. “Ha, _ha_!” He smirked at the ceiling, imagining the Digimon Kaiser’s scowling face. “Take _that_ , Tiny Tow–”

        As sudden as if someone had flipped off a light switch, the entire area plunged in to darkness. The only light came from Koshiro’s laptop, where its glow uselessly illuminated only little more than the Chosen of Knowledge’s torso and face.

        Hikari blinked repeatedly as her eyes readjusted to the sudden change in lighting. “What happened?”

        Koshiro frowned at his laptop. “That’s strange…I thought I had it.” He went back to typing on the keyboard. “Hang on. I’ll try seeing what went wrong.”

        V-mon frowned and glanced in the direction he thought Daisuke was, where he was certain that his Chosen had been standing just a moment before. He disliked the darkness, as it made it hard to protect Daisuke. If only he could see as well as Tailmon, but his eyes just were not that good. He muttered a word that he learned from watching late night television with Daisuke.

        “Maybe I should keep my flashlight on,” Daisuke said as he pushed the button on his flashlight. At the same moment, the lights of the sewer turned back on. “Or not.”

        “ _There_!” Koshiro said with a satisfied nod. “That should fix the problem. I must’ve missed a line of code before.”

        “Good,” Tailmon said. “Now let’s go–”

        While there was no sound, the assembled Chosen could metaphorically _hear_ the click as the lights turned off again, darkness rushing forward like a flood.

        Koshiro scowled at the laptop screen. “What is going _on_? I was positive I had it this time!”

        Hikari sighed. “Maybe we need to find where the code is written down.”

        “No, that shouldn’t be necessary,” Koshiro said, his fingers flying across the keys. “It should be that when I fix the code with my computer, if it’s written down anywhere in here, the writing should appear by itself.” He practically stabbed at the enter key when he finished typing, and a moment later the lights turned back on.

        Scarcely a second passed before the lights immediately cut off again. Koshiro swore under his breath and promptly edited the code again, turning the lights back on only to have them turn off seconds later. The Chosen of Knowledge stubbornly continued to work on fixing the code, the lights flickering on and then off dozens of times in a handful of minutes. The result was a strobe light effect that brought with it an unpleasantly disorienting sensation.

        “Daaaisuke…,” V-mon said, his words trailing off in a whine as he rubbed his eyes. “I’m getting dizzy…”

        Daisuke covered his eyes. “How about we just stick with my flashlight? I feel like I’ve snuck into a bad nightclub.”

        Koshiro let out a sound of frustration as he smacked his hands hard against the floor with a wet slap of slime. He scarcely noticed the unpleasant goop smeared on his hands as he was too focused on his frustration. “Why isn’t this _working?_! It’s like if I fix one line of code, another breaks even if I already fixed it a second ago!”

        “Maybe we should just stop,” Hikari said.

        “Just one more try and I’ll…” Koshiro’s voice trailed off as he stared at a particular line on the screen. “ _What?_!”

        The sound of alarm in the Chosen of Knowledge’s voice drew Hikari closer to peer over his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

        The question had no sooner left Hikari’s lips before she saw what had shocked Koshiro. While most of the code he was working on was little more than gibberish to her, there was one sentence at the very end that was perfectly clear.

         

_Don’t you have more important things to worry about?_

         

        Without warning and without Koshiro’s input, the lights came back on. Such a thing brought the Chosen relief for only a second, which quickly turned into alarm. They were no longer alone in the sewer. Slime-covered Numemon surrounded them from all sides, their bulging eyes angled downward aggressively as they glared at the Chosen. Every single one of them had an Evil Ring hanging loosely around the base of their eyestalks, half-sunken into their squishy bodies.

        Tailmon’s eyes were wide as she gawked at the Numemon. She had been on guard, waiting for any sight or sound of an approaching enemy. However, in spite of this, she had somehow completely missed the encroaching Numemon. Numemon were not particularly fast or stealthy Digimon, either; their slithering tracks were distinct and easily noticed. Yet, she had heard nothing.

        Koshiro jerked in alarm and cried out along with the rest of the Chosen. “What–” His words caught in his throat as he noticed the code disappear from his laptop’s screen, save for two characters.

         

_:)_

         

        Then everything went dark.

* * *

        The Digimon Kaiser finished his typing with a flourish, a quiet chuckle rumbling in his throat as he leaned back against a giant chair that looked like a modernized throne that hovered in the air without legs. The room was dark, save for the ghostly glowing green keyboard that hovered in front of him, and the countless two-dimensional monitors that covered nearly every inch of the room with different images across the Digital World. The two largest monitors were placed directly in front of him, giving him a show that brought a terrible smile to his face as he steepled his gloved fingers together beneath his chin.

        The Chosen in the sewers were screaming, scrambling to escape in the dark that was impermeable to them, but completely absent from the view screen. The Digimon Kaiser could watch them as clear as day thanks to his coding skills.

        Another laugh, louder than before, slipped free of the Digimon Kaiser as he watched Daisuke trip and fall into the sewer runoff. The impudent Chosen Child flailed about in the muck, crawling back to the path blindly in the dark, trying to avoid giant piles of poop flying everywhere.

        Watching them scurrying about in the dark brought great perverse pleasure to the Digimon Kaiser. He could have watched it all day. This suited them. Little rats in the sewer, thinking they had gotten the better of him. As if such a thing could even happen in _his_ Digital World.

        “Run, insects, _run_ ,” the Digimon Kaiser muttered with an undercurrent of laughter mingled with malice in his voice. The sounds of confusion from his opponents was music to his ears. “You should feel at home in the _dark_.”

        “Is this really okay?”

        The question came in a soft child-like voice from a small Digimon sitting on a large cushion placed on the floor to the Digimon Kaiser’s right. The harsh shadows cast by the throne made it difficult to see much more than a vague silhouette and a pair of large, sorrowful blue eyes.

        The Digimon Kaiser paused for a moment before he let out a derisive snort. “They can leave at any time. I’m not stopping them from gating out.”

        The Digimon’s gaze never wavered from the Digimon Kaiser. “What if they get too scared to think about that while they’re running around blind in the dark? What if the Numemon seriously hurt the Chosen Children on accident?”

        “That won’t happen,” the Digimon Kaiser said. “The Numemon won’t be able to ignore my orders – my Evil Rings will see to that.”

        “But what about Gladimon?” the Digimon asked, his voice tightening from anxiety. “He could’ve _killed_ that girl! His swords nearly hit her _head_! If that boy didn’t figure out how to use his energy, then…”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s fingers twitched as he slid his hands apart, resting them against the armrests of his chair. “I clearly underestimated that monster. His inherently _vile_ nature is beyond my Evil Ring’s control.” He dug his gloved fingers deeply into his armrests while his once gleeful expression twisted with so much hatred that it turned ugly. His narrowed eyes were intense behind his tinted glasses, a terrible murderous anger blazing within them. “He’ll need to be _dealt_ with.”

* * *

        Takeru could not shake his uneasiness as his group ventured ever deeper into Factory Town. For a supposed trap, there was very little resistance. Even though Gladimon had put in a good fight, the Chosen had not seen hide nor hair of the strange Digimon since, or any other Digimon for that matter.

        “I don’t understand this,” Takeru muttered as his eyes scanned the area warily. “What’s going on?”

        “It’s probably setup for more traps,” Miyako said. When her footsteps wobbled, she grumbled under her breath for the umpteenth time about where the inventor of high heels could shove them. She straightened up and continued as though nothing had happened. “The Digimon Kaiser is probably holding back whatever he’s got planned next for us so that we’ll get jumpy waiting for it to happen and get sloppy. The second we drop our guard is when he’ll throw something else at us.

        Mimi rubbed her arms to alleviate a phantom chill that skittered across her skin like a swarm of bugs. “This is creepy… Where did all the Digimon go?”

        Iori spared the other Chosen only the briefest of glances before he turned his attention outward. He had not seen any sign of resistance after the initial incident with Gladimon, but he was unwilling to relax his guard after what nearly happened to Miyako. “What does this… Kaiser normally do with his prisoners?”

        Miyako’s gaze traveled to the high ceiling as she began ticking off on her fingers. “Kidnapping, brainwashing, torture, imprisonment in inhuman conditions, gladiatorial matches for his amusement, and I’m willing to bet deletion too.” She paused to glance over her shoulder at Iori. “Oh, and just to clarify, deletion basically the Digital World’s version of death.” After a moment of silence, she frowned. “Sort of.”

        Miyako stopped walking to properly turn and face Iori. “See, it works kind of like this. Digimon basically have a reincarnation system set up here instead of an afterlife, so no Heaven, Hell, or whatever. How it works out is that when the Digimon are killed, their current bodies are _deleted_ , but they’re reborn with memories intact in a place called the Village of Beginnings, but at their lowest level, so you could take out this super mega baddie and even if he comes back, he’ll be too weak to be a threat anymore.”

        Iori stopped and turned to stare at Miyako. After several minutes, he furrowed his eyebrows. “I… see. So death has no meaning to the Digimon?”

        Mimi cringed at the question.

        Miyako shrugged. “Well, they avoid it obviously, but I doubt it’s as bad for them as it is us.”

        “D-death is not something to take lightly!” Mimi said, her voice wavering. “Killing someone, Digimon or human… we can’t ever treat it like it has no meaning!”

        “Well, obviously,” Miyako said, blinking at Mimi as she resumed walking to catch up with the more experienced Chosen. “Death isn’t exactly a walk in the park even if you’re going to be reincarnated. It probably hurts like Hell, but at least Digimon will come back with only a minor penalty. Us on the other hand…” Her expression soured “We only have one shot and that’s it.”

        Mimi shuddered before hugging herself tightly. “Enough! I don’t want to hear anymore! Can we talk about something else now, _please?_ ”

        Takeru’s insides clenched. He had similar thoughts to Mimi, but he did not dare voice them aloud. He glanced over to Patamon, only to see his partner looking right at him with a concerned expression. The Chosen of Hope looked away, hoping it appeared casual but knowing it was anything but. It only served as an uncomfortable reminder that Angemon’s death had affected Takeru far more than it did Patamon.

        Iori looked at Mimi for a long moment before he finally turned his attention straight ahead. “Be that as it may, this silence does not bode well. The Digimon might have been moved elsewhere.”

        “They probably got thrown into some dungeons like in that coliseum,” Miyako said. “Or they’re already working in someplace like that mining facility or something like that.” She looked towards Mimi. “If it helps any, it seems like this guy is more into using the Digimon rather than killing them off.”

        “Not really…,” Mimi muttered.

        Miyako looked at Mimi for a long moment then shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t know what to tell you then.”

        “The sooner we stop him, the better,” Takeru said, his voice hard. “No one will suffer anymore.”

        Iori looked at Takeru and Mimi for a long moment, but said nothing to either of them. Instead, he redirected his attention ahead of the Chosen, towards the large buildings in the distance. “I imagine our goal will be the main factory. We might find the controls to this facility there.”

         _Miyako_ …

        Miyako inclined her head in Mimi’s direction. “Yes?”

        Mimi blinked at Miyako. “Huh?”

        Miyako cocked an eyebrow. “You wanted something?”

        Mimi stared at Miyako, baffled, then shook her head. “I didn’t say anything.”

        “Oh,” Miyako muttered before shifting her gaze downward slightly. “Was it you, Palmon?”

        Palmon shook her head. “No, I didn’t say anything.”

         _Miyako_ …

        Miyako jerked her head up to stare past the other two girls. “There it is again! Someone is calling my name!”

        Iori stopped and glanced about, then tilted his head to listen. Seconds ticked by slowly and he frowned, feeling uneasy. “I’m afraid I don’t hear anything.”

        Takeru furrowed his eyebrows. While his initial response was to deny hearing anything, something about the situation gave him reason to pause. It felt very similar to the incident with Daisuke, when the other Chosen Child found V-mon’s egg. He recalled how Daisuke claimed the exact same thing, hearing a voice call the goggle boy’s name – a sound that Takeru did not hear at all. “Are you sure, Miyako?”

         _Miyako_ …

        Miyako’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I know what this is! Koshiro said Motomiya heard his partner’s voice in his head!” Without another word she was running, her high heels clacking harshly against the metal floor.

        Mimi raised her arm to stop the younger girl, but was too late. “Wait, Miyako! This place is dangerous!”

        “Miya-!” Takeru shouted before cutting himself off.With a grimace, he took off after the newest female Chosen. He imagined it would not be hard to catch up with her, given the rather obvious disadvantage her footwear forced upon her. “Let’s go, Patamon!”

        Iori raced after Miyako, his expression stern as he readjusted his grip on his bokken. “Miyako, don’t rush off alone!”

        Mimi moaned with displeasure before she ran after the others with Palmon at her heels. “Miyako! Wait!”

        Miyako tuned out the cries of the other Chosen, turning all of her attention inward towards the quiet voice calling her name. It was pleading so softly, its voice so filled with emotion that it made her heart ache as much as it sang with excitement that she was finally going to meet her Digimon partner. She nearly snapped at the rest of the Chosen to stop being so noisy, but she did not want to risk drowning out the soft sound of her partner.

        Miyako only eventually slowed down when the ethereal voice led her to a small alcove set strangely against the side of one of the factory walls. She would have kept running if not for the sudden appearance of a set of stairs made of steel mesh, with countless wires woven in between the holes. The sudden change in momentum caused her to wobble and she scrabbled at the wall for purchase in order to keep from toppling over, gripping the strange winding pipes that served as a guardrail tightly until she regained her balance.

        Miyako peered down deep into the depths of the dimply lit stairwell and grimaced at the thought of walking down in heels. The worst part about the stairs was that they did not go straight down, as she could faintly see a sharp turn to the right at least two dozen steps down, and some inkling of light well beyond that, hinting that the stairs twisted back the other way further down. She noticed almost belatedly that there were tiny lights hidden amidst the countless wires and pipes that lined the walls, reminding her strongly of Christmas lights strung up around the city every winter. While pretty, the lights scarcely gave her enough illumination to safely make her way down with any real speed.

        When her partner called her name again, Miyako took a deep breath and readjusted her glasses. “I’m coming!” she shouted. The sound of her voice distorted by an echo floated up out of the dark like a ghost, nearly drowning out that unseen voice as her partner called her name again in that same pleading voice. “Just hold on, I’ll be right there!”

        Miyako yanked at her boots, wanting to be rid of the cursed high heels once and for all, only to find that they were stuck on tight. It was as though the costume had been painted onto her, not unpleasantly tight, but conforming to the contours of her body so closely that she was not getting these boots off short of destroying them. After a few seconds of struggling and hearing her partner call her name again, she gave up. She scowled and thought dark thoughts of the costume department designer for the Digital World the entire time she marched her way down the stairs.

        By the time the rest of the Chosen arrived at the stairwell, Miyako was well and out of sight. The group nearly the staircase altogether before realizing where the lavender hair girl must have gone.

        “This is…,” Takeru muttered as he stopped at the foot of the stairs. He found himself staring downward in to a black abyss, the metal steps leading downward to seemingly nowhere. “...Ominous.”

        “Mimi, be careful,” Palmon said as she gripped the railing tightly. “I can’t see the bottom at all.”

        “R-right!” Mimi said as she descended the stairs with the others. While there was just enough light to make their way down safely, a sense of unease crept its way up her spine and made her shiver.

        “I’ll go on ahead,” Patamon said. He dove down into the stairwell without waiting for a reply, going much faster than the rest of the Chosen.

        “This is… really coincidental, isn’t it?” Takeru said, more talking to himself aloud than to anyone else. “Daisuke finds his partner as soon as he enters, and now Miyako? Are we going to find Iori’s partner here, too?”

        “I hope so,” Mimi murmured despite her trepidation, never taking her eyes away from the stairs as they descended. “I’d hate to think of what would happen if the Digimon Kaiser found their partners first.”

        As the Chosen descended deeper into the depths, the light grew dim. While initially there had been external lights along the walls, the wall-fixtures slowly disappeared until the only source of illumination came from the odd lines that weaved through the stairways like circuits in a motherboard. The steps themselves changed, going from metal gratings to oversized computer circuit boards. The darkness grew ever more oppressive, making it nearly impossible to see anything else but the steps and their feet.

        “I feel like we’re in another world,” Takeru muttered. He paused before he shook his head and cocked an ironic smile that the others could not see. “I mean, other than the Digital World.”

        “I wonder where this leads,” Mimi said in a hushed voice.

        Finally, after many harrowing minutes, the steps came to an abrupt stop at a large doorway. The circuitry covered the entire floor and made up the frame of the door. The Chosen glanced at each other before continuing to follow the unusual path, which seemed to be guiding them onward. All too quickly, the small corridor gave way to a massive room filled to the brim with gears and electronics. Glowing wires surged from the walls to the floor and across it to the center, where a massive device sat expectantly. It looked like a metallic temple, with steps leading up to the top, where a giant circular device thrummed with energy. It pulsated and sparked with electricity that touched translucent edges of energy shaped like a globe, which created a gentle light that filled the expansive room.

        Standing in front of the device at the very base of the steps was Miyako, with Patamon hovering not far behind her. Both were staring at what hovered at the center of the massive globe – an egg big enough to come from an ostrich, colored in a light shade of purple and accented with wine red patches.

        Iori openly gaped at their surroundings as his footsteps ground to a halt. “What is this…?”

        Takeru’s eyes instantly locked onto the egg. “I knew it,” Takeru said quietly. The situation was exactly like what had happened with Daisuke, though the temple was decidedly different for V-mon.

        “Wooow…,” Mimi murmured as she took everything in. When her eyes focused on the egg, the gloom that hovered over her since they descended the stairs disappeared and she let out a short laugh filled with cheer. “Ah! That must be Miyako’s partner!”

        A smile slowly blossomed on Miyako’s face as her awe gave way to a sense of smug satisfaction. “Hey, Partner. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

        Iori continued to stare, almost in a daze, until he noticed Miyako on the move, approaching the electrified altar. Instantly alarmed, he darted forward and reached out for the class representative. “Miyako, what are you–! _?_ ”

        Iori was too late to stop Miyako and was forced to skid to a halt short of the energy globe as a small jolt of electricity singed his fingers, forcing him to jerk his hand back as he bit back a yelp. He expected Miyako to be worse off, but instead she passed harmlessly into the miniature lightning storm as though it was nothing more than a light show made by laser pointers, even as electricity danced across her skin.

        “What–?” Iori could do little more than stare. It was not just surprise that kept him from moving, but preservation instinct as well. He stopped close enough to the globe of electricity that he could feel the static electricity prickling its way across his body. None of Miyako’s hair was even standing on end, unlike the finer ones on his head.

        “Miyako!” Mimi shouted, unnerved by the sight of small bolts of lightning running across Miyako’s body. “Are you okay?”

        Miyako focused only on climbing the steps of the strange device without catching her heels on the edges, and the egg that waited for her at the top. The startled sounds the others made were as much background din as the crackle of electricity or the metallic echo that came each time her boots touched down on the steps. Her eyes continually drifted from the egg to her feet and back, never straying from either for long.

        Patamon hovered upward as Miyako did, though he stopped a short distance from the edge of the globe, nowhere near as confident about entering the sphere as she was.

        Once Miyako reached the top, she paused only a moment to admire the egg, how the arcing electricity played light across its faintly shiny surface. In that instant, the enormity of the situation impressed itself upon her. The egg floating before her contained her partner, a wondrous creature made specifically for her. They were bonded on a level that defied definition. From this moment forward, they would be responsible for caring for one another, as well as the entire Digital World. She would never simply be Miss Class Representative again, but truly a Chosen Child.

        Miyako had practiced what she would say to her Digimon partner when they first met, should he even exist, a million over in her head. However, now that the moment had arrived, those words lay jumbled pile tangled with her overwhelming emotions. She was still fumbling for the right words to say even as she took the egg into her arms and the electricity that surrounded her and her partner disappeared, as though the egg was the source of all that power to begin with.

        Finally, Miyako closed her eyes and let out a breath that took her tension with it, save for a wonderful tightness in her chest. When she found the only words that fit, they came out in a whisper that brushed against the egg like a caress. “Thank you…” Her eyes were shining with tears when she opened them again, blurring her vision of the egg, but she could scarcely bring herself to care. “Thank you.”

        Iori surveyed the area through narrowed eyes, verifying the electricity was truly gone, before he focused on the girl atop the temple steps. His expression twisted into a fury that surprised the other Chosen, as it was the most emotion any of the Chosen had ever seen on his face. “Miyako! That was reckless, even for you!”

        Patamon flew in a circle around Miyako and the egg to get a better look at them from all angles now that the electricity is gone. “Are you two okay?”

        Miyako dashed away the moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand and flashed Patamon a smile. “Of course I’m okay.” She turned to face the others, particular Iori. “My partner would _never_ lead me into danger.”

        “Yoink~!”

        The playful voice came from directly behind Miyako. She barely had time to register it before a hand covered by a dark glove snatched her egg from her grasp. She scarcely managed to gasp and turn her head before another hand pushed her shoulder. The action was not harsh or painful, containing only just enough force to tip her past the edge of her high heels into gravity’s demanding embrace.

        Miyako let out a scream as she careened over the edge and fell from the top of the temple. Iori instantly rushed to catch the falling class representative, but he did not make it in time to reach her.

        Fortunately, Miyako did not hit the floor. Instead, the shockingly large hands of a humanoid Digimon caught her before she fell too far. The Digimon wore a red dress, matching elbow-length gloves, a flowing black cape, and a witch’s hat where a ghostly cat with a distorted lower half sat. The Digimon sat sidesaddle on her broom and gently placed the Chosen Child in her lap.

        The Digimon, Witchmon, winked and wagged a large clawed finger at Miyako. “Careful, Dearie~! You shouldn’t go around wearing those things if you don’t know how to use them properly.”

        Atop the temple, the culprit who pushed Miyako over the edge was none other than the Digimon Kaiser. He held her egg elevated in one hand so that the Chosen were sure to see it. He inclined his head in their direction and flashed a crooked smile at the Chosen as they outright gawked at his sudden appearance. “Surprise~?”

        Once Miyako recovered from the unexpected fall, she thrashed in Witchmon’s grip. “Let me _go!_ ”

        Witchmon blinked and cocked her head. “Oh dear, that’s not a very nice thing to say to the person who saved your life.” As she spoke, her cape moved on its own around, wrapping itself around Miyako and binding the struggling girl from head to foot. “What _are_ they teaching you human girls anyway?”

        “Miyako!” Iori shouted as he charged towards Witchmon, gripping his bokken tightly at the ready. Unfortunately, the Digimon hovered high in the air, hopelessly out of his reach. “Release her, immediately!”

        “What are you doing! _?_ ” Takeru yelled as he glared at the Digimon Kaiser, his eyes focusing on the egg. “Give that back – _now!_ ”

        “Hm~?” the Digimon Kaiser tilted his head back as he shifted his hold on Miyako’s Digiegg, balancing it on the tip of his index finger before spinning it precariously like a ball. “What was that~?”

        “The egg!” Mimi shrieked. “He’s going to break it!”

        Patamon growled and dove for the Digimon Kaiser. “Don’t you _dare!_ ”

        The Digimon Kaiser easily twisted out of the way of Patamon’s charge, flicking his hand to toss the Digiegg into the air before he rolled it along his right arm and bumped it with his elbow, then caught it with his left elbow and allowed the egg to roll to his left hand in one smooth gesture. This freed up his right hand, allowing him to backhand Patamon smoothly when the Digimon tried again to reclaim the Digiegg. “Idiot.”

        “Patamon!” Takeru bolted towards the temple and caught his partner just before Patamon could hit the ground.

        Mimi pulled out her Digivice. “Come on, Palmon! We have to save Miyako and her partner!”

        “Got it, Mimi!” Palmon said as she clenched her fists.

        “Indeed you do~!” the Digimon Kaiser. Once more he sent the Digiegg spinning on his fingertip, purposefully wobbling it to and fro as though he were daring it to fall from his grasp. He raised his free hand, pressing his thumb and middle finger together in front of him in an exaggerated motion. “Starting right… _now_.”

        The Digimon Kaiser snapped his fingers, the sound unusually loud within the large chamber. A split-second later, the dim light that barely kept the area illuminated died completely, plunging the entire room into darkness. Chaos descended in that same instant, as the Chosen cried out in alarm, waiting for some sort of attack or at least for their eyes to adjust. Neither happened.

        After a few more moments of complete confusion and no sign that the darkness would wane, a sudden glimmer of light appeared near the temple. The source was Takeru, specifically his Digivice. The small screen cast a gentle glow that illuminated his face and most of his upper body.

        “Good, that worked,” Takeru muttered, then glanced about and aimed his device outward like a flashlight. “Is everyone okay?”

        “I’m okay, Takeru,” Patamon said as he flew over to his partner’s side.

        Unfortunately, Patamon was the only person to respond to Takeru. To the pair’s alarm, as the Chosen of Hope swept the light of his Digivice in every direction, they found that they were no longer in the temple that held Miyako’s egg. Instead, they stood in the middle of a narrow, unfamiliar metallic corridor with no one else in sight.

        “What… what–?” Takeru struggled for words as he kept moving his Digivice about, using the faint light from the screen to feebly pierce the darkness, though he had a hard time accepting what he found. “What happened! _?_ ”

        “The others are gone!” Patamon shouted. He darted upward with the intent of getting a better look around, only to bang into a ceiling that he had been unable to see in the dark. He yelped upon impact and nearly crashed into Takeru’s head before he righted himself, landing on the Chosen of Hope awkwardly instead.

        Suddenly a bright light flared in Takeru’s face, causing him to cry out as he was momentarily blinded. Once the spots died down, he found himself staring at a large television screen. At first, he thought it was built into the wall, but then he noticed that the screen casting light on the wall behind it. The screen was practically two-dimensional, floating in the air without anything to explain how it got there.

        Displayed on the screen was none other than the Digimon Kaiser, who stood in a room filled with computer monitors and other hardware. “Insects, bugs, and rodents~!” the tyrant said grandly with a majestic wave of his hands. “Welcome to the first, glorious edition of the Digimon Kaiser’s _penalty game_ ~!”

        The screen did not appear to just Takeru and Patamon, but the rest of the Chosen groups as well where they were scattered throughout Factory Town. Mimi and Palmon shrieked in alarm when the screen appeared before them, while Iori glared at the Digimon Kaiser with open hostility. Back in Koshiro’s apartment, the image in the Digital Gate was replaced with the young tyrant’s smiling face. In the sewer, the group found brief respite in the dark from their pursuers a mere minute before the Digimon Kaiser appeared before them. Unnervingly, despite the illuminating a large portion of the sewer tunnels nearby that group, there was no sign of any Numemon.

        Takeru barely kept himself from gawking at the Digimon Kaiser in disbelief. “What is this–?”

        “Takeru?” The name left Hikari’s lips the instant she heard Takeru’s voice emanate from the video screen, inadvertently interrupting the Chosen of Hope.

        Tailmon’s ears flicked towards the screen, half expecting to see Takeru appear on it, but there was only the Digimon Kaiser.

        “It is with _great_ pleasure to greet you this evening,” the Digimon Kaiser said, with a crooked smile. “Right from the control room of the ever- _disappointing_ Factory Town. Hello and how _are_ you this evening~?”

        “What the!” Taichi yelped. “He hacked the Digital Gate!”

        Those words were repeated through the video feed, shaking Koshiro to his core. “ _What?_!”

        “Hmhmhm, now pay attention, _children_ ,” the Digimon Kaiser said as he tapped his cheek with a gloved pointer finger. It was clear that he was barely keeping himself from laughing. “The Kaiser is talking~!”

        “You! What the hell have you done!?” Yamato practically snarled as he gripped the edge of the desk, barely resisting grabbing the computer monitor.

        “Now then, you all have two choices before you,” the Digimon Kaiser said, ignoring Yamato’s anger. “One, you leave. _Now_. Use your little Digivices and gate out of my world, with all haste. If you do that…” The young man in the outlandish outfit turned and draped his arms against the back of a swivel chair in the center of the room, turning it so that the Chosen could see Miyako, bound tightly to it. “And I’ll be a _very_ good sport and send our lovely _damsel_ out right after you.”

        “Miyako!” Iori shouted, clenching his fists with rage as he stood in a nondescript hallway. “Are you all right! _?_ ”

        Miyako was fuming, glaring holes into the back of the Digimon Kaiser’s head. “Aside from being captured, tied up, and _angry as hell_ that this _arrogant jerk_ took my partner someplace _just because he’s a stupid immature brat who can’t make any friends so he has to bully others_ , I’m fine.”

        If the insults offended the Digimon Kaiser, he did not show it. “Charming, isn’t she?” He propped his chin on his palm as he used his other hand to idly flick the top of Miyako’s head. “A real darling.”

        “Hey!” Miyako yelped when the Digimon Kaiser’s finger lightly struck her head. “You are such an immature _brat!_ ”

        Taichi glared at the screen. “So what you’re telling us is to leave the Digital World if we want you to let her go, is that it?”

        “My, it seems _someone_ was paying attention,” the Digimon Kaiser said as he continued to flick Miyako’s head idly, who yelped and snarled insults in response. “Yes, that would be your first option.”

        “So what’s the second?” Daisuke said. “You’re gonna torture Inoe in front of us until we leave? Is that it?” A small, guilty part of him was enjoying seeing Miyako irritated after all the grief she gave him, though he tried his best not to show it.

        Miyako alternated between glaring at the Digimon Kaiser and the monitor screen. “Don’t you _dare_ give him any ideas, Motomiya! His incredibly _juvenile_ tactics are irritating enough as it is!”

        The Digimon Kaiser made a display of rolling his eyes. “Your _second_ option, should you be stupid enough to choose it… is to keep going as you are.” He straightened up as he gripped the back of the chair and spun it about, so that both he and Miyako went twirling. “Face my darkened factory, and all the little _surprises_ I’ve left for you… in the oh-so-laughable hope that you might _actually_ reach your precious Miyako, let alone take back control of my factory. All the while, she gets to watch as you stumble about blindly like the idiots you are, safe – and – sound.”

        Miyako yowled as the chair picked up momentum and the world spun about at a dizzying pace. “Knock it off, you stupid idiot, or you’ll be cleaning my lunch off that ridiculous outfit of yours!”

        The Digimon Kaiser brought the chair to a halt as he grinned down at Miyako, before finally returning his attention to the monitors. “Well~?”

        Hikari tried to look into Digimon Kaiser’s eyes for some sign of his emotions, but the glasses made it impossible to see them. “Why are you doing this? You’re a Chosen Child too, aren’t you?”

        The Digimon Kaiser paused for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. A second later, he let out a derisive snort as his lip quirked unpleasantly. “Of course I am, for much longer than any of _you_.”

        Mimi held Palmon close, anxious in the dark with the Digimon Kaiser threatening them. “What do you mean by that?”

        “I know this world far better than any of you,” the Digimon Kaiser said, his voice lowering as curled his fingers into the cushioning on the back of the chair behind Miyako’s head. “You’re so ignorant, it’s disgraceful.”

        Takeru stared at the Digimon Kaiser, processing what he was hearing. “Wait, are you saying you’re…”

        Hikari’s eyes widened as a notion struck her. “One of Ryo’s friends _?_!”

        The Digimon Kaiser froze, his fingers digging into the back of the chair hard enough to make the leather squeak as his jaw clenched tightly enough to bring him physical pain. All trace of amusement was completely gone, as tension stiffened his entire body. It took him several long seconds of hateful glaring before he finally spoke again, his every word hard. “How do you know Ryo?”

        Koshiro gawked at the Digimon Kaiser, his jaw dropping. “ _You’re_ one of the ancient Chosen Children Gennai told us about?”

        Taichi jerked forward, nearly knocking Yamato aside as he practically pressed his nose to the computer screen. “ _No way!_ How could a brat like you be a legendary hero and turn around and do all this to the world you saved _?_!”

        Daisuke’s eyes nearly bugged out. “ _What?_ You’re saying Tiny Tower is really a legendary _hero?_!”

        Hikari kept her calm better than the boys. “We met Ryo years ago. He told us some things about the Digital World and the Chosen Children that not even Gennai seemed to know. He mentioned your friend Keiko, but there wasn’t enough time for him to mention you or the rest of your friends.”

        Though every monitor showed the Digimon Kaiser glaring out at the viewer with eyes hidden behind dark glasses, Miyako’s perspective allowed her to see that he was focused entirely on Hikari. In front of the captive girl and tyrant were monitors that showed the faces of each Chosen Child in the Digital World, and a view of Koshiro’s bedroom from the perspective of the Chosen of Knowledge’s computer monitor. She smirked a bit, relishing the Digimon Kaiser’s ire. “Well, looks like _somebody_ isn’t having as much fun with his stupid ‘game’ as he thought he would.”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s cheek twitched slightly as he gripped the back of the chair ever tighter, until the upholstery began to tear underneath his fingertips. Miyako cringed away from the display of violence as best she could, but his gaze never strayed from the monitor displaying Hikari’s face. “You…”

        Though Hikari could see the tension building in the Digimon Kaiser’s body language, she knew that she needed to continue pressing the topic if they were going to get through to the fallen Chosen Child, or at least they might get some answers. “Where are they? Do Ryo and Keiko know what you’re doing to the Digital World? Are they–”

        “Shut up.” The Digimon Kaiser’s words came as a quiet mutter, but the emotion behind them was as hard as his grip on the chair.

        Hikari paused for a moment, before her expression grew sad. “They don’t know, do they?” A measured gap of silence was all the answer she needed. “Don’t you think Ryo and Keiko would be upset if they knew that you were destroying the Digital World after all of you saved it? They’re your friends, aren’t they?”

        “ _Shut up!_ ” the Digimon Kaiser shouted, nearly deafening Miyako with his sharp, piercing command. He struck violently at the back of the chair, jerking his captive back and forth, whose protests fell on deaf ears. “ _You don’t know them! You don’t know anything about them! Don’t talk as if you know a damn thing!_ ”

        Miyako nearly lost her glasses as she was jarred back and forth, blurring half of her field of vision. Once the shaking ended, she recovered her composure quickly and made a show of snorting and giving the Digimon Kaiser a disdainful glare over her shoulder. “Sounds like _someone_ is in denial.”

        The Digimon Kaiser did not spare Miyako a glance even as he stepped back and slapped the chair hard enough to send it into a spin that turned his captive into little more than a shrieking violet blur. He glared only at Hikari, as though nothing else existed but his hatred for her. “ _You’re nothing like her_!”

        Hikari jerked back at the unexpected outburst. “What?”

        The last thing the Chosen saw was the Digimon Kaiser’s livid face before he turned off the monitor, plunging everyone back into darkness.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are only going from bad to worse, as the Digimon Kaiser continues to unleash his arsenal of tricks on the Chosen Children. Startling revelations and suddenly dire situations abound, complicating matters even further, as the Chosen are pressured to leave the Digital World to the Digimon Kaiser.  
> 
> 
> * * *

        Takeru stood silently in the darkness, staring at where the holographic screen and the Digimon Kaiser’s arrogant face had been only moments before. Whether the tyrant had meant to or not, he had given the Chosen of Hope quite a lot to think about. In the meantime, Takeru knew he had to deal with the situation at hand. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his D-Terminal. He was rewarded with light when the device’s screen turned on, allowing him to quickly type an email. “Hikari? Are you alright?”

        The seconds ticked by with infinite slowness, overflowing with an unpleasant amount of tension that caused Takeru to flinch when the D-Terminal beeped, informing him that he had a reply.

         

_We’re fine. No sign of controlled Digimon. What about you and the others?_

         

        Takeru grimaced as he typed his response. “No good, we were ambushed. Miyako found her egg, but the Kaiser stole it and her. We’ve been separated and I don’t know where I am. All the lights are out.”

        Hikari’s reply came after nearly half a minute.

         

_Same here. Koshiro kept trying to turn the lights on in the sewers, but apparently the Digimon Kaiser is controlling them. We’re trying to find our way using Daisuke’s flashlight._

         

        “If you have to, our Digivices seem to generate a fair amount of light,” Takeru typed. “Not enough to match a flashlight, but it’s better than nothing.” He paused, his finger hovering over the send key before he let out a sigh and added a little extra to his message. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to protect Miyako after all.”

        The D-Terminal chimed just seconds after Takeru hit send. For a moment, he thought Hikari had written back, but the message was from Mimi instead, apparently sent to all of the Chosen Children.

         

  
_Where is everybody?_? _?_? _?_  


         

        Takeru stared at the message for a moment before he hastily sent out a response. “I don’t know. I think the Kaiser separated us.”

        Seconds ticked by until Takeru got another message, but it was not one he wanted to see. It was a notification that an error had occurred when sending his email. His response did not make it through to Mimi.

        “What?” Takeru stared at his D-Terminal with increasing alarm. A moment later, he was hastily typing out another email to Hikari, as a horrible feeling gnawed in his belly that the Digimon Kaiser had realized what they were doing and was now somehow blocking their emails. Considering the dictator could control not only the Digital Gates but also the lights in Factory Town, it seemed very possible. Trying again was the only way to check. “I can’t reach Mimi. Are you still there?”

        The seconds seemed to stretch on longer than they should before the D-Terminal’s familiar chime cut through the silence.

        It was another error message.

        Patamon peered down at the D-Terminal with a furrowed brow. “What’s going on?” He tried to hide his nervousness but was not quite successful. “Is something wrong with the D-Terminal? It was working just a minute ago.”

        “The Kaiser must be blocking us,” Takeru muttered as he closed the D-Terminal with an ominous click before pulling his Digivice out again. “He must be watching us, and saw me contact Hikari, so he blocked it.”

        Patamon frowned as tension slowly seeped into his body. “This is bad. If he can block the D-Terminals and we can’t contact the others, then we won’t know if any of them are in trouble until it’s too late.”

        Takeru aimed his Digivice in front of him, using the screen’s gentle glow like a flashlight. “Which is the entire point.” He frowned, as he noted that he could barely see a meter past his outstretched arm, but in this situation, it was the best he could do. “We need to go find the others, as quickly as we can.”

        Patamon nodded, his expression grim. “Right.”

        The two traversed forward with caution, the dark forcing them to move more slowly than they would have liked, as the narrow corridors and the occasional strange machinery that appeared in their path made it dangerous to run or fly around. The small amount of light Takeru’s Digivice created cast harsh shadows through skeletal metal arms and odd devices of unknown purpose. The silence was just as oppressive as the dark, as the only sounds came from Takeru’s footsteps against the metal grating that served as the floor, which echoed faintly, eerily around them.

        “Hopefully Miyako’s okay,” Takeru muttered as he made his way slowly through Factory Town, or at least he hoped that was where they still were. For all they knew, the Digimon Kaiser could teleport them not just back to the real world, but anywhere in the Digital World, though he hesitated to state his fears aloud to Patamon. “Antagonizing that kid was admittedly not that good of an idea, not that either of us meant to.”

        Patamon let out a quiet hum as he contemplated the situation. “Do you really think he’s one of the legendary Chosen Children?”

        “I don’t know what to think,” Takeru said with a sigh. “We met Ryo and he mentioned Keiko, but there very well could have been other members of their group. But he could be lying to give himself some legitimacy, not that the claim actually would.” He paused for a moment, his thoughts heavy with possibilities, before he shook his head and resumed moving forward. “In the end, does it even matter? What he did then and what he’s doing now… they’re completely separate.”

        Patamon sighed as well. “I guess that’s true... Though he did seem pretty upset when Hikari talked about them.”

        Takeru’s eyes moved from shadow to shadow, which danced in the dim light, creating the illusion of movement that set his nerves on edge. “I noticed that, too,” he murmured as he recalled how the Digimon Kaiser flew into an unwarranted rage. “That was an… interesting reaction.”

        A faint clatter of metal interrupted Patamon before he could respond. Instantly, he was on alert, looking in the direction of the noise, with his entire body tense, ready to attack. “I heard something!”

        Takeru tensed as he aimed his Digivice about, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was moving in the darkness. “Is it a Digimon?”

        The shadows danced as Takeru cast his feeble light about, creating a false sense of movement all around them. It was disorienting, and it made it hard for him to know where to focus on. Patamon had similar issues as he strained his ears to catch another hint of whatever had made that noise a moment ago.

        Patamon could feel his sense of unease grow with each passing second. “I don’t know…,” he whispered, not daring to speak too loudly.

        Takeru’s eyes darted from machine to machine, checking each device and cranny in-between. He was not willing to dismiss what they heard as just the darkness playing tricks on them. The Digimon Kaiser would not make such a grand show about this so-called “penalty game” if there were no nasty surprises lurking about. The only question was what, or who would come out from the dark to come after them. A terrible suspicion itched at the back of his mind as he kept in mind the fact that they had not come across Andromon yet, in spite of the knowledge that the Perfect was in Factory Town and completely ensnared by the Digimon Kaiser’s mind control.

        “Wait a sec!” Patamon said sharply, snapping Takeru out of his thoughts. “Turn the light back to the right.”

        Takeru obeyed, moving the beam slowly until Patamon told him to stop. Even after the light no longer moved, the shadows continued to shift, slightly off in the distance. He glanced upward at his partner briefly, who was focused entirely on that faint movement. Cautiously, he stepped closer, wary of what they might find.

        What was hidden in the dark was something of an anti-climax. A small set of gears set along a wall were spinning slowly, creating faint clicking sensations that grew as they stepped closer.

        “It’s a… gear,” Takeru said, slowly, almost disappointed that they found something so mundane. A moment later, a thought hit him and his eyes widened. “Wait, does that mean he turned the factory back on?”

        The loud whine of some giant unseen engine starting up served as a better answer than anything Patamon could give. More shadows twitched at the edges of the light as metal clinked and clanked together.

        “Be careful, Takeru,” Patamon said, moving back slightly away from the moving gears. “You don’t want to get caught in the machinery.”

        “No kidding,” Takeru said as he passed by the gears, giving them a wide berth. “Everything is dangerous at this point.”

        A sudden snap of something metal close to Takeru’s ear made him jerk to the side with a yelp. At the same time, Patamon cried out as he dove to the side to avoid a grasping metal arm from one of the machines.

        “Look out!” Patamon shouted as the arm lashed out for them again, darting upward to evade its thin, almost skeletal fingers.

        Takeru yelped again as a metal arm typically used for moving material onto a conveyer belt was suddenly reaching for him. He barely managed to leap back out of the way of the arm, as one of its cold, hard fingers brushed hard across his nose. When his back hit against the wall, he looked back to make sure that no other arms were behind him before scurrying further away from the machinery. “Patamon, this way!”

        Patamon flew quickly after Takeru, barely dodging another robotic arm that darted out of the darkness. “I’m right behind you!”

        “We need to get to an open area!” Takeru shouted as he ran blindly ahead as fast as he dared with only the small radius of light from his Digivice to lead him on. “We’re trapped like this!”

        “Right!” Patamon said. A second later, he fired off an Air Shot at an arm that lashed out towards Takeru, knocking it aside.

        Without looking back, Takeru and his partner disappeared into the darkness as the machinery came to life about them. Using the faint light as his guide, all the Chosen of Hope could do was pray that the others were safe and that he could find them before anything happened to them.

* * *

        “We need to keep going,” Tailmon said. “The Numemon are no doubt still looking for us.”

        Hikari nodded, letting out a quiet, displeased hum. “Right. There’s nothing else we can do here. None of the emails I’m sending are going through to anyone. Not even to the others back home.”

        Koshiro failed to stifle a groan, as he did not relish blundering blindly in the dark again. However, he managed to straighten up a bit as he regarded Hikari’s D-Terminal. “The Digimon Kaiser is probably interfering with that too.” He looked over at Daisuke. “How about you, Daisuke? Any luck?”

        Daisuke frowned at the D-Terminal in his hand. “It’s no good over here either. I must’ve sent out over a dozen emails to everyone, including Inoue, and they’re all coming right back again.”

        V-mon slumped his shoulders as he held Daisuke’s flashlight tightly with both hands. He felt somewhat better holding the flashlight, as he was at least contributing to Daisuke’s safety instead of helplessly flailing about in the dark, but it was not quite enough for him. “That Kaiser… how can he do so many things _?_!”

        “Koshiro,” Tentomon said as he stood beside his Chosen Child. “I believe this confirms that the Digimon Kaiser can edit the Digital World’s code.”

        “Yeah,” Koshiro said with a sigh. “There’s no other explanation.”

        Hikari’s brow knit with concern. “So what does that mean?”

        “It means that there’s no telling what he can do to the Digital World,” Koshiro said, his expression grave. “I’ve spent the past few years trying to figure out the code myself, and I’ve learned a little bit about how to manipulate some things, like the lighting and the creation of the Digital Gate… but in theory, if someone figures out the coding in its entirety… they could alter the entire Digital World completely.”

        Hikari jerked back as though Koshiro’s words struck her, her eyes widening in horror as the repercussions sunk in.

        Daisuke stuffed his D-Terminal into his pocket. “So you mean like turning it into what it is now with all the Digimon enslaved?”

        Koshiro nodded. “And probably even worse than we can imagine.” He folded his arms across his chest as his gaze turned inward. “I’ve been wondering for a while now how the Digimon Kaiser got those Evil Rings and Dark Towers… It’s possible that he took the code that created the Black Gears and altered them so that he could control them.”

        “It also explains how he got in to Factory Town,” Tailmon said, her ears canting back. “He really _did_ just walk in through the front gates.”

        V-mon stared at Tailmon with wide eyes. “Huh? What do you mean?”

        “He could edit the door’s code,” Tailmon said, her voice harsh. “He didn’t _need_ to blow open the dome or even go in through the sewers. He probably just edited the doors to be unlocked and waltzed in like he owned the place!”

        “If that’s the case…,” Hikari said, her voice hushed. “Then that explains how he could take over the Digital World so quickly. Who knows what else he can do by editing the Digital World’s code?”

        Daisuke blinked then cocked an eyebrow at Koshiro. “So, wait, doesn’t that mean you can just do the same thing right back at him to help us? Like, I don’t know, edit the Evil Rings so they all open up or have all the Dark Towers fall apart?”

        Koshiro rubbed the back of his neck. “In theory, I guess, but I have a feeling it won’t be nearly as easy to figure out that code as the one for editing the lights, and you saw how the Digimon Kaiser blocked me there.”

        “Okay,” Daisuke said with a shrug. “So we just ignore the code and keep kicking his butt like we have been.” He clenched his fist in front of him and flashed the others a grin. “We’ll just need to step up our A game and take this brat down!”

        A new voice cut through the darkness, startling the group of Chosen. “Or, you could just go home.”

        Tailmon jumped as the fur on the back of her neck bristled. She whirled towards the new voice and froze when she found herself staring up at a smiling face reminiscent of a scarecrow. Instantly, her mind painted in the rest of the details, as visions of her oldest friend echoed in her head. “Wizarmon–! _?_ ”

        “Close,” the ‘Wizarmon’ said, with a grin. He snapped his fingers and a flame burst forward, illuminating him further. “But no cigar.”

        All similarities to Wizarmon ended with the appearance of the rest of the Digimon’s face. He had no purple hat or cloak, but instead the colors were primarily a blazing red and orange that gave him the impression that he was being engulfed by flames similar to the one hovering above his fingertips. From his big boots and gloves to his trench coat with an exposed midriff that showed off his orange undershirt and his knee length shorts with orange flame trim, everything about him was painted in fiery colors. The top of his hat seemed to be made of fire due to its coloration and the way it moved, though it did not cast any light. Complete with the black belt buckles and goggles resting on top of the rim of his hat, he gave off the impression of being wild, punk version of the Wizarmon that Tailmon knew.

        The comparison did little to endear this fiery new Digimon to Tailmon, who bristled and shoved down the feelings he raised viciously as she faced this potential new threat. “Who are you _?_!”

        “The name’s FlaWizarmon,” the Digimon said, with a slight tip of his hat using his free hand. “Pleasure is yours, I’m sure~!”

        Daisuke moved protectively in front of Hikari as he eyed FlaWizarmon with suspicion. “Hold on a second! You don’t work for the Digimon Kaiser, do you?”

        FlaWizarmon tilted his head while he looked Daisuke over with a critical eye. A second later, he flashed the goggle boy a grin before he directed his attention to Hikari. “Anyway, you really did a number on K-chan, but the offer still stands. I’m sure that if he sees you all have left, he’ll send your little friend right after you.”

        “H-hey, don’t ignore Daisuke!” V-mon snapped as he shined the flashlight at FlaWizarmon’s face.

        FlaWizarmon continued to smile as he toyed with the dancing flame in his hand, completely ignoring the light shining in his eyes. “Gonna be honest with you kids, you’re kind of at a disadvantage. Even if you can use the Digimentals to evolve, it’s nowhere near as strong as your normal evolutions. If K-chan throws something reaaaally nasty at you, you’re going to be in trouble.”

        Daisuke’s expression contorted in an emotion somewhere between amusement and annoyance. “K-chan?”

        Koshiro’s interest was instantly piqued at this new information. “You know about the Digimentals? What can you tell us?”

        “Oh, just about everything,” FlaWizarmon said as he snuffed the flame with a flick of his hand. He folded his arms against his chest before leaning back against the wall in a casual stance. “Give or take.”

        Hikari looked FlaWizarmon over, trying to puzzle the Digimon out. “Are you a friend of the Digimon Kaiser? I don’t see any Evil Ring, and you don’t really act like any of the controlled Digimon do.”

        “Oh, K-chan and I go waaaay, way back,” FlaWizarmon said with a grandiose wave of his hand. He paused for a moment, as though considering something, then made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “Waaaay, way,” he flicked his wrist again, “way,” and then one more wave, “ _waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay_ back.” He cocked his head back and favored the group with a broad smile. “No Rings, no brainwashing, nothing. I do my own thing, and he’s fine with that.”

        Daisuke scowled. “So you’re fine with the Kaiser taking over the Digital World and enslaving everybody? Aren’t you a Digimon too?”

        “Yep, I’m a Digimon,” FlaWizarmon said as he tilted his head. “And no, I’m in no position to argue with K-chan about what he’s doing.”

        Hikari blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

        “Well, the newbie won’t get it and that’s fine,” FlaWizarmon smiled and nodded his head at Daisuke before turning his attention to Hikari and Koshiro. “But you two… don’t you think he kinda has a _point_?”

        “A… point?” Hikari repeated, aghast.

        Daisuke scowled and stepped forward. “The _point_ is the one Tiny Tower has on his _head_! He’s a selfish brat who finds it funny making other people suffer because he doesn’t have a heart!”

        “Devimon,” FlaWizarmon said. “Etemon. Metal Etemon. Datamon. Vademon. Vamdemon. Venom Vamdemon. Metal Seadramon. Pinnochimon. Mugendramon. Piemon. Apocalymon.”

        Tailmon flinched at the mention of the vampire Digimon, her body tensing as her ears canted back.

        “But they’re all gone,” Hikari said. “We defeated all of them and saved the Digital World.”

        Koshiro frowned. “Just what are you trying to say?”

        “I guess I’m trying to ask…,” FlaWizarmon said slowly, “why do you think they’re gone?” He cocked his head curiously. “Is it a human thing?”

        Daisuke pointed at FlaWizarmon, scowling. “Didn’t you listen to Hikari-chan? She said they’ve been defeated, so they’re not coming back!”

        “Oh, I heard her just fine,” FlaWizarmon said as he tipped his hat. “I’m just not sure why she’d say something that stupid.”

        Daisuke turned red with anger. “ _Stupid?_! Don’t you dare make fun of Hikari-chan like that!”

        Hikari placed her hand on Daisuke’s shoulder to stop him when he started moving forward. “Wait, Daisuke!”

        Daisuke growled, but forced himself to remain still, instead raising a first towards FlaWizarmon. “If you insult Hikari-chan just one more time, I’m going to clobber you myself!”

        FlaWizarmon regarded Daisuke for a moment before he started to chuckle, which made the goggle boy scowl all the more. He straightened up and shrugged. , “Well, I can see I’m wasting my time here. None of you are really interested in listenin’, and that’s fine. Yer kids, and kids sometimes just don’t wanna listen.”

        “Wait!” Hikari said as she took a couple steps towards FlaWizarmon. “Please, tell us what you mean.”

        FlaWizarmon paused at Hikari’s words before he regarded Chosen of Light with a frank expression. “I’m just sayin’… why do you think they’re gone, just ‘cuz you beat them up? That them gettin’ sent back to the Village of Beginnings would change their hearts and knock the evil outta them?”

        Hikari stared at FlaWizarmon as a cold dread began to well up inside her stomach. “You… you don’t mean…”

        “Wait!” Koshiro said. “Hold on a second. Are you trying to tell us that we have to face every evil Digimon we defeated all over again? I thought that when we… when we defeated them that they were reborn at the Village of Beginnings and that they wouldn’t be a danger to anyone again.”

        “Huh, so you did know that,” FlaWizarmon said as he blinked, then grinned. “So you really did think that they’d start being good just ‘cuz you beat them up? Seriously? Man, you kids are adorable!”

        Koshiro fished out his Digivice. “But the Digivices are supposed to be holy relics. We were told that they were made to purify evil here in the Digital World. We’ve seen them do this before with the Black Gears!”

        FlaWizarmon arched an eyebrow at Koshiro. “And you think ‘purifying evil’ includes brainwashing?”

        “No… not brainwashing,” Hikari said with no small amount of unease, her tone uncertain. “Shouldn’t it get rid of the evil that’s tainting their hearts? Give them a fresh start so that they can try again to be happy?”

        FlaWizarmon tilted his head slightly. “Is that how it works in the human world?” He made a sweeping gesture towards the Chosen Children. “Where if you beat up a jerk, they’ll magically _stop_ being a jerk and decide to be your friend? ‘Cuz you must live in a pretty wonderful world. That doesn’t happen here. They just get pissed and wanna get this thing we call ‘revenge’.”

        Hikari grimaced. “But the Digivices–”

        “If they come back we’ll kick their butts!” Daisuke shouted. “And if they try again we’ll kick them again! We’ll keep kicking them as many times as it takes to make them get the message to stop being evil!”

        FlaWizarmon flashed Daisuke a wide grin and nodded as he gave the goggle boy a thumbs up. The amusement faded when he turned back to Hikari. “‘But the Digivices should have made them good’, right? That’s what you were gonna say? Because all Digimon are naturally sweet and kind, an’ only do bad things if they’ve been ‘infected’ with evil?” He paused to let out a quiet laugh that held no trace of humor. “That’s a really sweet sentiment, Light Darlin’, but… it’ll get you killed.”

        Hikari grimaced in distaste. “That’s…” She struggled for a way to argue her feelings, but everything she came up with felt flimsy and unrealistic.

        Koshiro frowned, his expression severe. “So what are you suggesting? That what the Digimon Kaiser is doing is _right_?”

        “I’m suggesting that K-chan has a _point_ ,” FlaWizarmon said. “In a world like ours where strength is all that matters and the strong crush the weak, ‘right or wrong’ really doesn’t seem to matter at all.” He swept his arms out to his sides. “Most Digimon don’t even care, and only complain when it affects them directly.”

        “I don’t believe that,” Hikari said, her voice tightening with discomfort that grew more pronounced by the moment. “Digimon know the difference between right and wrong. Most of the Digimon we’ve met were just like us, and the ones who were evil usually were controlled by something that _made_ them that way.”

        “Yeah!” Daisuke practically shouted. “Just because _you_ fell for that crap and can’t even see just wrong things are right now with Tiny Tower getting away with murder doesn’t mean everyone else can’t!”

        FlaWizarmon closed his eyes and let out a quiet, humorless chuckle. “Yes, Digimon know the difference between right and wrong. But like you humans, there are those that don’t care.” His gaze swept across the gathered Chosen until he focused on Tailmon, his mouth twisting at the edges to form a crooked smile. “Or are you going to try and say that what happened to your little partner over there was a ‘misunderstanding’, and that Vamdemon can’t be condemned for torturing her for years because ‘evil made him do it’ and he’s really a good Digimon at heart?”

        Tailmon bristled, barring her teeth. The very suggestion made her insides clench, but she was unwilling to let her experiences be used to hurt Hikari. “Shut up! That’s none of your business! How do you even know about that, anyway _?_!”

        FlaWizarmon straightened up before he turned to walk away from the Chosen, lacing his fingers behind his head. “I knew someone who used to think like you, Light Darling. Someone who thought there was good in everyone and everything could be solved if we just gave them a chance.”

        FlaWizarmon stopped abruptly and the weight of the silence following his words forbade questions before he finally spoke again, his quiet voice echoing eerily in the cavernous tunnels. “...We’re in a war, kids. If you’re gonna keep treating this like a fantasy land where evil doesn’t exist, you’re gonna get killed. I suggest you go home and stay there until everything’s safe again.”

        Hikari moved forward, hand raised, as the light illuminating FlaWizarmon winked out of existence. “Wait!”

        “Hold it!” Daisuke said sharply. “Just what do you mean by war?”

        There was no response. V-mon scanned the flashlight around in the direction FlaWizarmon went, but illuminated only more walls and the sewage canal. FlaWizarmon was gone.

* * *

        The control room was a mess, the walls lined with monitors and huge wires covering the floor like huge, twisted vines. Various scenes flittered across the screens, changing constantly as they showed each corridor, crevice, and cranny of Factory Town. Among those scenes were the Chosen. There were views of Takeru fleeing grasping machinery down a hallway, Daisuke and his group in the sewers, Iori walking through the hallways as he searched for the others, and Mimi looking desperately lost as she ventured through the monstrous hallowed cavity that was the main assembly room of the factory. The darkness that hindered the Chosen was strangely not present on the screens.

        It meant that Miyako had a perfect view of everything but was helpless to do anything with that knowledge.

        Miyako squirmed in her bonds, but could barely move more than a few centimeters, as the black fabric held on tight to her body. “When I get out of here, I’m going to kick that little brat’s a–”

        Miyako’s tirade was cut off with a yelp as she was jerked when the chair suddenly spun about 180 degrees to show her the Digimon Kaiser looming before her, his smug face inches away from hers.

        “Really?” the Digimon Kaiser said with a vicious grin. “In those heels? That’d be a sight to see.”

        Miyako’s cheeks took on a rosy hue as she glared daggers into the Digimon Kaiser. “This outfit wasn’t _my_ idea!”

        The Digimon Kaiser arched an eyebrow, his expression openly mocking his captive. “Then you wouldn’t be wearing it.”

        “This stupid place _forced_ me to wear it!” Miyako shouted. “If I had a choice, I’d be wearing something a ton better than _this_!”

        The Digimon Kaiser regarded Miyako for a moment in silence as his smile faded. She could not read the emotions flickering across his face, but she felt her anger growing towards him all the same. Slowly, his smile returned, much more sly than before, and he gripped the armrests of the chair, right around the Chosen’s bound arms, as he leaned in closer, forcing Miyako to retreat back into the headrest on instinct. “You really have no idea why you’re wearing that outfit, do you~?”

        Miyako tried not to let the Digimon Kaiser know how uncomfortable he made her with his closeness. There was something also vaguely unnerving about the fact that she was unable to see his eyes through his glasses. “Oh, and you do?”

        “Of course,” the Digimon Kaiser said. “There’s nothing about the Digital World that I don’t know.”

        Miyako’s gaze flattened. “Uh huh.”

        The smile the Digimon Kaiser wore was strained by a twitch in his cheek. He straightened up, giving Miyako some breathing room, before gesturing to himself in a grandiose fashion. “Quite simply, it’s the same reason I’m wearing my own regal outfit – because I edited the Digital World’s code. In particular, I edited the code that simulates our clothes when we enter this world. I simply told it to, rather than duplicate our real world clothes, create the outfit that we want to wear.”

        Miyako’s eyes widened as her veneer of skepticism slipped away. “What?”

        “Of course, I didn’t think to edit the code so that it’d only affect me,” the Digimon Kaiser said as he straightened up, crossing his arms. “It didn’t occur to me that you twits would come scurrying in to this world like rats,” He paused for a few seconds before he began to smirk again, vicious mischief in his eyes. “But given the circumstances, I’m glad I didn’t. The experience has been quite… telling.”

        Heat flooded into Miyako’s cheeks and she leaned as far back from the Digimon Kaiser’s unnerving smile as she could. “What… just what are you implying?”

        “I’m not implying anything,” the Digimon Kaiser said, his wide smile oozing with vindictive glee. “I’m outright _saying_ that when the Digital World accessed the recesses of your mind to generate your clothing, this is what it found. Now, what – does – that – say – about – you?”

        Miyako’s blush darkened further. “ _What?_! No way! Why would I wear something this… this… _stupid?_!”

        “Exactly,” the Digimon Kaiser said with an undercurrent of laughter in his voice. “Why would you?”

        Miyako felt increasingly flustered in the face of the Digimon Kaiser’s arrogance and squirmed, wanting to escape now more than ever. “I-I wouldn’t if I knew we had the option of picking anything we wanted!”

        “You don’t have the option,” the Digimon Kaiser said, with a small snort of derision at the very idea. “ _I_ have the option. You and the rest of those _insects_ are completely at the mercy of your inferior brains and whatever deeply rooted issues you have in there.” He paused to lean back so that he could appraise Miyako’s outfit with a lingering gaze before he finally quirked an eyebrow at her. “At the very least, it’s amusing for me. I think I have a good idea what your Crest is.”

        Miyako glared daggers into the Digimon Kaiser, though she could not erase her blush no matter how hard she tried. “You think you’re so smart. Fine, go ahead and tell me what it is then.”

        The Digimon Kaiser barked out a laugh. “Certainly not Pride! You don’t seem to have any!”

        “ _Hey!_ ” Miyako shouted. She fumed in impotent rage as she struggled to free her arms, wanting to throttle the Digimon Kaiser. “You’re one to talk, wearing something _ridiculous_ like that. Where did you get the idea from? Some third-rate super sentai where the costume designers stopped giving a damn?”

        “Oh, you’re so not in a position to throw that accusation about,” the Digimon Kaiser said as he pointed at Miyako’s outfit. “Miyako-chan, was it?” His lips quirked in a smirk. “Or should I say _Otaku-chan_?”

        Miyako’s cheeks burned a blazing scarlet hue. “O- _Otaku-chan?_!”

        “Hm, yes, I think that fits you best,” the Digimon Kaiser said as he crossed his arms, giving a short nod of approval. “Otaku-chan~!”

        Miyako grit her teeth as she imagined bashing the Digimon Kaiser’s head against the console. “Your stupid program put me in this sexist outfit and you have the _nerve_ to call _me_ the otaku here?”

        “My program put you in whatever outfit best suited you at the time,” the Digimon Kaiser said as he tapped his chin. “Something in your head lead my program to believe you wanted to dress like a heroine from some ‘sexist’ anime.”

        “Your programming is sexist because its _programmer_ is sexist!” Miyako said, practically snarling the words out. “Kidnapping one of the girl members of the group and hold her hostage? _How original._ ”

        The Digimon Kaiser arched an eyebrow. “Nice straw man argument, but no. I would’ve kidnapped that boy with the sword as well, but apparently _he_ is actually capable of protecting himself. If you want to be treated as something other than a damsel, I suggest start by not being the second weakest member of the team. As it is, you’re the only one that’s actually safe at this point.”

        Miyako’s gaze narrowed. “Okay, explain what you mean by second weakest and ‘safe’ because I don’t feel safe at all sitting tied up in front of a brat that can hack an entire world and thinks he’s a god.”

        “It was pretty stupid of you to come to the Digital World without your partner,” the Digimon Kaiser said. “You’re just begging to be targeted.” He paused to make a broad sweeping gesture to his side. “And, in case you didn’t notice, you were. Even getting your egg out of its pocket dimension didn’t erase that fact. A newborn Digimon in a warzone is stupid, no matter how you look at it.”

        Miyako leaned back against the headrest as her expression deadpanned. “Okay, first of all, I can _only_ get my partner and Digivice by coming here, so that makes your first point moot. Second, what do you mean by pocket dimension? I just went downstairs into a basement temple… thing. Third, the one who’s making it a war zone is _you_ , who, if you didn’t notice, we’re trying to _stop_.”

        The Digimon Kaiser raised a finger and pointed it at Miyako. “One, you could’ve entered this world at any time, not just during one of your stupid ‘missions.’” He raised a second finger. “Two, that temple only appeared here because _you_ did. That room never existed before you showed up. And three…” He lowered his hand and leaned back before letting out a scoff. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

        “Good to know,” Miyako said, her expression devoid of emotion. “So does that mean Iori’s temple and partner are here now? Will it relocate if he leaves and comes back? Also, and this is most important…”A dangerous light entered her eyes as she fixed the Digimon Kaiser with a piercing stare. “ _Where is my partner?_ ”

        “No, it’s not,” the Digimon Kaiser said as he shifted his attention to the monitors, ignoring Miyako’s hostile gaze. “No other rooms have appeared in Factory Town, which is fine by me. The longer his egg stays hidden, the better.”

        Miyako’s anger only grew when the Digimon Kaiser turned away from her. “You didn’t answer my other two questions.”

        The Digimon Kaiser glanced at Miyako out of the corner of his eye, silent for a few seconds, before he returned his focus to the various screens. “Anyway, you should sit tight for now. Once the others have run away screaming, I’ll boot you out with them. Just be thankful you’re in here and not out there.”

        “Aaaaand you’re just going to pull the ‘mysterious brooding villain’ card and ignore me when it’s convenient,” Miyako muttered to herself. “Jerk.” She raised her voice to normal volume as she shifted her gaze towards the monitors, her words practically dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, how _scary_. Metal grabbing arms. It’s like a haunted house. Truly everyone will be wetting their pants with fear.”

        The Digimon Kaiser smirked as he approached the main console before snapping his fingers. “Shift view – laboratory.”

        The monitors obeyed immediately, shifting to display a dimly lit room. At first, Miyako thought everything was painted in red, but then she quickly realized that the lights in that room were red, much like a dark room, which created an eerie atmosphere. The room was filled with huge tubes that lined both walls, filled with bubbling brownish tinted liquid. Inside each tube was a strange thick black matter, as far as she could comprehend it. In some of the tubes, the substance resembled cracked eggs, about the same size as her own partner’s egg. In others, they seemed to be shaped almost like fetuses, but twisted in appearance until they no longer resembled any known creature that she had ever seen. Each fetus looked to be different stages of development, some small and miniscule while others were much larger and more defined in appearance.

        When the implications of what Miyako was seeing fully sunk in, revulsion twisted her stomach. “You’re… _breeding_ …” That was as far as she went before words failed her. What she saw on the monitor did not look like any Digimon in any stage of their development that Koshiro ever showed her.

        “No, I’m not ‘breeding’,” the Digimon Kaiser said, his voice low. “I’m _creating_.”

        “You really do have a god complex,” Miyako muttered, unable to take her eyes away from the screen. She tried to shake off her ill feelings, but her voice still came out strained. “So just what is it you’re… _creating_?”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s smile broadened and he waited until Miyako finally looked his way before speaking again. “Laboratory – lights off.”

        Out of the corner of her eye, Miyako saw the lights in the laboratory shut off, plunging the room into darkness, drawing her attention back to the screen.

        “Gamma tubes open,” the Digimon Kaiser said. His words were followed by a hum in the darkness, followed by the sound of water striking the ground and the sickening splat of something viscous impacting against tile. Miyako strained to see anything on the monitor, but there was nothing but black. “Doors open.”

        “Laboratory – lights on!” Miyako said, raising her voice. She frowned when nothing happened and shrugged off the arrogant look the Digimon Kaiser shot her way. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s answer was an impressively wide smirk and a quiet chuckle filled with vindictive glee before he snapped his fingers. “Resume monitoring routine.” The darkness disappeared from the monitors, returning their focus to the various Chosen scattered across Factory Town.

        Miyako felt anxiety creep its way up her spine, but she forced herself not to show it, regarding the Digimon Kaiser with a deadpan look. “You’re waiting for me to ask what you just did, aren’t you.”

        The Digimon Kaiser chuckled again before he shifted the chair, adjusting it so that Miyako had a perfect view of the monitors. “No, Otaku-chan. You’re going to find out soon enough.”

        A low growl rumbled in Miyako’s throat. “I’m going to shove those stupid glasses down your throat if you keep calling me that!”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s response was a deep, wicked laugh that bubbled up from deep inside him and grew in volume and intensity. He patted Miyako on the head as though she were a child before he walked away from his captive, leaving only his footsteps and laughter to linger long after he left her to admire his handiwork.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysteries deepen like the darkness that shrouds Factory Town as the Digimon Kaiser unleashes something horrible and unknown upon the Chosen. Struggling to recover and regroup from what seemed like an increasingly disastrous rescue attempt, the Chosen blunder blindly onward.  
> 
> 
> * * *

        Mimi clutched her Digivice tightly with both hands, using the light from its tiny screen to illuminate what felt like a feeble amount of the area around her. She quivered as the dark oppressed her on all sides, and tried desperately not to think of horror movies that her friends would talk her into watching on sleepovers. The only reason that she could keep moving forward was the light and the knowledge that Palmon was right by her side. The solid weight of her partner’s hand wrapped around her leg gave her enough support not to start crying when the machines started moving again, although the two did run blindly until they escaped the grasping metal hands.

        “H-hello?” Mimi said, her voice hesitant to raise above normal level. “Is anyone there?” A part of her feared the answer, even as she wanted desperately to find her friends again. “Takeru? Patamon? Miyako? Iori?”

        The distant sounds of machinery and the pair’s footsteps were Mimi’s only response, no matter how many times the Chosen of Purity called out.

        “M-Mimi, no one’s answering,” Palmon muttered, tightening her grip on her Chosen. “But I-I’m here, so I’ll protect you…!”

        Mimi nodded, though she did not feel as comforted as she would have liked. When the light cut through the dark and illuminated a boney thin monster with silver claws reaching out for her, she jumped back with a yelp. A moment later, she realized that it was just some strange machine on a conveyer belt, its robotic arms frozen in mid-grasp. A thin whine eked out from the back of her throat. “I hate this! I want to go home!”

        Palmon moved in front of her partner, spreading her arms out to shield her partner as she glared at the machine. When it was clear that it wasn’t an enemy, she sighed and dropped her arms. “What should we do, Mimi…?”

        An almost manic feminine giggle floated through the dark. “Why don’t you just go home then?”

        Mimi shrieked and whirled around, heart pounding in her chest, as she aimed her Digivice in the direction of the new voice. However, it seemed she did not need to bother to redirect her light, as Witchmon hovered behind her with a halo of tiny flickering flames dancing around the witch-like Digimon’s head, casting enough light on her and her ghostly cat to illuminate her perfectly to both of the Chosen.

        Witchmon let out another round of that odd laughter of hers. “Why, you’re so jumpy, you won’t last much longer in K-chan’s little game. Why don’t you save yourself all the stress and just head on home now?”

        Palmon immediately moved in front of Mimi, crouching in a defensive stance. “You’re that Digimon from before!”

        The spirit-like cat atop Witchmon’s let out a loud meow as the female Digimon smiled brightly at the pair of Chosen. “Oh goodie, you remember me~! I’m so glad I left a lasting impression.” Witchmon cocked her head slightly as the smile faded into a much more somber expression. “But, seriously, go home. You really don’t have any idea what you’re messing with right now.”

        Palmon growled as she clenched her fists. “You just want us to let the Kaiser keep doing whatever he wants!”

        Witchmon clapped her hands together as her smile returned in full force. “Exactly! I’m so glad you understand!”

        Mimi stared at Witchmon, dumbfounded and increasingly horrified at the Digimon’s enthusiasm. “But… how can you side with the Digimon Kaiser? He tortures Digimon! He’s so cruel… so unbelievably cruel…”

        Witchmon blinked owlishly at Mimi before she tapped an oversized finger to her cheek and sighed. “Ahhhh… I guess it’s true K-chan is going overboard a little bit in some places, but, really, his intentions are a lot better than you think.”

        Mimi clenched her Digivice tightly in her hand, so tense that she trembled faintly. “He _beat_ Palmon! And Tailmon! He’s captured our friends, brainwashed them into attacking us, and he tortures so many Digimon…” A hiccup escaped her as her vision blurred with tears. “How can you say he has good intentions _?_!”

        Witchmon’s expression turned sympathetic. “You really are such a sweet girl, aren’t you? This world isn’t the place for you right now.” She directed her gaze to Palmon. “You’re supposed to be protecting her, yeah? The best thing you can do is take her home until it’s all over. K-chan will let you know when it’s settled.” She paused for a moment then shrugged. “Or not.”

        “No way!” Palmon snapped as she puffed her chest. “I’m going to protect Mimi and help her save everyone!”

        Witchmon let out a trill of laughter. “You’re such a cutie~! All you Chosen Digimon are so cute I can hardly stand it!”

        Mimi swabbed her eyes with the back of her hand. “Why are you helping the Digimon Kaiser? You don’t seem like you’re being controlled, so why…?”

        Witchmon smiled brightly at Mimi. “Because K-chan needs my help right now, of course. He needs all our help really, but, uh… he kind of doesn’t like you right now. Hasn’t for a while actually. Not since you all decided to start interfering and setting things back a bit. It’s a shame, but, well…” She shrugged. “It’s better to just try and make friends with him later after the war is over.”

        Mimi outright gawked at Witchmon. “ _Friends?_!”

        “We’d never want to be friends with someone like _him_!” Palmon said, practically spitting the words out. “He’s horrible!”

        Witchmon sighed deeply. “You really shouldn’t say bad things about poor K-chan. He’s had it so rough, you see.”

        “ _He’s_ had it rough?” Mimi all but screamed. “Why is he more important than Palmon, Tailmon, or any of the other Digimon _?_!”

        Witchmon’s smile turned sad and as she bowed her head, which caused the brim of her hat to cast dark shadows over her eyes that hid them from view. “It’s not just K-chan,” her voice lowering. “All of you Chosen Children are so much more fragile than any of us Digimon.” She exhaled deeply and her expression turned cheerful once more. “Anyway, let’s not talk about such sad stuff, shall we? What’s it going to take to convince you to go back home and leave the Digital World to us?”

        Mimi had to pause for a moment, as the brief but sudden shift in Witchmon’s mood caught her off guard. She blinked slowly, confused and unnerved by the ominous air that hung over the Digimon’s words, before her irritation came back in full force. “Have the Digimon Kaiser let go of all the Digimon and give our friends back! What he’s doing is wrong! It’s all wrong! And nothing you can say will convince me that it’s not!”

        “Yeah, that’s right!” Palmon said. “Give everyone back!”

        Witchmon clasped her hands together, which blocked out nearly all of her face but her winking eye. “Aww… come on, girls! Don’t be like that. Let’s compromise a little. How about I see if K-chan is willing to give back that egg when he sends your friend home? How does that sound?”

        Mimi frowned. “What about the rest of our friends? Are you going to let them go back home too?”

        Witchmon’s eyes drifted away from Mimi as she began twiddling her fingers together. “Weeeeeeell… I don’t think K-chan would be willing to let go of _all_ of them just yet. He’s got pretty important plans lined up for them. Though maybe he’ll part with Piyomon and Gomamon if you promise to stay away.”

        “That’s horrible!” Mimi shouted. “We want _all_ our friends back! We can’t just let you torture innocent Digimon either!”

        Witchmon let out an awkward chuckle as she folded her hands in her lap. “You keep saying that, but, really, you kids need to stop jumping to conclusions and thinking K-chan is the bad guy here.”

        Mimi’s expression darkened, her body quaking with rage. “How can you… how can you say… that the Digimon Kaiser is not a terrible person… after everything… everything he’s done _?_!”

        “Don’t you care at all _?_!” Palmon shouted as she made a wide gesture with her hands, just as livid as her partner.

        Witchmon’s shoulders slouched and she let out a displeased noise as her ghostly cat circled around her head. “What to do, what to do?” She returned her attention to the Chosen. “We really don’t have time to argue about this, you know? You should really just go home, before they get here.”

        Confusion wore down only a fraction of Mimi’s anger. “What do you mean?”

        Witchmon let out her breath in a deep sigh as her body slumped before she buried her face in one of her massive hands. “My oh me… If you’re not willing to negotiate on this at all, it really puts me in quite a bind here. You all seem like such sweet children. It really is such a shame…”

        Mimi found it harder to hold onto her rage in the face of Witchmon’s apparent sincerity and sadness. “Please! If you care about us… about _any_ of us at all… you’ll make the Digimon Kaiser stop this! If you really think he’s a good person, then don’t let him do such terrible things!”

        Palmon growled in her throat. “That’s if you’re not really being controlled, too!”

        Witchmon peeked at Mimi between her fingers. “I’m sorry, girls, I really am,” She lowered her hand and her expression grew stony. “But it’s far too late to stop now. Far, far too late.”

        A biting chill prickled up Mimi’s spine. “What do you mean?”

        Witchmon forced an unconvincing smile. “I know you won’t, but, please, take my advice. Just go home before you get hurt. The Digital World isn’t safe for you children… especially not now. Let K-chan fix it.”

        Neither Mimi nor Palmon were given a chance to respond. Witchmon’s cloak suddenly fluttered between them, cutting off the halo of light the Adult cast. A second later, Witchmon was gone.

        Palmon stared at where Witchmon had been, then snorted and turned to her partner. “Just ignore her, Mimi. She’s just saying things to scare us–”

        The rest of what Palmon said was drowned out by the most ghastly wail either girl had heard. It was inhuman noise, unlike anything made by either human or Digimon. The sound was distorted with static and a tinny resonance that sputtered and created brief loops in the sound as though it was a badly recorded scream of someone choking and gurgling through water. It sent a shiver up Palmon’s spine that rattled her pedals. She barely heard Mimi shriek in terror beside her as she whirled around, instantly on alert, her eyes darting about in search for the source of the terrible noise.

        Mimi trembled as she aimed her Digivice in the direction of the scream. Even after the sound trailed off, there were other noises to put her hair on end and her nerves on edge. There was a slurping noise of something wet creating suction against a hard surface, strange smacking sounds, and the white noise of waves against the shore or perhaps it was dead air on a radio. Worse, there were whispers – countless tiny voices jabbering, moaning incomprehensible things in a wide range of emotions, mingling shrill laughter with heartbroken sobs and the snarls of an angry beast.

        Palmon moved in front of Mimi, spreading her arms to defend her Chosen Child, who was nearly petrified with fear. Terror gripped her tightly, but her nature as a Chosen Digimon won out. She would protect Mimi no matter what.

        That was when the light from Mimi’s Digivice finally found the source of the terrible noise. Once illuminated, the thing screamed again from countless mouths, and the two girls shrieked along with it.

* * *

        “It’s no use,” Sora said with a heavy sigh. “The screen’s still completely black.” She sunk down heavily into the computer chair in front of Koshiro’s desk, which squeaked in protest. Turning the monitor on and off several times proved useless, not that she had expected it to be much good. It was better than Taichi’s choice of shaking the monitor until it came loose, at any rate. Changing the view of the Digital Gate had much the same effect, showing nothing but blackness in Factory Town. She had been tempted to turn the Digital Gate off then on again, but she was afraid of what might happen to the other Chosen still within the Digital World if she attempted it.

        “None of my emails are getting through, either,” Yamato said his voice practically growl. His fingers struck the keys of his D-Terminal hard as he typed yet another message to Takeru. “‘If you get this, email me back!’”

        Taichi snapped his D-Terminal closed with excessive force. “I can’t believe this. This has got to be the Digimon Kaiser’s work, but how is he doing this?”

        “The same way he blocked the gate, I’m sure of that,” Yamato said as he began typing yet another message, his eyebrows furrowed fiercely. “That little brat…”

        Taichi ground his teeth together as he glared at the black screen. “It’s bad enough that we have to just sit here and wait, but now we can’t even _watch_!”

        “I hope Miyako’s okay,” Sora said, softly. “What if he tries to hurt her…?”

        Jou gripped his hands tightly as he sat on the bed, focusing on how his hands turned white from the pressure. “This is bad…”

        A helpless silence settled in, as heavy as a blanket of lead wrapped around the four Chosen Children’s shoulders, increasing their tension. A number of long minutes passed before Taichi could stand it no longer. “We have to go in there!”

        Sora turned to stare at Taichi, with wide eyes. “What…?”

        “We can’t just stand here and do nothing while the others are in danger!” Taichi said. “We’ve got to do _something_!”

        Yamato gave Taichi a sideways glance before he glared at the error message on his D-Termina’s screen. “Like run head first in to danger ourselves?” His voice was rough with barely contained anger. “I know how you feel, I want to go charging in too, but we can’t see anything, we don’t know where everyone is, and we… don’t have our Digimon. We’d probably get kidnapped ourselves.”

        “Gomamon…,” Jou whispered, the name coming out strained with emotion.

        Sora looked at Yamato and Jou for a long moment before she turned back to Taichi as she gripped her Digivice tightly in both hands. “I… I want to help but… we’d just get in the way…”

        Taichi looked around at his friends for a long moment before he turned away with a curse. He stormed from the room so that he could pace in the hallway outside, his footsteps noisy as he stomped along. The others watched him for a little while before they retreated to their own troubled thoughts.

* * *

        Ever since entering the Digital World, Iori had received no real answers. As far as he was concerned, nothing had truly been explained, as what little he was told simply made no sense to him. He had gone along with Miyako blindly – something he was very familiar with – but this went well beyond some harebrained scheme to get a video game system at launch despite a long line or talking an adult into assisting with some plan of hers that she did not bother to explain to him.

        Iori was in a different world and he was completely lost.

        Iori moved with caution as he made his way down the long and empty hallway, gripping his bokken tightly, ready to use it. He did not know where he was going or where the others were, so he had no option but to move forward and find them. With little light to the front and behind him, he could not see his destination until he got there – and then he would decide what to do then.

        The only thing Iori truly understood was that Miyako had been kidnapped and held for ransom. He needed to rescue her before another monster with a sword and an arrogant attitude attacked her again. Nothing else – even the fact that he was in an alien world filled with monsters – mattered.

        Still, an explanation for the bizarre situation with the lights would have been helpful.

        Iori paused, feeling as though he was making no real progress, and glanced upward at the ceiling where a single red bulb glistened, shrouding him in red light. He should have felt grateful for its presence, as it was the only source of light in the hallway, and he would have been in the dark without it. However, the boy could not ignore the fact that the light seemed to be _following_ him. It made no sense, as ceiling fixtures were entirely stationary, but the fact remained that he was always directly beneath the bulb. There was no row of lights that turned on as he walked towards them and shut off as he moved too far away. That would actually have some sort of logic to it. Instead, it felt as if a single bulb was literally following him, bathing him gently in its soft crimson glow.

        Frankly, it was starting to annoy him.

        Iori cast a narrowed gaze towards the light that stalked him before returning his attention to the path ahead of him. After a moment’s consideration, he gave in to his first impulse and broke into a run at top speed, charging into darkness despite not being able to see what waited ahead of him. As he sprinted, he noticed the light still following him, matching his speed perfectly.

        Iori kept going for nearly half a minute before he abruptly stopped, skidding several feet before springing into the opposite direction and dashing off as fast as he could go. To his annoyance, he found that the light still followed him and he frowned as he looked up to see the bulb was still directly above him, matching his speed and movements perfectly. He darted left and right, changing direction and speeds in erratic patterns, not thinking of where he would go to keep his movements as unpredictable as possible. The light remained where it was, always hovering directly overhead like a shadow that would not disappear.

        Finally, Iori emerged from the tight, narrow space of the hallway into a vast open room with a high ceiling. He looked up to see if there was any change, but though the bulb raised along with the ceiling, the circle of light around him was still the same size and exactly the same luminosity. Gritting his teeth, he surveyed the room and focused on a large machine with a conveyer belt feeding into a sizable gap. He had no idea where the conveyer belt led or whether the machine might turn on, but he went inside regardless of the danger to escape the damned light that was hounding him.

        Much to his frustration, the light came with Iori into the machine. He did not see the bulb move, but once he was inside, he looked up to see it directly above him, barely a hand’s width above his head.

        “This… makes no sense,” Iori muttered as he eased his way out of the machine, keeping his eye on the light bulb the entire time. Seeing it suddenly transition from the inside of the machine to the ceiling in an instant was disorienting and more than a little unnerving. He moved in and out to get a sense for its speed, but there was no blur of movement – one moment it was on the ceiling and the next it was inside the machine near his head, as though it had always been there.

        Unnerved and agitated, Iori took a swing at the bulb with his sword once inside the machine again. The bulb did not shatter, as he expected it to. It did not even budge a single centimeter away from him. Instead, the force he put into the blow jarred his arm, nearly making him drop his bokken as a result. It was as though he had struck a solid piece of titanium instead of a hollow sphere of glass.

        Iori slid out of the machine and backed away from the conveyer belt hastily, never removing his gaze from the bulb that was always looming over his head. He could feel his anxiety grow towards the light bulb – towards this entire alien world – by the second. “This is… this is impossible.”

        An unfamiliar voice floated from behind Iori. “So you’re one of those kind of people who look a gift horse in the mouth, aren’t you?”

        The muscles in Iori’s body locked up with tension for a moment before he slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder, even as his grip tightened on his bokken. “I’m not interested in Trojan Horses.”

        Witchmon hovered above Iori a short distance away, just outside of the circle of red light, with a halo of her own floating around her head. “I’m just saying that K-chan was kind enough to give you a handicap since you don’t have your Digimon yet, so you shouldn’t be so ungrateful. He could’ve let you bump around in the dark like the others.”

        “‘K-chan’?” Iori said slowly. He allowed himself to be confused by the name for only a moment before he focused on more pressing matters, his eyes narrowing at the Digimon before him. “I don’t recall asking for a ‘handicap.’”

        Witchmon wagged a finger at Iori as she clucked her tongue. “Don’t be too hasty now, Sweetie. If you stay here, it won’t be long before you’ll be wishing that there was much more light than this.”

        Iori looked over the Digimon with a critical eye as he tightened his grip on his weapon. “Release Miyako.”

        “My, my,” Witchmon said as she focused her gaze on the bokken. “How scary.” She drifted in a lazy circle around Iori. “But, sorry, even if you attack me, it’s not going to do anything to help you get your friend back. I’m not the one in charge of things, you see. I’m just the… _help_ you could say.”

        “Then I’ll just have to fight my way to the Digimon Kaiser, and take her back myself,” Iori said, his voice hard. “I don’t need your charity.”

        Witchmon let out a strange sounding laugh as she held the back of her hand near her mouth.

        Iori’s eyes narrowed. “What’s so amusing?”

        Witchmon smiled at Iori as her laughter died down. “‘Amusing’? Aren’t _you_ the little grown up.” She hovered closer to Iori, startling him into backing up a space as he raised his bokken defensively. “Anyway, I was just laughing because you’re going to regret having so much _pride_ in a few minutes.”

        Iori bristled as he focused on Witchmon, aiming the tip of his bokken at her. “It has nothing to do with pride. I will protect Miyako, and I don’t need the assistance of villains to do it.”

        Witchmon leaned back a bit, though her amusement never waned. “Oh, you’re mistaken, Dearie. Miyako isn’t even _remotely_ in danger right now. It’s _you_ and everyone else in your group who’re in a lot of trouble.”

        “You’ll forgive that I won’t put much stock in your assurances,” Iori said, as his bokken tip remained focused on the witch Digimon.

        Witchmon sighed as her ghostly cat batted its paws at the bokken, never quite touching it. “I can see you’re a stubborn one, so I guess I’ll just finish saying my piece and get out of your hair. Should you finally decide that discretion is the better part of valor, just whip out that Digivice of yours, shout ‘Digital Gate open,’ and will yourself to go back home. It’ll handle the rest.”

        “I won’t leave without Miyako,” Iori said, ignoring the ghost cat in favor of the Digimon in red. “I swear to that.”

        Witchmon let out a thoughtful hum. “Well, all right. I suppose nothing I say is going to make you change your mind. Just keep in mind that Miyako will probably want you to run away rather than get hurt, okay?”

        “I know Miyako better than you do,” Iori said, his gaze never wavering as his eyes bore holes into Witchmon “Do not think you can lecture me on her wants and desires as if you had insight I do not. If anything, she is eager for me to rescue her so that she might kick that boy in the face.”

        Witchmon blinked before she laughed again. “You’re such a funny guy.” The humor bled out of her smile, leaving her looking tired and sad. “It’s such a shame that if you keep stubbornly sticking your neck out into this war, it’s going to ruin you.”

        Iori frowned and opened his mouth to speak when Witchmon’s cloak suddenly flew between them as her cat let out a yowl. He jerked back, raising his bokken in a defensive stance, expecting an attack. However, when the cloak disappeared from sight, there was no sign of the Digimon but the faint echo of her ghostly cat.

* * *

        “This makes no sense,” Tailmon said as she scanned the area around them through narrowed eyes. “Even the Numemon are gone now.” She kept her keen eyes scouring for any sign of hostile Digimon lurking in the dark as she led the group through the sewer. Ever since FlaWizarmon had stopped to chat with them, no controlled Digimon had attacked them. The Numemon who had been flinging feces at them so freely had vanished without a trace as suddenly and mysteriously as they first appeared. “Something’s about to happen, I can feel it in my fur.”

        Hikari nodded, but gave no reply, only barely paying attention to her partner and the others. Her focus had turned inward as she considered everything that had happened so far during their mission, as well as in their previous adventure years ago in the Digital World. Her mind kept drifting back to the group of Numemon WarMonzaemon had enslaved, and the role she played in freeing them.

        “I’m more worried about finding the way into Factory Town,” Koshiro said with a growing sense of unease. “With all the running around we did in the dark earlier, it’s going to be really difficult to regain our bearings. We could be walking around in circles for all we know. I could try using my laptop to orient ourselves and getting a map, but I’m afraid the Digimon Kaiser might mess with that like he did the lights.”

        Daisuke flashed the older Chosen Child a grin. “Don’t worry about it. I know the secret to solving mazes. You just keep your hand on the left or right wall and stick with that wall the entire time until you get to the other end.” He placed his hand against the wall for emphasis, overlooking the wet smack of his glove striking something goopy on the tiles. “Sure, it’ll take longer, but you’ll get there eventually.”

        Koshiro let out a quiet note of laughter tinged with awkwardness. “Sometimes, sure, but it doesn’t work if the wall you’re using is an interior one that basically loops back around in on itself.”

        Daisuke paused then frowned. “Well, uh, we could mark where we’ve been to show if we’re going in circles. And I remember there was this one Greek myth that had the guy using string to figure out which way to go.”

        Koshiro sighed softly. “Unfortunately, we don’t have string, and the walls are so slimy I don’t think my pen or anything else we brought could write on them.”

        Daisuke pulled his hand away from the wall and wiped at whatever substance glistened on them. “Yeah… Good point.”

        Tailmon paused before suddenly lashing out at the wall with a grunt. Her claws slashed into the brick, creating three deep gouges in the tile. The loud noise caused everyone else in the group to jerk in surprise and turn their attention towards her. She regarded her handiwork with a satisfied nod before she looked over her shoulder to Koshiro and Daisuke. “There. Marked.”

        Both boys stared at the feline Digimon, then at the claw marks, before looking at Tailmon again.

        “Th… that works too,” Koshiro said.

        “I-I can do that too!” V-mon said as he raised a clenched fist in the air. “I’ll punch that wall good!”

        “Nah, it’s fine, V-mon,” Daisuke said as he flashed V-mon a grin. “You’ve got the most important job anyway. If anything happens to that light, we’re going to be in a _lot_ of trouble, you know.”

        V-mon stopped and gripped the flashlight tightly. “N-nothing’ll happen to the light! I’ll protect it, Daisuke!”

        Daisuke flashed V-mon a thumbs up. “I know you will, Buddy!”

        Tailmon glanced towards Hikari, noting that the Chosen of Light had been extremely quiet since FlaWizarmon’s visit. “Hikari?”

        Hikari snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of her partner’s voice and looked over at Tailmon. “Yes?”

        “What’s wrong?” Tailmon asked, her ears canting back. Her expression made it clear that she was not interested in hearing any denials.

        Though Hikari hesitated to trouble her partner and friends with the thoughts weighing on her mind, she knew that remaining silent was not an option. “I was thinking about what FlaWizarmon said, and…” She trailed off, pausing to think of how to properly put her thoughts into words.

        Daisuke frowned. “You’re not thinking he’s right, are you? It’s the classic Villainous Mind Screw 101 – get the heroes to start thinking that the bad guys aren’t really bad after all, so they’ll change their minds about stopping the bad guys from taking over, only for the bad guys to turn right around and betray them and snag ‘em in a trap!” He made a wide gesture before slapping his hands together.

        Hikari shook her head. “It’s not that. What FlaWizarmon said did bother me, but it also got me thinking about what we’ve been through before, the last time we were in the Digital World I mean, and…” A frown appeared before she shook her head. “Never mind, it’s probably not important.”

        “Your thoughts are _always_ important, Hikari-chan,” Daisuke said with an undercurrent of affection in his voice. “Besides, you’ve probably noticed some really important clue that’s gonna help us out big time, but just don’t know it until you tell us about it too. That happens a lot to heroes.”

        Hikari shifted uncomfortably as she traced her fingers along some of the fine patterns stitched into her skirt. “Well… it’s just… Between what FlaWizarmon said and the Numemon… It made me remember that last time we were here. Back then, I kept hearing Tenraimon’s voice… She would talk to me sometimes, and tell me important things about the Digital World that helped us out so much. It was thanks to her that we were able to free the Numemon from War Monzaemon too.”

        Koshiro furrowed his brow as he thought back to the August of 1999, and a moment later he recalled what Hikari meant. “Oh, you mean like when she possessed you and showed us how we became Chosen Children, right?”

        “What about now?” Tailmon asked. “Has she said anything to you?”

        Hikari shook her head slowly as her eyes drifted down towards the ground. “I haven’t heard her voice since we’ve returned… not even once. The last time was when Gennai took our energy…” She closed her eyes. “It’s been so long… Maybe I can’t hear her anymore since I’m older now?” She failed to hide the note of sadness that clung to her words.

        Daisuke scratched the back of his head. “Uh… Wait, you mean you heard a voice like I did with V-mon? But you’re not talking about Tailmon? Did you get two partners or something, Hikari-chan?”

        Hikari shook her head. “Tenraimon is one of the gods of the Digital World, though we didn’t learn about that until after our adventure was over.” She stared off into the distance. “Back then, while Ryo was explaining to us that Tenraimon and Narakumon were gods of the Digital World, I distinctly remember her telling me that they didn’t really know what they were exactly, but the Digimon who know of them think of them as gods.” Her expression turned somewhat sheepish. “Actually, I think I forgot to mention it to anyone until now. After I donated my energy to Gennai…” Her words trailed off on an awkward note. “I guess… my memories are pretty hazy around that point. I don’t even remember touching that crystal ball he was holding, and I barely remember coming home.”

        Koshiro let out a quiet hum, his brow furrowing. “We haven’t seen Gennai since then either.” He paused as a terrible thought struck him. “You don’t think… the Digimon Kaiser has done something to them too?”

        A shiver ran up Hikari’s spine. “I hope not.”

        “I wouldn’t put it past Tiny Tower,” Daisuke said with a grunt. “I’d bet he’d want to enslave gods too if he could, or become one himself!”

        Tailmon’s ears canted back flat against her head. “It seems too coincidental. There _has_ to be a connection.”

        Koshiro let out a frustrated breath. “Unfortunately, I don’t see how we’re going to figure out what happened right now. We can try asking Centarumon or Jijimon if they know anything after we finish here.”

        Hikari nodded, though she could not shake the troubled feelings that churned her stomach unpleasantly. “Right.”

        “For now, we need to keep going,” Tailmon said as she faced ahead of them. “Miyako must be in the control room–” She stopped speaking instantly, her ears perking upward, as she froze in place.

        “Daisuke, did you hear that?” V-mon asked, eyes wide. He aimed the light up at his Chosen’s face, who cried out and covered his eyes. Realizing what he did, V-mon quickly redirected the blinding light to his partner’s feet instead. “That… that sound. That squishing, slurping sound.”

        Daisuke blinked repeatedly, spots dancing in his eyes. “Huh?” He looked at the bottoms of his shoes. “Did I step in something?”

        Hikari noticed the tense expression on Tailmon’s face and felt her nervousness grow. She shushed Daisuke – who kept trying to examine the floor or his shoes for any trace of poop leftover from the Numemon – and focused on listening for whatever it was that the Digimon heard.

        The group waited in tense anticipation for whatever was making the strange noises that put the Chosen Digimon on edge. The sewage water gurgled through the canal as tiny drops fell from the ceiling to plop on the ground, but otherwise the sewer was silent to the ears of the Chosen Children. Minutes ticked by with ever mounting anxiety, making the group grow restless.

        Daisuke’s patience met its limit. “I don’t hear any–”

         _Splotch_.

        The sudden sound of a wet, sloppy slap of some unknown glop hitting against brick silenced Daisuke, but only for a moment. “What was that?” The newest Chosen Child grimaced as a thought struck him. “Wait, oh crap, not more Numemon!”

        Koshiro looked uneasily towards the Chosen Digimon, who appeared even more unnerved than he did. “Do you think it’s them?” he whispered. There was no conviction in his voice, as the noise sounded did not sound quite like the clamor the Numemon made. Instead of shouts of attack names, was some sort of hissing sound like radio static that accompanied the wet noise

        Daisuke pulled out his Digivice with a scowl. “If it is, I’m sick of running, and I’m sick of getting crap thrown at me. Come on, V-mon. Let’s show them they can’t throw poop at us and get away with it!”

        Another slap followed, before a slurping, slippery noise followed. The slapping continued, slow and rhythmic like waves, only the water was especially thick. The hissing noise that came with it grew louder, along with the steady scraping of something heavy dragging across the ground.

        Tailmon’s ears canted back as her eyes darted about in the darkness ahead of them, the tension in her muscles growing by the moment when not even her night vision was good enough to make out the source. The sound was getting louder, so the truth of its identity would be clear soon enough. “Get ready.”

        Koshiro raised his own Digivice. “Tentomon?”

        “I’m ready, Koshiro,” Tentomon said as he crouched slightly.

        “Daisuke, I’ll protect you!” V-mon said as he held the flashlight tightly, aiming it about for any sight of their foe.

        Hikari froze midway when pulling out her Digivice, her words to Tailmon dying on her lips, as a terrible sense of déjà vu seized her. She felt the wrongness in the air, a sensation that grew frighteningly familiar to her as of late. It invaded her dreams, turning even the most pleasant image gray with static, if her nightmares did not start there already. It would always start with that terrible feeling, her sixth sense crying out in alarm at the sense of wrongness all around her, creeping out of the darkness before she heard it. She wanted to deny what her instincts were telling her, but like her nightmares, it inevitably came – the sound of the ocean and countless people drowning, all whispering, laughing, screaming, crying, and shouting at once. Then, she would see it, the place of her nightmares.

        “ _What the hell is that?_!” Daisuke shouted, bringing Hikari back to reality.

        Panic sent Hikari’s heart pounding as she realized that this was no dream, no matter how terrible it was. A part of her tried to deny it, but the alarmed cries of her companions beside her kept her grounded even as a creature crawling in the darkness in front of them came out from her most horrible nightmares.

        The thing before them was not a Digimon, that much was certain even with only the barest hints of light playing across its distorted body to let the Chosen make out its warped shape and the countless contorted mouths and limbs jutting out in all directions. Bits and pieces were familiar – half of a Monzaemon’s face, a Snimon’s broken blade arm, a sunken in Mushmon cap, a Bakemon’s face minus its jaw replacing the knee of a DarkTyranomon’s leg, and more – but the parts were placed together in complete disarray, creating an inharmonious whole that did not resemble anything they had ever seen before.

        “No…” The word escaped Hikari in a whisper before she realized she had vocalized her thoughts. She turned to the others, seizing Koshiro and Daisuke by the arms. “We have to run! _Now!_ ”

        “Hikari?” Tailmon whirled to face her Chosen Child, alarmed by the panic in Hikari’s voice. “What are you–?”

         _Tailmon…_

        A chill ran up the cat Digimon’s spine as a familiar voice came from within the screams and gurgles of the creature. Tailmon slowly turned around, her ears canted back. When her eyes focused on the creature, her pupils shrank to pinpoints. Among the mass of black flesh, a face manifested itself. It was a face that Tailmon hadn’t seen in years, despite constant visits to the Village of Beginnings. It was a face that she never would have expected in such a place, least of all attached to a writhing mass of gore.

        It was Wizarmon, or at least from the shoulders up. Half of his face was melting, his hat completely crushed against his head, with a barely formed twig of an arm grasping towards Tailmon. His eyes were dark pits that seemed to somehow give her the impression that he was staring through her, his warped expression twisted in pure agony. The way he moved gave her the impression that he was trying to pull himself free of the dark mass, but other limbs pulling at his hair kept him back.

         _Tailmon…_

        “W-Wizarmon?” Tailmon muttered, her voice soft. The voice seemed to resonate in her head rather than come from the creature’s mouth, which probably could not generate sound with how it kept disintegrating even as it reformed moments later.

         _Tailmon… You left me to die._

        Tailmon went rigid as her tail bushed up, the accusation striking at her deeply in a way that she was not prepared for – that she knew she could never be ready to hear. Her voice lodged itself in her throat, leaving her unable to do more than move her mouth in soundless protest as her head slowly moved back and forth.

         _I tried to help you, and you left me to die._

        Tailmon trembled, her vision blurring as hot tears filled her eyes. Her foot hung in the air, torn between her instincts that ordered her to run closer or away to the warped visage of her oldest and dearest friend.

        “ _Tailmon!_ ”

        Tailmon only vaguely registered Hikari’s voice, even though the Chosen of Light had shouted her name close to her ear. A pair of arms scooped her up as she came back to herself, and realized that Hikari was carrying her.

        “Run!” Hikari shrieked as she darted back from the abomination as its countless arms reached for her, some coming dangerously close to snatching the hem of her skirt. She ran past the others, only to stop when she realize that the boys were frozen like Tailmon had been. She freed her hand to yank hard Daisuke then Koshiro’s arms. “Grab V-mon and Tentomon and run! We can’t fight it! _Run!_ ”

        Daisuke stumbled for a few steps, yelping as he was pulled, then his head to clear it. He glanced back at Hikari, but his eyes did not stray from the creature for long. “What… what the heck is…?”

        “Just run!” Hikari shouted, her voice cracking with fear. “Don’t let it get near you!”

        Daisuke and Koshiro needed no further prompting. They quickly scooped up their partners in their arms before following the Chosen of Light through the dark sewer with only V-mon’s flashlight to lead the way.

        Koshiro alternated his gaze between where they were going and the darkness behind them as it swallowed up the creature from view. “H-Hikari? Do you… do you know what that… _thing_ is?”

        Hikari shuddered at the question. “No… but I know we can’t let it touch us, no matter what!”

        Tailmon trembled in Hikari’s grip, instinctively clinging to her partner. While part of her wanted to squirm and get free, the chill in her body made her feel as if she had been paralyzed. “Wizarmon… why…?”

        “That’s not Wizarmon!” Hikari shouted, though her voice wavered at a higher pitch than normal due to fear.

        A different voice burbled out from the creature above all the others, one that sounded like an unharmonious mixture of male and female.

         _Koshiro… Why did you replace us?_

        The Chosen of Knowledge looked back over his shoulder and caught a pair of faces rising up from the creature, as though two people were emerging from it but only from the torso up. In the wobbling light of V-mon’s flashlight, which kept switching between the monster and the path before them, it took Koshiro a few moments to recognize that it was a man and a woman. Something about the shape of their faces itched at the back of his mind, but he could not place it. “What…?”

        “Don’t look back!” Hikari yelled near Koshiro’s ear, who jerked away slightly with a yelp. “Don’t listen to it! It’s trying to make you come to it!”

        “But that–”

        Hikari talked loudly over Koshiro’s protest. “Whatever you think it might be, it’s not! It’s _not_!”

        “I got it, Hikari-chan,” Daisuke said, flashing his companions a grim but confident, if shaky smile smile. “It’s just some evil shape shifting monster trying to eat us and lure us in by pretending to be people we recognize. If we ignore it, we’ll be fine!”

        “That monster won’t trick Daisuke!” V-mon proclaimed proudly, regaining his confidence despite how the sight of the creature shook him almost as much as the rest of the Chosen.

        Tailmon swallowed hard, as she tried to focus on Hikari’s voice. Despite what her Chosen Child said, Wizarmon’s words echoed in her head like poison, making her feel numb. “It wasn’t…?”

        Hikari’s expression was tight as she pulled her partner closer, heat stinging her eyes. Seeing Wizarmon’s agonized face had affected her as well. “It wasn’t! It most definitely was _not_ him!”

        “Koshiro, be careful,” Tentomon said as he kept looking down towards the ground. “We can outrun it, so watch where you step.”

        Koshiro nodded, feeling a bit shaky for a reason he could not quite identify. There was something about the monster’s words, the shape it formed, and its voices that bothered him on a deeper level. He wanted to know what it was trying to tell him, but at the same time, he could see that was exactly what the monster intended. “Y-yeah. Right.”

        Hikari swallowed hard on the knot of fear that lodged itself in her throat, and pushed herself and her companions onward as fast as they could go. She had no idea where she was leading them, but it did not matter. Anywhere was better as long as wherever they went was somewhere far, far away from the creature that crawled out of her worst nightmares and into reality.

* * *

        Takeru leaned against a wall, his breathing ragged as his heart rate slowly returned to normal. He started to regret going through excessive amounts of soccer practice prior to venturing into Factory Town, as well as the rather poor sleep he had gotten the night before. His stamina felt mostly depleted during a moment when he was all too aware how much he needed more of it. Thankfully, they had found an empty hallway with blank walls that seemed to be devoid of any machinery with designs to grab him and Patamon, allowing them a moment to catch his breath.

        When Takeru felt his breathing come a little more easily, he glanced in the direction of his partner. “A-are you okay, Patamon?”

        “Y-yeah,” Patamon said between pants. He lay limp atop Takeru’s head, wings drooping, and his arms and legs sprawled out. “Is… is it just me… or were the arms going after me… at least _twice_ as much as you?”

        “I noticed,” Takeru muttered, his voice harsh. If the Digimon Kaiser was trying to make him angry, it was working.

        Patamon exhaled deeply and rubbed his face with his paws, wiping away the sweat sticking to his fur. “At least we got away from them…” He looked around at the bare gray walls in front and behind them and the endless blackness that stretched out on either side outside of the precious little light Takeru’s Digivice gave them. “But it doesn’t feel like we’re any closer to the others…”

        “It feels like we’re going in circles,” Takeru said with a sigh. “We probably are, and we just can’t see that because of the darkness.”

        Patamon examined their surroundings with a frustrated air. “Yeah… For all we know, the Digimon Kaiser locked us in a maze with no exits and is waiting for us to use the Digital Gate to escape.” He was silent for a moment before he readjusted his position so that he could peer down at Takeru. “Maybe we should leave and try coming back in another way. There’s got to be _some_ way of sneaking past his defenses.”

        Takeru focused his gaze at the floor, which was a metal grating with nothing but darkness underneath. “I considered that, but… that’s what he wants us to do. I don’t want to give that brat the satisfaction of winning, but I’m more worried that he’s doing this because he can keep us from coming back here like before our Digivices changed. We’d basically be trusting him to return Miyako, and condemning all the Digimon.”

        Patamon sighed and pulled himself to his feet. “That’s true.” He focused intently on the wall across from them, his eyes narrowing. “In that case, maybe we should try to _make_ a way out.”

        Takeru looked up at his partner nodded. He doubted that Patamon could evolve normally – though they had not seen a Dark Tower yet, he had a feeling one was around – but he had his Digimental. “Yeah, I think we’re past the point of worrying about keeping Factory Town undamaged.”

        Patamon nodded and raised his wings, ready to fly again, only to freeze with them held straight up in the air. “Wait!” he said sharply before lowering his voice to a whisper. “I hear something.”

        Takeru tensed up, his hand tightening around his Digivice. His eyes darted around as he strained to catch what his partner had noticed, but heard nothing but the soft hum of gears. “What is it?”

        Patamon leaned forward until he nearly fell off Takeru’s head. “It’s coming from over there.” He flew a little ways down the hall, just within the glow of the Digivice. “I think it’s water. A lot of it!”

        “Water…?” Takeru repeated before he felt a surge of concern. He had thought the Digimon Kaiser was all bluster, but the mention of water suggested something else entirely. “Is he trying to drown us!?”

        Patamon moved in close to the wall, frowning. “It’s coming from inside the wall. Maybe there are water pipes here?”

        “Pipes…?” Takeru said slowly as he moved to his partner’s side. He pressed his ear against the cold surface of the wall, straining to listen. After a second he heard it, the unmistakable sound of water, but it did not sound like the rush of liquid through the pipes when he turned on a faucet or a bath at home. It reminded him more of the ocean with great amounts of water sloshing back and forth hard against the shore. Either these ‘pipes’ were abnormally loud, or there was a lot of water behind the wall.

        For a moment, Takeru thought he heard something else as well, something terrible that made his insides crawl – voices distorted by water, as though countless people were drowning all at once.

        “Takeru!” Patamon shouted, alarmed. “Look up at that vent!”

        Takeru blinked, startled out of his disturbing thoughts, and quickly scoured the ceiling. He spotted a vent just a short distance on the ceiling, mounted just above his head. The vent looked just large vent big enough for him to crawl through if it was not already filled to the brim with something else. Through the slits, he saw something dark that shone wetly in the light as it undulated out of the vent, some sort of gelatinous substance that bulged thickly like mucus before it dribbled down, hitting his shoulder with a slimy plop.

        A terrible unseen force slammed into Takeru, racking his body with an intense cold and a strange noise that permeated his ears and scratched at his brain, drowning out the sound of Patamon screaming his name. There were other voices too, each one competing with his partner’s to drown Patamon out. They were screaming, laughing, cursing, sobbing, whispering, and everything in between. They babbled nonsense and frighteningly familiar things in and out of static, as though filtered through a weak radio signal and the sounds of the sea crashing to the shore. The light from his Digivice disappeared, plunging him into an empty blackness that consumed everything.

        Takeru had no idea how long he was lost in darkness. His mind was consumed with sound and a terrible oppressive weight on his heart that left him with no room for thought, let alone the concept of time.

        The first thing Takeru registered as his senses slowly returned to him was the sensation that he had been drained of his fear and any other emotion, leaving him with strange sense of ennui. It took him a while to gather up the energy to even notice how everything that had changed around him and that Patamon was gone.

        The color was completely gone from the world Takeru stood in now. Above him were dark clouds that choked out the sun or sky, and in front of him was a massive body of water so gray that it was nearly black. The ocean stretched out endlessly in front of him, dirty off-white foam crashed into slate colored sand. He stood at the edge of the beach where sand transitioned to dirt and sickly looking patches of scraggly grass that crunched dry and brittle beneath his feet. It was almost as though he was viewing the world through a black and white filter, which made it disorienting to see that his body still had color while the rest of the world was made up of countless shades of gray. He looked himself over, particularly the section of his shirt where that black goo touched him, but nothing seemed amiss, save for the fact that he was no longer in Factory Town with Patamon.

        Initially, Takeru took in more details of this strange place, such as a lighthouse that cast a beam of blackness in a steady rotation, without any sense of rush or panic. Off in the distance there were some shacks, perhaps even a village. There were banners that flapped in a breeze he did not feel against his skin, as though beckoning him closer, or perhaps warning him to stay away.

        As seconds ticked by, that strange disconnect between Takeru and his emotions slowly began to wane, and a terrible oppressive sadness and helplessness that was not his own came creeping in its place.

        “This place… where am I…?” Takeru muttered, his voice quiet. Even speaking took a lot of effort, too much effort. It felt pointless to speak, as pointless as everything else he could have been doing right now. His entire body felt heavy, weighed down by the sheer sense of uselessness.

        That was exactly what Takeru was – useless. The last to evolve, the first to get in trouble – that was the Chosen of Hope. He had taken so long to get Patamon to become Angemon, and for what? For Angemon to die in his first battle. He had trained hard since then, doing his best to not be a drain on the other Chosen or on Patamon.

        Yet, for all his efforts, Takeru had allowed Patamon to be captured by the Digimon Kaiser and brainwashed. It was not a matter of chance or bad timing – he had made a stupid mistake and left his partner alone in a dangerous world. Patamon could have died and he never would have known. If that simple fact was not a testament to how completely pointless he was, then he doubted anything ever would be.

        Takeru wobbled on his feet as the strength of his legs began to ebb. The hopelessness that turned his heart to lead almost felt like a physical weight, forcing him to sit down on the beach before he collapsed. His eyes strayed down to where his hand touched the surprisingly cold sand and saw that his fingernails had turned dark. He noticed that it was not limited to his nails – the color was slowly bleeding away from his fingertips, like watercolor paint soaking into a canvas, leading only gray behind.

        A small voice in Takeru’s head screamed that there was something alarming about what was happening, but he could not muster the energy to heed its warning. What was the point? How was he supposed to stop something that he did not understand? He did not even know where he was or what had happened to him. Losing the color from his fingers and watching them drain from his palm seemed inevitable. All he could do was just watch it happen. “Huh…”

        A sound caught Takeru’s attention, just barely reaching over the din of the waves crashing against the shore. It took him nearly half a minute to realize that the noise was someone crying.

        Takeru cocked his head in the direction of the crying. Ever since he had appeared in this place, the ocean had whispered to him, but he had scarcely noticed it until he heard the crying. The creature inside the vent had made similar sounds as the dark sea before him, and somehow the babble of countless seemed expected in this place, though he could not understand why he felt that way.

        This new voice, however, was different. Somehow, the crying was louder than the other voices, as if it were dominating them simply by existing.

        It was strange enough to pique his curiosity, and made Takeru feel a sense of concern that rose up above the hopelessness. Despite the pointlessness of everything, the voice urged him to rise to his feet and follow the sound to its source. His body moved almost of its own accord in some last desperate act to escape the ennui crushing him as the color bled away from his body, the gray reaching his elbow by this point. Each step felt a little harder than the last, as though the air had turned to water and was trying to stop him from moving forward. In spite of all this, the crying continued to lead him on.

        The crying led Takeru a small ways past the lighthouse where a formation of rocks sat overlooking the shore. On top of one of the larger boulders was a girl curled up in a ball, her lithe form shuddering with sobs. She was dressed all in black as though mourning, her long black hair acting as a veil to completely hide her face from him as she cried into her arms atop her tightly folded knees. As the Chosen of Hope drew closer, he realized that the outfit the girl wore was familiar – a skirt covered with ornately patterned lace, knee-high boots, and tights – and he recognized it as the clothes the Digital World dressed Hikari in every time they arrived, only it was entirely black instead of white.

        For a moment, Takeru had the crazy notion that this girl _was_ Hikari, somehow affected by this world of darkness like it was changing him to gray – which had now reached his shoulder – but he shook off the notion. This girl’s hair was much longer, her bangs pinned back not by a flower hair clip, but one shaped like the moon accented with glittering gemstones, and he realized that her skin was not devoid of color, just incredibly pale, as though she never stepped out into the sun before.

        It took a moment for Takeru to gather the energy to speak, as curiosity had to battle against the lethargy inside him. Finally, after several endlessly long seconds, he managed to form some words. “Who are you?”

        The girl jerked, a sob choking in her throat, and an instant later she was staring at Takeru with wide red eyes overflowing with tears. He did not recognize her, but had no opportunity to ask who she was before she suddenly sprang off the rock and charged at him. Her expression changed from sorrow to surprise and then to vivid rage in the span of a few seconds, taking Chosen of Hope aback. He barely had a moment to wonder what was wrong before her palm impacted against his cheek with a loud smack, sending a shock of pain through him that cut through the haze clouding his mind as his vision went dark.

        Takeru was still disoriented when he heard Patamon call out his name. He blinked repeatedly, his hand touching his cheek, as he focused on his surroundings. He was back in the darkened hallway with his partner, who looked on the verge of panic.

        “You’re back!” Patamon shouted as he lunged to practically tackle Takeru in a hug.

        “I-I…,” Takeru muttered, his ears ringing and his eyes still not quite in focus. He felt like he had been dreaming, except his whole body ached, not just his cheek. “I-I’m what?”

        “You disappeared!” Patamon yelled, distressed. “You started going all fuzzy and I pulled you back from that weird black stuff, but then you disappeared right out of my hands!”

        “W-wait, wait, what?” Takeru muttered, even as he moved to hold his partner close. Nothing was making sense, and he felt like he was missing half the story. “Black stuff? Disappeared? What are you–”

        It was then that Takeru heard the screaming. The sound made his entire body stiffen and sent his heart racing. Whatever had dulled his emotions before was gone now, and he whirled around towards the source as panic flooded his veins. He reached for his Digivice, only to find it missing, and quickly spotted it on the floor, providing the only source of illumination that showed him and Patamon something taking up the space where he had stood only minutes ago. Fear nearly tore a scream from his throat, but he held it back, his eyes open to their fullest, as he instinctively took several steps back.

        The thing that oozed from the vents was mostly on the floor now, but its already unnatural anatomy was distorted in ways that made it difficult for Takeru or Patamon to understand what they were looking at. It was a slimy mass of contorted limbs and distorted faces that continually formed like a creature trying to pull its way free from a mound of black gel, only to dissolve back into the blob.

        However, it was the screaming that got to the Chosen the most. Countless voices howled in anguish, shouted insults with infinite hatred, sobbed out pleas, or belted out laughter tainted with insanity. They were an unharmonious union that was painful to hear. Yet, stranger still was that the voices could never drown out the constant background noise of static or waves crashing into the sea.

        The light from Takeru’s Digivice flickered, as though dying. It created a strobe light effect that made the creature even more disturbing, as he could only vaguely see it shudder and spasm as pieces split off from the main mass then divided further still. It seemed as though the monstrosity was tearing itself apart.

        Takeru could only stare, his body paralyzed with fear, as he tried to comprehend what that creature was and what was happening. In the flickering light, he noticed that shapeless waves of black overlapping the glistening surface of the monster. It was easy to miss in the dark, but next to the shapeless black, the creature seemed gray. These black waves were dividing the abomination into smaller pieces and swallowing them up. The blackness reminded him of the tendrils of an octopus or squid attacking its prey and consuming it.

        A shudder ran through Takeru’s body when he noticed the many faces of the creature were facing him. It – they – were shouting for _him_ to help or cursing his name. He had little more than glimpses of grasping hands and screaming mouths until he saw one face in particular that shook him to his very core.

        It was Angemon. A dark Angemon was trapped within the monster, with only one arm to reach for Takeru, until the blackness tore it from him, twisting his mouth into a scream.

_Takeru… help me! Don’t let me die again!_

        Takeru choked on a scream as pain lanced through his chest. “Angemon!” He stepped forward to save his partner, only to freeze when he realized that he was still holding Patamon in his arms, his grip so tight that it must have been painful for his partner. Shakily, he slowly forced his gaze away from Angemon and looked down at the Digimon in his arms. “Pata…mon…?”

        Patamon gawked at the screaming Angemon, his jaw hanging open. “What the… But that’s… _me_?” When he noticed the tremor that ran through Takeru’s body, he looked up at his partner to see the haunted expression on the Chosen of Hope’s face. “Don’t listen to it, Takeru! That thing must be pretending to be me to try and trick you so it can take you away again like it did before!”

        “I… what is that thing?” Takeru said in a wavering voice. He could feel his heart pound hard in his chest, the sound a thundering echo in his ears. “Why is it… you!?”

        “I don’t know,” Patamon said, his tone fierce as his body tensed, readying for battle if the abomination got too close. His eyes narrowed as it groped at the air with a disjointed and melting arm towards Takeru. “But I won’t let it touch you again! I won’t let it hurt you!”

        Takeru could not respond. Words refused to come as he watched the image of Angemon writhe and disintegrate before him. Seeing his real partner break apart into facets of light when he was a child had been traumatic enough, but this was far worse. The false Angemon contorted in unnatural, agonized positions, its features warping into something uncanny, and all the while it screamed and begged for his help. He tightened his grip on Patamon as his body trembled from his efforts to not give in to the irrational part of him that practically screamed at him to save his partner, even if he knew the thing before him was a fake. He knew it without question, even without the reassuring weight and warmth of Patamon in his arms. The way this imposter spoke was completely wrong. When Angemon died, he did not cry, beg, or scream – he comforted Takeru instead, just as Patamon was trying to reassure him now.

        It took less than a minute for the creature to be swallowed up by the darkness. However, to Takeru, it felt as though he had watched it with his back pressed hard against the wall for hours. It was only when the monster went silent and there was nothing left of it but a shapeless mass of black that absorbed all light that he noticed a red light bulb on the ceiling. He was certain it had not been there when he had returned from that other world. It made him feel uneasy, as the light it cast painted everything in shades of crimson, reminding him unnervingly of blood.

        Although the creature no longer pretended to be Angemon or had arms or faces or a voice left, Takeru still felt wary of the darkness in front of him. It was above his Digivice, still sputtering out irregular bursts of light on the floor, touching it. Such a realization flooded him with panic, enough to almost override his shock, horror, and numbness from the past few minutes. He wanted to snatch his Digivice away, but he did not dare get too close to the darkness before him.

        Takeru opened his mouth to speak then closed it again with a click of teeth when he realized the darkness was shrinking. Whatever it was in front of them was moving down towards the floor – no, it was slipping into the screen of his Digivice!

        Takeru stared down at his Digivice, struggling to comprehend what he was seeing as horror grew. The darkness that had silenced the monster that killed Angemon was seeping into his Digivice.

        A terrible thought suddenly occurred to Takeru, hitting him as hard as the mysterious girl had slapped him. What if the darkness _came_ from his Digivice?

        Whether or not it was true, one thing Takeru knew for certain was that the darkness retreated into his Digivice and disappeared without a trace, allowing its light to shine freely once more.

        The silence that followed felt almost deafening. Long seconds ticked by like minutes with only the sound of the two of them breathing to fill it before Patamon finally spoke up in a hushed voice. “Why did _darkness_ come from the Digivice?”

        Takeru felt his insides twist as Patamon confirmed his fear. “I-I… don’t know,” he said, barely managing to raise his shaky voice above a whisper. He did not want to accept what he had seen. He did not want to acknowledge that something as sinister as pure darkness had come from his Digivice. His mind reeled with terrible questions that he was not sure he wanted answered.

        A distorted chime came from Takeru’s pocket, the sound piercing him with a strong sense of dread. He recognized it in an instant, and its timing filled him with panic that was nearly strong enough to make him want to pretend he had not heard anything. Yet, in spite of this, he reluctantly shifted Patamon into a one-handed grip so that he could pull out his D-Terminal, surprised that it nearly fumbled out of his trembling grip before he managed to open the device.

        Just like before, the email was already open, with no information to identify the sender. Words were scrawled on the screen, not simply rough like last time, but the edges were harsh and sloppier than before, as though the writer was angry or rushed. However, it was not the appearance of the email as the message that made Takeru’s breath catch in his throat.

_Do NOT answer the Dark Ocean’s call!_

        Takeru stared at the message as what he could only describe as “cracks” formed along the edges of the characters written on the screen, slowly spreading across the message box. The D-Terminal’s screen sputtered and flickered in and out, with bursts of static. Strange characters and oddly shaped pixels appeared in random places until there was nothing but illegible nonsense. Finally, the D-Terminal crashed, and the screen turned completely dark.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chosen have rallied in spite of the horrors the Digimon Kaiser has unleashed upon them. However, the creatures he created are not done with the Chosen yet, and the children will not escape unchanged. As night erases the day, the Chosen are ill prepared to see the true darkness that had come to Factory Town.  
> 
> 
> * * *

        Miyako had never been so livid in her entire life. The mocking words of the Digimon Kaiser replayed themselves in her mind, taunting her, as she was forced to watch the dozens of monitors show disturbing sludge monster abominations ooze their way through Factory Town, hunting down the other Chosen. Being made into a damsel in distress when she should have been a hero was galling enough, but being tied to a chair paled in comparison to being forced to watch the others face something out of a survival horror game. If the Digimon Kaiser thought that she would do nothing but sit there and fret like some dumb ditz then he had no clue who he was messing with.

        “Stupid cosplay-freak Kaiser,” Miyako grumbled to herself as she worked at her bindings. If she had her pockets then she would have had access to the tools she brought along with her, many of which were nice and sharp. As it was, the best she could do was work at the bonds a little at a time, trying to stretch them out and shift them about bit by bit. She made a mental note to come up with more contingency plans if the Digimon Kaiser pulled something like this again.

        Thankfully, her bindings were made of strange fabric rather than rope or wire. With enough methodical movement, they were slowly but surely loosening around her bound appendages. With the witch Digimon not around to re-secure them, the new Chosen was free to fidget and squirm until she was finally able to slip one of her feet out of its binding, allowing her room to kick the fabric off her other leg and liberate it as well. While having her feet free was not much help, they gave her more leverage to keep twisting at the fabric keeping her hands attached to the armrests of the chair.

        Miyako placed her feet apart and pushed them against the floor as firmly as the heels allowed to give her added leverage. She gritted her teeth and began rocking her body hard left to right, making the chair jerk in the process. The fact that the chair was bolted to the floor was more help than a hindrance, as she was able to move without crashing to the floor. After several minutes, the fabric binding her hands could no longer withstand the onslaught and stretched just enough that Miyako could squeeze her hands free.

        “About damn time!” Miyako practically snarled as she rubbed her arms to get the blood circulating in them properly. They were an angry shade of red where the bindings had held her, and the soreness suggested to her that they would turn into bruises by morning. She made a mental note to wear something with long sleeves for a while until she no longer looked like she was a kidnap victim or into some kinky hobbies.

        Once the tingling eased from her fingertips, Miyako grabbed the edge of the fabric still wrapped around her chest, pulled it up to her mouth so that she could dig into it with her teeth, and tugged until she heard it tear. She spat out fibers with a grunt of disgust, then used the weakness she created in the cloth to tear it away from her body with surprisingly little trouble. “It’s like canvas,” she muttered to herself. “Stupidly strong until it gets one little cut.” She shook her head before rising to her feet. “That jackass must really not think much of me if he thought I couldn’t get out of something like that.”

        With one problem down, Miyako returned her attention to the massive computer console, scanning the monitors and controls with a critical eye. The set up was much more elaborate than a home computer, leaving much of the buttons and dials on the console a mystery to her, one that she had to solve quickly. It had not been that long since the Digimon Kaiser had left her alone, but that did not guarantee he would not be back at any minute to mock her again. “Clock is ticking, girl. Figure this out.”

        Unfortunately, Miyako had her work cut out for her. The computer itself spanned the wall, reminding the Chosen of the first computers ever invented, when they took up an entire room just to calculate numbers. She could only hope that the system was more advanced than such an archaic system. She reassured herself that it must be the case given what she saw of Guardromon’s internal schematics. Despite the grimy and worn exterior of the consoles in front of her, she knew that she was dealing with highly advanced technology – the appearance was most likely entirely cosmetic.

        It took quite a bit of trial and error, as well as a lot of frustration, but eventually Miyako figured out how to navigate the computer’s obtusely designed system. “Little jerk just had to make this unnecessarily complex, didn’t he?” She put the shot of Iori on the central monitor and crossed her fingers. “Hey, Iori? Can you hear me?”

        On the screen, Iori stopped short, his head lifting to stare up at the ceiling. To him, it seemed as though Miyako’s voice came from all around him. Unfortunately, he saw no sign of her. All he could see was the red light that had insisted on following him, despite his best efforts. “Miyako! _?_ ”

        Miyako let out a relieved breath and smiled. “Excellent. Looks like I’ve got communications under my control. Don’t bother worrying about me, Iori. Just stand by for further instructions while I try to get access to the layout of the factory, then I’ll coordinate all of you to come together.”

        Iori frowned, not ready to feel relieved just yet despite his friend’s cheerful tone. “Are you certain you are safe?”

        Miyako paused to look around the room. There was no sign of the Digimon Kaiser or any of his minions, but that did not exactly reassure her. “As safe as any of us can get when the bad guy knows how to teleport anywhere he wants whenever he wants. Don’t worry about me right now. That brat let loose some eldritch horrors on you and the others, so you’ve got to worry about yourself more right now.”

        Iori tensed as he glanced about suspiciously, tightening his grip on his bokken. The idea of ‘eldritch horrors’ disturbed him, particularly what it must have meant with regards to a species that could normally resemble dragons and dinosaurs. “At the moment, I am fine. I haven’t run in to any resistance.”

        Miyako worked at the computer while she talked, using a secondary monitor to search through the system so that she could keep in contact with Iori. “Thank goodness for small favors, but don’t expect it to stay that way for too long.”

        “I don’t need favors, small or otherwise,” Iori muttered, more to himself than Miyako. He then straightened up. “Can you contact the others?”

        “Looks like it,” Miyako said, “but it looks like it’ll be just one group at a time until I figure out how to conference this call, and that’s a lower priority to getting the map.”

        “I agree,” Iori said as he glanced around. “For the moment, I believe it’s safe for you to contact the others.” He paused for a moment before a small smile tugged at his lips. “If that changes, I will let you know.”

        Miyako glanced up at the screen displaying Iori. “Don’t worry, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

        Miyako looked over the other monitors to decide who to contact next when she did a double take at seeing Takeru. The Chosen of Hope was standing completely still, with a worried Patamon hovering nearby. She frowned before switching the two of them to the main monitor. “Yo, Takaishi! Wake up! This isn’t a good time to start spacing out right now.”

        Takeru did not respond at first, which made Miyako wonder if he had even heard her. She was about to speak again, when the Chosen of Hope slowly lifted his head and stared up at the ceiling. “Miyako?”

        “Glad to see that you’re still with us, Takaishi,” Miyako said dryly. “You okay?”

        Takeru lowered his gaze down to the ground, his eyes distant, as though he was focusing on something that neither Miyako nor Patamon could see. It was nearly a minute before he spoke again. “Yes.”

        Miyako’s expression deadpanned. “‘No’ you say? _Really._ I’d never have guessed.” She shifted her attention to the Digimon hovering beside Takeru. “Patamon, please make sure he stays put. I’ll send everyone to your position as soon as I get access to the layout and figure out where you all are.”

        Patamon nodded, his worried gaze never leaving Takeru. “Right.”

        “I’m fine,” Takeru said. He lifted his head to offer a smile to the ceiling that he thought was reassuring, but the expression looked weak and sickly instead. “My shoulder’s just a little sore.”

        Miyako frowned and tried to change the monitor’s position to get a closer look at Takeru, but it seemed to be fixed at a certain distance from each of the groups of Chosen. She muttered a curse before returning her focus to finding the layout of Factory Town. “Don’t do any fighting unless you’ve got no choice. I saw that darkness come out of your Digivice after you glitched out for a while. Something happened to you because of that goop, and it might mess with Patamon evolving.” She paused for a moment then shrugged despite the fact that the boys could not see her gesture. “Or I could just be paranoid, but with stuff like that crawling around, I’ll take my chances with being ridiculously overcautious. Either way, sit tight, and hold on for back up. Got it?”

        “I’ll be fine,” Patamon said. “Don’t worry about me.” He squinted his eyes in the dim red light to get a better look at Takeru’s shoulder. “Something tore your shirt. I think it must’ve been from when it kept trying to grab you earlier.”

        Takeru glanced toward his shirt, noting the tattered cloth. It looked less torn and more dissolved, with the thick fabric becoming thinner the closer it was to the hole, as though it had been exposed to acid. Such a thought was alarming, but strangely enough, he did not feel any burning pain on his shoulder. He slipped his fingers into the hole to touch his skin. His shoulder ached, but it was a dull pain, like an old bruise, and there was no sign of anything wet coating his skin. He felt no cuts or injuries that he might expect from touching acid, just smooth skin. He knew that he would have to get a better look at himself once he was in proper lighting, but this minor examination was the most concern he could muster at the moment.

        Takeru dropped his arms back to his sides as he returned his gaze to the floor where the creature had been prior to being destroyed by darkness. There was no sign of it, not even the sheen of a wet spot.

        Eventually, Takeru turned his attention upward to where he imagined a camera might be aimed at him. He wanted to argue with Miyako, to insist that he was fine and could take care of himself, but the words simply would not come. Fatigue had seized him, leaving him limp and nearly as apathetic as he felt in that dark and dreary other world. Even the shock from seeing darkness come out of his Digivice had faded, replaced with lethargy. “All right… but if something happens, I’m going.”

        “Fair enough,” Miyako said. “Patamon, make sure something _doesn’t_ happen.”

        Patamon nodded, still clearly concerned about Takeru. “Right.”

        “Switching over to Tachikawa now,” Miyako said as she eyed the monitor that showed Mimi and Palmon running through a dark hallway. She did not wait for a response from Takeru or Patamon before switching the view on the main monitor. “Tachikawa! Palmon! You can stop running now. There’s no sludge monster near you.”

        Mimi jerked at the sudden sound of Miyako’s voice, nearly stumbling, then awkwardly slowed her run to a walk. “M-Miyako?” She scanned the area frantically for any sign of the younger girl.

        “Don’t worry about me,” Miyako said. “I’ve taken control of the security room. You two need to stop and take a breather so you’re not wiped in case another eldritch horror comes creeping by.”

        Mimi let out a breathless moan as she slumped against the wall then slid to the floor, Palmon mirroring the action at her side. “I can’t take it!” she wailed, in near tears, starting to tremble as her adrenaline waned. “That thing… that _thing_!”

        “Awful, it’s awful!” Palman said, tears forming in her eyes.

        Miyako examined the monitor with a critical gaze. “Don’t worry about it and take ten for now. I’ll be keeping an eye on you from here, and I’ll let you know if anything comes near you and what direction to go.”

        Mimi pulled Palmon close to her and looked around into the darkness, her nerves frayed. “M… Miyako, I can’t contact the others. Are they…?”

        “They’re fine,” Miyako said. “Yagami’s team outran their creature, Takaishi managed to kill his, and Iori hasn’t run into any yet.”

        Mimi went rigid. “There are _more_ of those things?”

        Movement caught Miyako’s eye and she watched as one of the dark creatures slowly crawled through some random hallway. She tried not to cringe as she watched how it ungulated along, telling herself not to be afraid no matter how unnatural they were. “One less than there were a few minutes ago.”

        Mimi squeezed Palmon closer to herself as a tremor ran through her body. “So we… we have to fight those things…?”

        “I-it’s okay, Mimi,” Palmon said as she looked up at her partner, trying to sound braver than she felt. “I-I’ll protect you, no matter what!”

        Miyako readjusted her glasses as she considered how to respond. “Yagami seemed pretty against confronting them actually. According to her, just touching them seems to be bad news. If you’ve got to attack it, make sure it’s long distance only, and try not to let any of them get on you.”

        Mimi furrowed her brow. “But didn’t Takeru…?”

        “He pulled off something weird with his Digivice that got rid of it,” Miyako said. “Not sure how he did it, and I don’t think he knows either. We’ll probably be able to figure it out once we get the group together again.”

        Mimi nodded slowly, not quite satisfied with the answer.

        Miyako frowned as she looked across the various monitors, growing anxious each time she spotted one of the disturbing creatures making its way through Factory Town. “Sorry, but I can only talk to one group at a time right now, so I’m going to go quiet for a few minutes, but I’ll keep an eye on you two the entire time. Are you two going to be okay, or do you need me to talk to you for a little longer?”

        Mimi hesitated for a moment, her knuckles turning white as she tightened her grip on her Digivice before she forced herself to nod. “Y-yeah. I think so.”

        “Glad to hear it,” Miyako said. “I’ll talk to you in a few.” She felt a twinge of guilt for metaphorically leaving Mimi and Palmon alone in the dark, but she knew that it would be better for them in the long run to focus on getting everyone together quickly rather than offer an awkward comforting pep talk over a computer screen. She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts as she observed the group in the sewers, who were catching their breath. “Everybody doing okay down there?”

        Tailmon’s ears flicked before she glanced around sharply. She hesitated briefly before her brow furrowed. “Is that… Miyako?”

        “Eeeeh?” V-mon gasped, his eyes wide as his grip tightened on the flashlight. “Inoue’s voice is coming from the sky! She’s not around at all!” He looked around nervously, shining the light in every direction he could. The disembodied voice reminded him eerily of a creepy horror movie he and Daisuke watched together late at night a few days ago. “Does that mean she’s… a ghost?”

        “She must be using the Kaiser’s communications system,” Tentomon said as he looked around for any sign of the two-dimensional monitor the Digimon Kaiser used to communicate with them earlier. “Or at least part of it.”

        Hikari turned her gaze in the general direction of the ceiling when it was apparent that Miyako could not project an image for them to see like the Digimon Kaiser did. “Miyako? Are you okay?”

        “Don’t worry about me,” Miyako said. “I’m not the one out there being chased by blob monsters. How are you all holding up?”

        Koshiro sighed deeply, still out of breath even though they had spent at least five minutes catching their breath after they had been certain that they escaped the monster chasing them. “We’re o-okay… just a little shaken up.”

        Daisuke frowned. “Is Tiny Tower there?”

        Miyako paused as she eyed Daisuke on the screen. For a moment, she considered ignoring him, but decided now was not the time to give in to pettiness. “Nope. He’s gone off somewhere without thinking that I could free myself and hack his system, but he might be back at any time.”

        “How are the others doing?” Tailmon asked. “Can you see them?”

        “Yeah,” Miyako said. “Everyone is fine except for Takaishi. He kind of mentally checked out after one of those eldritch abominations touched him and made him disappear for a little while.”

        Hikari jerked ramrod straight as fear struck her with the ferocity of being thrown into a frozen lake. “ _What?_!”

        “He came back in less than a minute,” Miyako said, brow furrowing. “It was really weird. It’s like he glitched out then back in again.” She noted the increasing panic in Hikari’s expression. “I don’t think he’s injured, just shaken up. I can see him right now, and he’s just standing there with Patamon. I’m going to send you all his way once I find that stupid map in this crappy set up that brat has here.”

        Tailmon’s ears canted back. She instinctively glanced to Hikari, immediately remembering her partner’s fervent warnings about touching the unholy creature that imitated people they knew. “We need to get to Takeru as soon as possible.”

        Hikari nodded as a small tremor ran through her body. The dim light of the sewer gave everyone an eerie look, but at that moment she appeared even more pale than usual, her expression haunted.

        “Fina-frickin-ly!” Miyako shouted, her voice equal parts frustration and triumph. “I found the stupid map! Stand by for directions. I’m going to be switching back and forth to Iori, Mimi, and Palmon to get them moving at the same time.”

        Koshiro nodded, his body sagging with relief that they would no longer be bumbling around in the sewer any longer. It felt as though they had been wandering blindly down there for months. “Got it.”

        Daisuke directed a frown towards the ceiling. “Just make sure not to lead is straight into one of those monsters, Inoe.”

        Miyako made a show of rolling her eyes then stopped when she reminded herself that Daisuke could not see it. “Just listen to directions for once, Motomiya, and you’ll be fine. Give me _some_ credit here.”

        Daisuke’s response was a skeptical snort.

* * *

        Takeru was silent as he stood with his back against the wall, arms hanging at his sides, as his head bowed low enough for his bangs to fall into his eyes. He hated simply standing there, idle and waiting for something to happen while knowing that the others were in danger, but he could not muster the energy he needed to move forward. The whole experience with the monstrous abomination and the black and white world with the crying girl had rattled him down to his core. The heaviness he felt in that other world seemed to cling to him like a stain that he could not simply wipe away. The fact that his shoulder was aching did not particularly help, either.

        Patamon hovered around Takeru’s head, holding his partner’s Digivice in his paws to keep the area illuminated after the strange red light bulb disappeared as mysteriously as it came. He tried to keep an eye out for another one of those creatures, but his gaze kept straying back to Takeru. His insides churned with worry for his Chosen Child, but he hesitated to let Takeru know how he felt. Even if he suggested that they return to the real world, he knew that Takeru would never go along with it.

        Takeru sighed as he closed his eyes. “So much for our great rescue attempt. We’ve spent this whole time running around blindly and getting nothing to show for it, except a bunch of bruises.”

        “Takeru…” Patamon said softly as he moved to hover in front of Takeru’s face, though his partner was focused more on the floor than on him. “Try to cheer up. At least we know Miyako and Iori are Chosen Children too. Miyako freed herself, so we just have to get her egg back. And the others too!”

        Takeru did not need to be inside Patamon’s head to know what his partner was thinking. The Digimon’s concern was palpable, and it was precisely what he did not need right now on top of everything else. “I’m fine, Patamon. Don’t worry, I just need to catch my breath.” He forced a chuckle that came devoid of humor as he rotated the shoulder that the monster touched, ignoring the pang of pain it gave him. “I guess I shouldn’t have practiced with Daisuke before coming here.”

        Takeru’s false laughter died on an awkward note when he saw that Patamon was not the slightest bit convinced, and he chastised himself for even bothering to lie to his partner. As if soccer practice had anything to do with the current situation. Who would have believed something as flimsy as that?

        A glimpse of light to his side caught Takeru’s eye and he turned his time to hear someone call his name. He blinked, but he was too slow to react. By the time he realized that someone was approaching, they had already reached him. The dimly lit sight of Hikari’s worried expression pierced through his apathy to squeeze his heart.

        “Takeru,” Hikari said between pants as she stopped to catch her breath. She and the others had been prompted by Miyako to move quickly, so they practically ran all the way there. “Are… are you okay?”

        Takeru was slow to respond at first before he straightened up quickly, as he did not want anyone to misunderstand his body language. He tried to smile as convincingly as he could, even if it was sluggish to form. “I’m fine. Are you all okay?”

        “Yeah,” Daisuke said breathlessly before flashing Takeru a tired grin. “Nothing we can’t handle.”

        Hikari moved closer to Takeru, growing more troubled by the moment by his behavior. “Takeru… did it… did it _touch_ y–” The words caught in her throat along with her breath as she spotted the hole in his shirt at his shoulder. Fear flooded through her, making her voice high and sharp. “V-mon, I need the flashlight!”

        V-mon yelped and nearly dropped the flashlight at Hikari’s panicked tone before held it up to the Chosen of Light. “H-here…?”

        Takeru jerked as Hikari’s fearful voice pierced through his apathy like a splash of ice water. “Hikari, what’s–?”

        Hikari accepted the flashlight from V-mon with a faintly trembling grasp and focused the light on the hole in Takeru’s shirt. What she saw made her cringe. There was a hole in Takeru’s clothes at the shoulder, but it did not look as though something tore away the material. The opening was the size of her palm and roughly the same shape, with straight lines and angles that made it look as though someone had carefully cut out small squares from the fabric, while what remain turned from black to a dull gray.

        More troubling was the state of his shoulder. In the dim and discolored light, Takeru had mistaken a dark patch on his skin for a bruise. However, thanks to the flashlight, he could now see that not only was his skin darker in that spot, but it was not purple or even black, but a strange shade of gray, as though someone had drained the color from that small area.

        Hikari peeled open the hole a little wider to expose more of his shoulder. The lines cut into his shirt widened and small squares flaked off along the edges before the tiny pieces disappeared into data. It was a small relief to see that the patch of gray on his skin did not extend further than the hole in his shirt, but her expression was twisted into something close to pain. “Takeru…”

        Koshiro craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Takeru for himself and jerked at what he saw. “What in the world?”

        “Whoa!” Daisuke said as he caught sight of the gray patch. “What happened there?”

        Patamon landed atop Hikari’s head to get a better look at his partner before his eyes widened. “Takeru! Your shoulder!”

        Takeru did not respond, instead focusing his attention entirely on the strange affliction. He slowly rotated his shoulder, noting that the area still felt somewhat numb. He honestly would have preferred a bruise to whatever had happened to him, as at least those he understood. It looked as if all the color had been drained from that part of his shoulder, and he could not even imagine what that meant. “It’s fine. It looks worse than it actually is. I guess that thing touched me when it fell out of the air vent.”

        Tailmon narrowed her eyes as she examined the mark on Takeru, an unpleasant feeling bristling through her fur. “That thing touched you… and did that?”

        Takeru rubbed his shoulder tentatively, partially to erase the strange ache it gave him and partially to hide it from the gazes of the others. “It kind of reminds me of something, but I can’t put my finger on it,” he muttered. The expressions the other Chosen wore twisted his insides, and he gave them what he hoped was a reassuring smile, though it did not quite reach his eyes. “But I’m fine, really.”

        Hikari could feel no comfort in Takeru’s smile or words. She could not stop staring at the patch of gray staining his skin peeking out between his fingers. A chill that had nothing to do with temperature ran through her body, making her tremble faintly. She felt the need to say something, but the right words to sum up how she felt eluded her. She could not think of anything she could say that would properly convey her feelings, especially since she did not understand them entirely herself. All she knew for sure were three little words, “This is bad.”

        Koshiro looked to Hikari, brow furrowing. “Do you know something about what that thing is and what it did to Takeru, Hikari?”

        “I don’t,” Hikari said softly. “Not really.” She ran a hand along her face, trying to work away the coldness lingering underneath her skin. “It’s just…” She fumbled for a few seconds, before forcing herself to speak. “In my nightmares… I saw… _things_ … that were similar to it – that monster that went after us and touched Takeru I mean – and… when a Digimon touched them… wh-when… when _I_ touched them…” Her voice trailed off in a high, cracked tone, as the words would no longer come. She brought her arms closer to her body as the trembling grew worse, as though reliving those nightmares and the fear that always came with them were leaching away the warmth from her body. Unfortunately, no matter how much she rubbed her arms, there was no alleviating the sensation.

        Daisuke stepped closer to Hikari, his brow furrowing. “Hey, are you okay, Hikari-chan?”

        Takeru grimaced, feeling a stab of guilt as he saw how badly Hikari was affected by _his_ injury. “I’m fine,” he said firmly as he approached Hikari. “I’m a little tired, but that’s about it. Nothing is–”

        “I know what it reminds me of,” Tailmon said, cutting off Takeru’s platitudes. “The flowers.”

        Takeru stopped at that before looking over at Tailmon, who was staring at him so hard, it almost felt as though her eyes could pierce right through him. “What?”

        “The flowers,” Tailmon said, “and the ground around them.” Her ears canted back against her head. “After the Dark Towers melted. When that black… liquid touched them, they were drained of all color… and then deleted.”

        V-mon let out a cry that was almost a shriek. “ _Deleted_! _?_ ” He whirled about to gape at Takeru. “Y-you’re being deleted! _?_ ”

        The question was met with silence, as fear and doubt crept up on Takeru. He had to admit that it made sense, even if a part of him refused to believe it. Such a theory neatly explained what had happened to his shirt, as ‘deleted’ perfectly described the tattered cloth. “You’re… probably right that it’s similar. But my shoulder hasn’t been ‘deleted’, and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to be. It doesn’t hurt a…”

        The words faded away to nothing as Hikari placed her hand atop Takeru’s, the one over the mark on his shoulder. His emotions felt conflicted by the action, but he found he could not say anything as his blue eyes looked into her red ones, which were overflowing with worry and fear… for him.

        “Look!” a familiar feminine voice shouted. “There they are!”

        The group turned to see Mimi, Palmon, and Iori heading towards them at a brisk pace. Mimi was the first to reach them, wearing a huge smile on her face. “I’m so relieved you’re all okay!”

        “Actually…,” Daisuke said as he scratched the back of his head, only sparing a brief glance back at the other group as they approached. “We’re not actually all okay. Takeru’s shoulder might be getting deleted.”

        “Takaishi,” Miyako’s disembodied voice said, “you and Patamon warp back to the real world. Being here might worsen your condition.”

        Koshiro tried to get a better look at Takeru’s affliction, frowning at the other boy’s attempts to keep it hidden. “She’s right. We need to know what that stuff did to you exactly. I know it’s not exactly a natural injury, but Jou might have some ideas on how to help.” His next words came out in a mutter. “I wish I could contact Gennai. He’d probably have some idea on what’s going on.”

        Takeru felt his insides clench. Everyone was worrying about him, regardless of what he said. While part of him admitted they had a point, it was just paranoia and fear. His shoulder did not hurt anymore – or at least not that much – he was not being ‘deleted’, and he was _not_ going to turn tail and run because something stained his skin gray.

        “I said I’m fine,” Takeru said. Though he tried his best to sound calm, an undercurrent of tension clung to his words. “We need to hurry up and take care of things here before that Kaiser decides to come back.”

        Hikari squeezed Takeru’s hand in a gentle but firm grip. She wanted to insist that he leave, but seeing the hardness in his eyes, the way he now avoided her gaze, told her that arguing with him would be fruitless. “Takeru… if… if it gets any worse, I want you to go back right away, okay?”

        Takeru hesitated to reply, biting back a reflexive urge to say that it would not come to that, then nodded hesitantly. As much as he disliked being coddled like he was a child, he knew that if he was suffering from terrible pain he would have to leave to go to a hospital. It only made sense, and if anyone of them were in bad shape, he would have recommended the same thing in a heartbeat. However, as it was, he only felt tired, sore, and a little bit irritable. A good night’s sleep would fix all three of those things, and none of them were good enough reasons to abandon the mission. “I promise.”

        Hikari smiled, though it did not quite reach her eyes.

        “Okay,” Miyako said with a sigh. “If you’re going to be stubborn I’ll just start giving directions to the Dark Tower now. I found it on the map. That ballsy brat put it right at the center of the city.”

        Takeru ignored the jab, instead focusing on the corridor ahead of them. “Can you turn on the lights? It’s still–”

        Takeru stopped instantly as he belatedly realized that not only was it not dark, but everything was covered in the same eerie red glow that he saw when he returned from the monochrome world. He jerked back in surprise and looked at their surroundings, feeling off-kilter that he could have been so focused inwardly that he did not notice when the area switched from dim blackness to a disturbing red hue again. He quickly found the source of the red light – a single light bulb placed on the ceiling directly above Iori’s head. “What…?”

        Iori’s expression was deadpan. “I am aware.”

        Daisuke tilted his head slightly as he regarded the red light. “Is that some kinda dark room light or something?”

        Mimi shook her head. “We don’t think so. Iori said this light has been following him around everywhere and he can’t get rid of it.” She turned a wary eye up towards the red bulb. “It’s a little creepy…”

        Koshiro hummed softly as he regarded the strange light. “Well, we’ll just have to worry about that later. We don’t know how long it’ll be before the Digimon Kaiser realizes Miyako is free.”

        Takeru nodded. “I think we’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

        “You’re right,” Tailmon said as she glanced skyward. “Lead the way.”

* * *

        Thanks to Miyako’s guidance, the Chosen had a much easier time working their way through the darkened corridors of Factory Town. With the multiple views she had through the computer screens, she was better able to warn the group when they were about to encounter the sinister abominations that lurked about, and redirect them to a safer path. Compared to the rocky and unproductive hours they had spent prior, it took almost no time at all to make their way to the control room to collect Miyako before following the route she memorized that would lead them to the Dark Tower.

        The trip to the Dark Tower was far more tense than the walk to the computer room. Without the aid of the security room’s monitors, they no longer had any idea where the creatures could be. To make matters even more unnerving, the red light bulb had disappeared shortly after Miyako joined up, leaving the Chosen with only a flashlight and their Digivices to lead them along what they hoped was the correct path. Every shifting shadow gave a fresh chill of fear, hurrying the group along. During this stretch of the trip, no one spoke, save for Miyako, and even then it was only to give directions. They were all listening for the sound of water, static, and screams.

        Although the trip took only minutes, it felt as though each one lasted an hour. Relief only came when they arrived at the central plaza, where the Dark Tower stood proudly right at the heart of factory town. The obsidian monument was a welcome sight, but also an unpleasant one, as it reminded the Chosen why they were there.

        Strangely, the Chosen found that there was also a new element of discomfort to the symbol of the Digimon Kaiser’s empire. The exact shade of the Dark Tower and the way it glistened in the dim light reminded them uncomfortably of the abominations that had been hunting them down.

        Takeru was the first to break the tense silence. “There it is,” he muttered, knowing that he was stating the obvious. He held up his Digivice, glancing over to the small orange Digimon hovering beside him. “Patamon, are you ready?”

        Patamon nodded as he and the other Digimon straightened up and looked to their partners. “We’re ready, Takeru!”

        The air was soon filled with shouts, and for one glorious moment, the light of evolution banished the darkness along with much of the fear that clung to the Chosen Children. When every Chosen Digimon – save Tailmon – transformed spectacularly into an Armor Evolution, all of the Chosen became renewed.

        Iori stared as the small, childish Digimon around him disappeared in bursts of light. What emerged from the light were much larger Digimon, ones more obviously ready to battle, with only some superficial similarities to their previous forms. It was enough to freeze the new Chosen Child in his place, watching the transformation with wide eyes. It took him quite a bit of effort to get his mouth to work. “This is… what it means to be a Digimon?”

        Daisuke’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “Great, isn’t it? Fladramon is awesome!”

        Iori looked at Fladramon for a long moment. When words failed him, his eyes traveled to the other Digimon, taking in their impressive appearances as they charged at the Dark Tower, before he turned to Miyako. “I… see.”

        Miyako flashed Iori a grin. While his expression rarely changed, she had known him long enough to spot the tiny telltale clues that let her know that he was absolutely and completely dumbfounded by what had just happened. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it – especially when you get _your_ partner.”

        Iori faltered on a response for a long moment, his brow twitching slightly. “ _My_ partner…?”

        The sounds of battle drew out any further attempts at conversation. Fladramon was first to reach the Dark Tower, slamming a flame-covered fist into its side and cracking off a chunk of gray stone that instantly liquidized. “Knuckle Fire!”

        “Wind of Pain!” Shutumon shouted as she went after the same side Fladramon targeted, only higher up, blasting it with a wind of glowing feathers.

        Blade Kuwagamon turned a brilliant shade of white as he flew towards the opposite side of the tower. “Spark Blade!” His large sword thrummed with energy as he carved out deep notches into the Dark Tower.

        “Cat Punch!” Tailmon followed up Blade Kuwagamon’s attack by slamming her fist slammed her fist into the weakened area, splintering large fragments into every direction and crushing more inward.

        “Shooting Star!” Stars shot out of Pegasmon’s wings, striking the very top of the Dark Tower, away from the others. The blow, coupled with the now severely weakened base, was enough to send the black obelisk toppling towards the ground. The rest of the Chosen Digimon backed away quickly as the tower began to crumble and liquidize, returning immediately to the raised catwalk where their partners were safely waiting for them, before Factory Town became flooded with dark water.

        Tailmon used her nimble claws to climb some pipes along the wall to reach the catwalk and land on the railing beside Hikari, who watched the flood with an unnerving, unblinking gaze. She frowned, but said nothing, focusing more on her Chosen Child than on the results of their efforts.

        Fladramon made it to the catwalk in a single impressive leap to land beside Daisuke, who applauded his efforts. He took a moment to bask in the praise before peering over the side of the catwalk to admire the results of their handiwork. Even in the dim light, the remains of the Dark Tower could be seen stripping the color from everything it touched. He would not have thought it would be possible to remove color from silvery metal, but there was a sharp contrast between the parts of Factory Town that remained out of reach of the flood, and everything that the dark water touched. The shine was gone from the metal, and it appeared wrong somehow, although he could not say how exactly. It almost looked as though the water was leaving a residue, but not quite. Perhaps the dark water was not leaving anything behind – it was taking.

        Takeru felt his shoulder throb slightly at the sight. The sound of the flood was amplified in his ear until it became almost deafening. The water crashed and rumbled like waves against the shore, with a hint of something else that he could not readily identify. It was enough to make his skin feel cold and clammy, the hair standing up on the back of his neck. Although the destruction of this Dark Tower was virtually identical to the previous ones, somehow it felt completely different. “What _is_ that stuff…?”

        Koshiro frowned as he watched the dark water slowly start to recede. “I don’t know, but maybe we should try and catch some of it before it’s all gone. Maybe if we can figure out it’s coding–”

        “No!” Hikari said, the word harsh, as she gripped the railing tightly. “Don’t even think about going near it! It’s too dangerous!”

        Miyako cocked an eyebrow at Hikari. “If you’ve got some ideas what it is we’re dealing with, feel free to clue us in any time, Yagami.”

        Hikari’s eyes never strayed from the dark water as she waited for it to disappear. “I don’t know… I really don’t know! It’s just been in my nightmares for weeks now… getting worse and worse… I-I’ve seen it do things to Digimon…” Her eyes squeezed shut as pain filled her expression. “Horrible things.”

        Mimi walked to Hikari’s side and wrapped her arm around the younger girl’s shoulder, who flinched initially at the touch. “It’s okay, Hikari. We’ll figure out a way to get rid of this stuff without getting too close to it.”

        “Again,” Miyako said as she gave Takeru a sideways glance.

        Suddenly all eyes were on Takeru, focusing on the hole in his shirt and the patch of gray on his shoulder. He refused to look at anyone, but he could feel them staring at his shoulder. Trying to hide the mark was pointless, and doing so would only fuel their belief that it was worse than it actually was. He knew it would be better to simply not recognize the question on their minds and change the subject. “It’s disappearing, anyway. I doubt we have anything that could contain it and keep it from doing that.”

        Daisuke scratched his cheek as he shifted his focus back to the dark water. “I wonder how Tiny Tower makes that stuff into Dark Towers and gets it to turn into those freaky monsters if it goes away so fast. Just look at it. It’s disappearing faster than water on asphalt in summer during a heatwave.”

        “That’s a _very_ good question,” Takeru said. “And how he can make them in to Evil Rings–”

        “ _Have at thee_!”

        All the assembled Chosen jerked back as a sharp cry pierced the darkness – all save Iori. In an instant, he brought out his bokken and used it to block two swords just centimeters from his face.

        “W-w-w-what the hell–!?” Daisuke shouted, nearly dropping the flashlight that V-mon had returned to him prior to evolving.

        “Is that…?” Takeru gasped, his eyebrows arching.

        Iori growled as his eyes narrowed, the bokken quivering slightly as it held the swords at bay. “You.”

        “So your instincts are indeed as sharp as ever,” Gladimon said, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Iori. With a shove from the Chosen Child, he leapt high into the air and then landed on the railing of an adjacent catwalk. “You cannot escape me or my Digimon Kaiser’s justice now, knave!” He pointed one of his swords at Iori. “Reveal thy identity at once!”

        Iori let out an irritated puff of air through his nose. He had been ready to give a retort, when Gladimon’s booming voice drowned out the first syllable.

        “If you will not give your name, then I shall dishonor you twice over by giving mine again!” Gladimon shouted, his voice more cutting than his swords. He made a sweeping gesture to his right with one of his rapiers. “I am the undefeated champion of the Digimon Kaiser’s Factory Town.” He drew his left sword outward in an arc. “A budding supernova in the great Digimon Kaiser’s glorious army.” He brought his rapiers together in an X shape. “The mere mention of my name strikes fear into the hearts of my lord’s enemies.” He drew his swords apart with a scrape of metal and formed them into a V. “My comrades call me the Shooting Star of the Digital World!” He crashed his swords together to create a sound not unlike thunder. “Gladimon, Adult Vaccine Warrior.”

        Mimi blinked slowly. “Wait a second… Didn’t he give us this exact same speech last time?”

        Miyako groaned and rubbed her temples in small circles. “Yeeeup. Right down to the doofy poses too. Though I think last time he called himself ‘the Silver Thunder’ or something like that.”

        “Huh,” Daisuke said. “This is the first time a bad guy actually acted like one from a TV show.”

        Gladimon pointed a sword towards Iori. “Now, thou _shall_ reveal thine identity or be dishonored twice over, cur!”

        Iori narrowed his eyes, piercing Gladimon with a hard stare. After a pregnant paused, he straightened, angling his chin slightly higher. “No.”

        One of Gladimon’s eyes widened while the other narrowed, as though he was raising an unseen eyebrow. “‘No’? Such a strange thing to be given a name that literally means the negation of something, but then you are a strange manner of creature and perhaps that name suits you most of all!”

        The sound of Miyako slapping her palm against her face was loud enough to create a faint echo. “For the love of… Are you _really_ that stupid? He means ‘no’ as in he’s not going to tell you his name, _idiot_!”

        Gladimon jerked back, both eyes huge and round. “What? Inconceivable! Have you no honor whatsoever _?_!”

        “I could say the same to you,” Iori said, his tone icy. “One who’d attack an unarmed opponent has no claim to honor, or to be the judge of honor.”

        “Ah, but you are clearly armed!” Gladimon said. “Now fight me!” There was no hesitation to wait for a response, as he immediately charged Iori with both rapiers pointing directly at the stoic Chosen Child.

        Iori saw no point in clarifying that he had been referring to the attack on Miyako. He could see that words were beyond this Digimon’s ability to understand, which meant that the only response could be action. He went into a low crouch as he readied his bokken then charged the Adult, ignoring the cries of shock, the warnings for him to watch out for the impending attack, and how the Chosen Digimon were already rushing forward to intercept Gladimon before the evil Digimon’s attack struck home. He brought his wooden sword down in one clean stroke, parrying the two rapiers, before he whipped the sword up again, striking Gladimon’s side and sending his foe toppling up and back, off balance. Gladimon cried out, but had no more chance to react beyond that before Iori struck out with a forward thrust, slamming the tip of the bokken against the Digimon’s armor with as much force as he could muster.

        A loud clang echoed as Gladimon was sent flying backwards like a billiard ball, bouncing off the walls and metal beams before shooting straight through the metal dome high above the Chosen. The impact tore a sizable hole in the dome, allowing daylight to filter into the darkened factory.

        Iori remained crouched for a moment as he waited to see if Gladimon would return. When no such sign of the enemy Digimon appeared, he straightened up, lowering his bokken. “Hmph.”

        “That’s…,” Hikari said, but words quickly failed her. She stared at Iori, uncertain what to make of the newest Chosen Child’s power.

        “Incredible,” Koshiro said, his voice low with awe.

        “That’s what happened last time too,” Mimi murmured. “Except Gladimon went even further this time.”

        Daisuke gawked at Iori, his eyes practically bugging out. “What the heck? How did you _do_ that?”

        Miyako gave Daisuke a sideways look. “Motomiya, we’re in an alternate dimension made up of data from billions of computers that wound up creating sentient life. Said life is able to evolve into super powered beings able to level a city, and, oh yeah, apparently this world can mess with time and space itself and create giant rifts sky back in our world.” She turned her gaze to the hole Gladimon made. “I think the question we should be asking is what _can’t_ happen here?”

        Koshiro looked to Miyako and frowned, not quite satisfied with that answer. “That’s true but…” His gaze returned to Iori. “You’ve never done anything like that in the real world, have you, Iori?”

        Iori shook his head as he turned to face the other Chosen. “No, I have not. While I do train quite seriously, this is… different. And I am fairly certain that my bokken is stronger here than it is in… ‘our’ world. It feels like it is made of real steel or a similar metal, rather than wood.”

        Takeru looked at the newest Chosen’s weapon as he crossed his arms. “There has to be a reason for it, but what? And how do we find out?” He cocked his head, letting his gaze travel up towards the hole as he contemplated the situation. “We could ask Jijimon. He seems to know things. …To a point.”

        Mimi looked around at the others. “So what do we do now?”

        Miyako’s mouth tightened into a straight line. “We get my partner back from the Digimon Kaiser.”

        “That’s going to be a problem,” Koshiro said quietly. “You didn’t find any sign of him in the security room, and there was nothing on the maps that might be where he’s hiding out, right?”

        Miyako grunted with displeasure. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean the little twit isn’t still skulking around someplace!”

        Hikari’s gaze kept traveling to Takeru’s shoulder. “Maybe we should–”

        A horrific shriek tore through the air, the sound a terrible jumble of countless voices distorted and overlapping with one another. The noise was filled with hate, sorrow, pain, and fear, chilling the Chosen down to their bones. The sound seemed to come from everywhere, forcing the Chosen to look around wildly until they spotted the source.

        The abominations had found them.

        The monsters dribbled out of air vents to splatter onto the ground and sluggishly create new limbs and heads in all the wrong places. They slithered from behind corners, and oozed out of cracks in between the machinery, clawing their way out of tight spaces with arms and hands that grew faces with screaming mouths. None had reached the catwalk yet, but it was only a matter of time. All of the empty eyes were turned towards them, leaving no question that the horrors were coming for the Chosen.

        Before the Chosen could fully process the fact that they were surrounded by the creatures, a loud roar rocked the air, drowning even the twisted cries of the abominations, and making the Chosen quake from sheer air pressure alone. The terrifying sound was the only warning the Chosen had before a pair of large metal doors were ripped off their hinges, crinkling like crumbled paper. Through the destroyed door there was only darkness, so for a moment there was only a terrible sense of anticipation, before it was revealed that the darkness was more of the slime that made up the abominations. However, this one did not immediately form any recognizable body parts, remaining as a giant mass of liquid that flowed its way in, a slow flood that was covering the town square of Factory Town and consuming the smaller horrors that disappeared screaming into its bulk.

        The massive amount of dark ooze twisted and squirmed about, a multitude of features taking form and dissolving in the writhing pass as it slid through the doorway and across the floor with a sickening slurp. A massive clawed arm shot out once, coming close to the catwalk, which made the Chosen move back in alarm, but the creature did not attack, not yet. Another arm emerged, huge and wicked, its edges jagged. Once it had consumed the other creatures, it used those giant arms to slowly rise up where the Dark Tower used to be.

        More body parts started to appear like with the other horrors, but on a more massive scale. The giant head of a Kabuterimon appeared, followed by the wing of an Angemon, the arm of a Devimon, the back leg of a Garurumon, and then a Skull Greymon and Kuwagamon whose heads were halfway fused together. One by one they appeared, only to disappear again, as its bulk continued to form upward into a giant glistening bulbous hill that slowly formed into something resembling a real, if grotesque body.

        Daisuke was the first to push himself out of his frozen stupor and somehow make make his voice work. “Wh…at… what the heck is… is that thing _?_!” It was a dumb question and he knew it, but it was all he could think of as he looked at the giant abomination taking shape before him. The sudden weakness in his knees made him feel as though he was only standing because he had one hand braced on the catwalk railing.

        “They’re…,” Koshiro said slowly, forcing the words out through his tight throat. “Th-they’re… _merging_ …?”

        Mimi froze in place, her eyes wide and unblinking as she focused entirely on the coagulating monster. The aura of pure terror that accompanied the creatures hit her so strongly that she could do barely more than let out a tiny squeak that was a bare fraction of the scream that was echoing inside of her head.

        Miyako moved closer to Iori never taking her eyes off the terror that appeared in front of them, as tremors ran through her body. The small part of her that could still think straight wanted to say something to rally their courage, but words failed her. Seeing these creatures on monitors was vastly different from being exposed to them in person. She thought that she had grown used to them, look at them objectively as another enemy to face when she saw them in person. She was not prepared for the way their very presence preyed on her and made her instincts scream at her to flee for her life.

        Iori held his bokken in a white-knuckled grip as he stood in front of Miyako, his entire body tense to the point that his weapon shook faintly in front of him. He had no idea know what good his wooden sword would do, but he had to remind himself that it had done more than he or any of the rest of the Chosen had expected. If he could defeat an enemy that the others deemed too impossible for a human to take on, then he could face this thing. That was what he told himself, but somehow he could not bring himself to believe it in the face of the pure fear growing in front of him.

        Hikari trembled, her fingers tightening on the rail of the catwalk at her side. The monstrosity that had been born from the smaller ones was massive. Though inside a part of her screamed for her to run, she was caught staring at it like a mouse locking eyes with a snake, too petrified to move.

        Takeru’s shoulder throbbed almost in time with his pulse as his heart beat furiously in his chest. Swallowing hard, he attempted to ignore the pain, to push away the coldness that he felt in his fingertips and toes, and instead focus on what was in front of him. “What the hell did he make…?”

        The abomination moved into the lone beam of sunlight from the hole in the dome Gladimon made and underwent a different kind of transformation. The ever changing patchwork of limbs and faces disappeared into its gelatinous body, which seemed to slowly solidify. The skin became jagged and stiff, though it still glistened wetly, and its features grew more distinct. The single mound split in the middle, shaping into two draconian heads, the left having two small spike horns and a large nose horn while the right had two large spike horns. The large claws it sported sharpened and dug deeply into the metal walls on either side of it with a horrible shriek as its muscles rippled and flexed.

        The Chosen were so focused in staring at the creature that none of them realized that strands of light that kept trying to wrap around the creature until the glow was nearly as bright as the sunlight outside. However, the bands of light would constantly crumble before one end connected to the next, only to form again. It was a constant, almost futile effort, yet the light kept appearing time and time again, as though attempting to ensnare the beast far too powerful for it to contain. Glowing golden runes appeared along the bands, visible only for a moment before the surface they were etched upon disintegrated like a cascading waterfall. Still, it granted enough time for the Chosen to recognize the runes and what they represented.

        Courage, Friendship, Purity, Knowledge, Honesty, Love, and Hope.

        “The crests!” Pegasmon shouted.

        Two sets of glowing gold surfaced in the solidifying surface of each of the beast’s heads. The blazing eyes shifted in the direction of the Chosen, but never quite at them. The eyes were wild and unseeing, clearly registering that something or someone was nearby, but could not yet see them. The creature stopped moving its gaze about before it reared back, each head splitting open at the bottom to reveal rows of terrible teeth as it let out another great roar that forced the Chosen to cover their ears as the sound bombarded them and damaged the walls that surrounded the abomination.

        Shutumon slowly lowered her hands from her ears. “What… what _is_ that _thing_?” The question was aimed at no one in particular, as she kept her gaze fixed entirely at the creature. “It’s so… horrible!”

        Takeru moved closer in spite of his fear, shifting his attention to the flickering runes. “W-why… why is it… why are our cres–”

        Another terrible roar bellowed out from the monstrosity, not loud enough to damage its surroundings this time, but more than enough to completely drown out Takeru’s voice. The creature lowered its heads as it slowly pulled its still somewhat gelatinous body towards the Chosen, carving deep trenches into the floor that made the metal scream as though it was in agony.

        Tailmon crouched, her fur bristling with fear even as she readied herself to fight. “It’s coming!”

        “D-Daisuke, g-get back!” Fladramon said in a wavering voice as he brought his fists up defensively. “I’ll… I’ll protect you!”

        Shutumon moved in closer to the others, her wings twitching with the barely suppressed urge to flee. “W-we c-can f-fight this!”

        “Koshiro, things have gotten very dangerous,” Blade Kuwagamon said as he hovered in front of his partner. “Please escape immediately.”

        Koshiro glanced at Blade Kuwagamon only briefly before his eyes were drawn back to the abomination down below. “R-right!” He fumbled blindly into his pocket for his Digivice, his hand shaking too badly to get a good grip on it.

        “Hikari!” Tailmon shouted as she spared only a brief glance towards her partner. “Go, now! We’ll–”

        Yet another roar drowned out the Chosen, as the creature came within claw’s reach of the catwalk. In that moment, the light died. Through the gaping hole in the dome, the Chosen caught sight of the moon covering the sun in an eclipse. Factory Town plunged into darkness so complete that only the blazing gold eyes of the monster and the sparks of Blade Kuwagamon’s wings were visible.

        Panic came swiftly, leaving the Chosen fumbling around in the dark to evade an enemy they could no longer see. Things only grew worse as a new and terrifying sound pierced the gloom. Terrible screams of a thousand voices rang out from the dark and echoed off the high ceiling and metal walls, the sound made of pure unfathomable pain and agony.

        The shriek that had been building up inside Mimi finally tore free from her as she stumbled backward, hitting her rump hard against the catwalk. She only stopped herself from crying when she heard Shutumon shout her name, panicked.

        “I-I’m okay!” Mimi said, her shaky voice proving her a liar.

        Daisuke fumbled with the flashlight and turned it in the direction he last saw the creature. His wild movements made the shadows dance until he could hold the beam of light steady, showing the Chosen a most disturbing and perplexing scene.

        Countless wisps made of pure black ensnared the dark body of the abomination. At first, the tendrils could have been mistaken for part of its body. However, while creature glistened wetly in the light, the streaks of black that ensnared it never grew more defined than the darkest shadows, swallowing the light completely. They writhed across the monstrosity, binding it, before ripping it apart with a sickening wet sound.

        The Chosen could only stare, transfixed and terrified, as pure darkness tore the monster born from dark water to pieces. Its screams were unbearable to hear, yet none of the children or Digimon could look away from that small spot of light that showed them something truly ghastly. It seemed as though the rending went on for hours, yet only minutes passed before the darkness consumed the abomination altogether then disappeared, leaving nothing behind but silence.

        No one dared to speak until the eclipse ended and daylight once again glistened through the hole in the dome. The fear that the abomination brought with it slowly faded as the light returned and illuminated the heart of Factory Town. There was no sign of the monster or the darkness that tore it apart within that beam of sunlight, or within the circle of Daisuke’s flashlight. There were no voices, no hint of movement, and no sign that anything was left in Factory Town but the Chosen.

        Takeru gripped the catwalk tightly until he felt his hands were about to break, gasping for breath as he attempted to catch up with the demands of his burning lungs. It was only then that he realized he had been holding his breath. “What…”

        “It’s gone…,” Tailmon whispered, all the fur bristled along the back of her neck still bristled from tension.

        A sudden beep caused all the Chosen to jump, some shrieking in surprise, as the noise sounded far more loud than it had any right to in the overwhelming silence. A second later, the Chosen Children realized almost in the same instant that it was an email notice. The D-Terminals were working again.

        Takeru fumbled to take out his D-Terminal with trembling fingers to find an email from his brother, asking if they were all right. He took longer than he would have liked to respond, as his frazzled nerves and shaky hands kept making typos that he had to fix. “We’re fine.”

        The answer came automatically, even though Takeru most certainly did not feel fine. Unfortunately, by the time he thought better of it, he had long since hit send. He considered writing a follow up, then decided his response was for the best. He was not about to vocalize how he really felt when everyone was already overreacting over his shoulder. Instead, he looked around at the others, who were still obviously on edge, waiting for something to happen. “Everyone’s… fine, right?”

        Mimi shook her head, sniffling, as tears started to leak out of the corners of her eyes. She made a high-pitched noise, but no words came out. The sheer terror of the monster had been so intense that she could not articulate her feelings with more than quiet sobs. Shutumon knelt beside her immediately, and she grabbed onto her partner tightly before burying her face in Shutumon’s chest.

        Iori flinched at the question, still standing in his tense ready stance with his bokken gripped tightly in front of him. His body was shaky from the waning adrenaline that had surged through his system when facing the abomination, but he managed to force himself to slowly lower his weapon, though he did not relax. He wrenched his gaze away from where the monster had been to look at Miyako. The sight of her quivering, pale face forced him to steel his nerves and push back his own fear and confusion. He put on a solid face, a dependable face, a face of someone who had not just been terrified by a giant dissolving monster that could have eaten all of them in one bite with just one of its two heads. “It’s all right. The creature is gone.”

        Miyako snapped back to attention when she realized that people were looking at her. She had not been paying attention to the conversation, too focused on the abomination, but now she straightened her spine and smoothed out her expression into a smile that failed to reach her eyes. “W-well, that takes care of that!”

        Daisuke continued to stare at the spot where the monster had been, his flashlight beam aimed squarely where the last speck of the darkness had been before it took the creature away. “Okay…,” he said weakly. “What the heck was that?” He turned towards the others, the volume of his voice spiking. “What the _hell_ was that _?_!”

        “I don’t know…,” Koshiro muttered. Once the invasive fear the creature created faded away, it left him feeling numb, almost empty. All he knew for certain was that he did not want to have to face that monster again.

        Hikari rubbed her arms to fight off a chill that ran through her body. Her skin was more pale than usual, and a light sheen of sweat matted stray hairs to her forehead. “We… we need to find out if there are any Digimon left…”

        Takeru looked up sharply at that. “That’s right! We haven’t even come across Andromon!” He paused as a sudden thought struck him, and his expression twisted in distaste. “Actually, I haven’t come across any Digimon except for that Gladimon.”

        “And those Numemon,” Koshiro said.

        Miyako ran her fingers through her hair. “The Numemon disappeared with Witchmon. Where they went, I have no clue. Those cameras let me see in the dark, and I looked pretty much everywhere, but all I saw was Gladimon occasionally skulking about and that’s it. Unless I missed something, I think the Kaiser emptied out the place after his trap was sprung.”

        Mimi pulled herself away from Shutumon just enough to turn her wet gaze towards the sky. “E-everyone!” Her voice was a little stronger than before, though it still trembled with emotion. “Lo-look around with the D-Digital Gate and see if you can find any of the Digimon!”

        Miyako gave Mimi a curious look. “Um… You _do_ remember we’ve got D-Terminals, right? You can just use that to talk with the others back at Koshiro’s place.” She paused, frowning. “Well, _you_ guys can. I’ve got to make a couple more for me and Iori.”

        “No, really,” Daisuke said, fighting a lingering sense of hysteria as he looked around at the others. “Was that thing a Digimon or what?” After seeing the unpleasant expressions on the rest of the Chosen, he focused on Miyako. “Didn’t Tiny Tower, I dunno, _gloat_ or anything about what that was?”

        Miyako let out a huff of air through her nose, irritated by the reminder. “Oh, he gloated all right, but that brat never said _what_ he unleashed on us. He just let it out of a tube after monologuing stupid crap about the Digital World being a war zone and how he can hack it, and basically he’s an arrogant twit with a god complex. I’ll type up a transcript of as much as I can remember of it when I get home.” Of course, she planned to leave out the part where the Digimon Kaiser insinuated that she _wanted_ to wear a sailor skirt and high heels.

        A beep cut off the conversation. Takeru glanced over his D-Terminal’s screen then frowned. “They said that Factory Town is totally empty.”

        Hikari closed her eyes and let out a sigh that was nearly a groan as she leaned against the rail. “Then let’s go home.”

        “Yeah,” Daisuke muttered, turning his gaze back to where the creature had been. “I’m sick of spending time in a horror movie turned real.”

        Takeru nodded before he pulled out his Digivice. He hesitated for only a moment to look around the newly created ghost town of Factory Town.

        As much as Takeru hated to admit it, the only thing the Chosen had accomplished was freeing the area from the Digimon Kaiser. While that was an accomplishment, it was tainted by the fact that none of the captured Digimon had been rescued. Worse, he recalled just how effortlessly the Digimon Kaiser could summon Dark Towers. Once they left, there would be nothing to stop the tyrant from just reclaiming Factory Town. It felt to him as though they were retreating, rather than leaving after a victory.

        “Digital Gate open!” Takeru said, the words tasting bitter on his tongue, as he summoned the light that would take them all home.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While out of danger, the ordeal is far from over. Moods are sour and tempers flare as the Chosen deal with the fallout from their bitter stalemate with the Digimon Kaiser.  
> 
> 
> * * *

        The atmosphere was somber when the Chosen Children returned from the Digital World. Although the group had destroyed the Dark Tower and freed Factory town, their mission had been a failure – they saved no one.

        Yamato slumped against the couch, glaring off into the distance at nothing in particular. “That brat’s probably laughing, wherever he is.”

        “And he has the Digimon with him,” Sora muttered, looking down at her clasped hands as she leaned against the wall. “Doing who knows what.”

        “Including Andromon,” Takeru said as he gripped his Digivice tightly enough that it shook faintly. All of the Digimon were important, but he had great reason to be more concerned about Andromon. Andromon was a Perfect level Digimon, which was an evolution that none of their partners could do at the moment. He was unsure how Digimental evolutions compared to a Perfect, but he was not looking forward to finding out. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he plans on using Andromon against us, so why didn’t he use Andromon at Factory Town? Why did he use those creatures instead?”

        Daisuke let out a frustrated breath. “Who knows why Tiny Tower is doing _anything_? He’s just a jerk!”

        Taichi walked the length of Koshiro’s living room slowly, brooding. “I’ll bet the Digimon Kaiser knew we’d free Andromon like we did Centarumon and the others and made sure he wouldn’t be there.”

        Miyako folded her arms in front of her chest, relieved to be back in her normal clothes. “His plan was probably to keep us off guard so much we couldn’t think straight long enough to get the Evil Rings off any of the Digimon we _did_ encounter.”

        Tailmon stood on the back of the recliner Hikari sat in, overlooking her pale partner with a critical gaze. “He expected us to go for the Evil Rings, so he purposely distracted us with the darkness,” he muttered. “In the chaos, we couldn’t even target the Numemon or risk seriously hurting them or ourselves, or even just falling in to the drainage ditches.”

        Koshiro ran his hand through his hair and let out a heavy breath. He still felt shaken after everything that had happened in Factory Town. “It seems like we might have to rethink our strategies.”

        Hikari was not as focused on the conversation as she was on Takeru, particularly his shoulder. She should have felt relieved that there was no sign of the gray taint on his shirt, but she could not shake her sense of unease. “Takeru… maybe you should check to see how your shoulder’s doing.”

        Takeru flinched at the reminder before he glanced over to Hikari. “Don’t worry, it feels fine.”

        “Huh?” Yamato was on his feet in an instant, whipping around to face Hikari. “His shoulder? What happened to his shoulder?”

        Takeru grimaced as Yamato turned an alarmed gaze his way. He gripped his Digivice even more tightly, holding it in his pocket in an attempt to hide his rising tension. He was not surprised that Yamato went from defeated to panic in a split second the moment someone suggested something unfortunate had happened to him. He needed to stop the situation from escalating anymore than it already had. “Just a little accident, but it’s fine. Stuff happens in the darkness, you know?”

        Hikari’s expression contorted with a tinge of nausea. “Could you at least go to the bathroom and look at it in the mirror? Please?”

        “I’ll check when I get home,” Takeru said as he gave Hikari a smile that he hoped was reassuring. “Really, I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt at all.” It was the truth, as the soreness had been replaced with a numb sensation that reminded him of what he had felt in the strange black and white world he had experienced after coming in contact with one of the abominations. It was better than pain, he supposed, and he took it as a sign that it was recovering – like the pins and needles of blood returning to a foot that fell asleep.

        Hikari returned the smile, though it was weak, and her eyes clearly showed that she was far from reassured. “Okay.”

        Miyako rubbed her temple with two fingers. “You know, somehow I think your skin turning dark like it’s got _gangrene_ isn’t something that’s just going to go _poof_ like our clothes. Call it a hunch.”

        Jou was on his feet in an instant, his Digivice tumbling from his grasp. “G-g-gangrene! _?_ ” The word sent his mind spinning with awful memories of textbooks he studied showing in graphic detail the symptoms and terrible consequences that came with it. He wracked his brain trying to remember treatments, but all that kept coming were photographs of dead flesh, blackened limbs, and rot coming from the inside out. It was too much for him, far beyond meager abilities as a field nurse for their team. “H- _hospital_!”

        Daisuke blinked at the term. “What’s gangrene?”

        Takeru felt himself bristle, his tolerance growing thin after everything that had happened within the past few hours. “It’s nothing. It’s probably just a bruise.” He knew that his friends were just worried about them and that he should appreciate their concern, but instead it was only making him irritated. “I doubt it’s anything as serious as–”

        The protest was cut off in a squawk as Yamato lunged at Takeru, yanking his little brother’s shirt up and off before Takeru could do little more than sputter his name. A collective gasp resounded through the room as Takeru’s shoulder was exposed. In the dimness of Factory Town, the patch of gray on the Chosen of Hope’s skin was hard to make out. Now, in the bright lights of the Izumi apartment, all of the Chosen could see how unnatural the discoloration was. The edges of the stain were sharp and angular, as though it was made from multiple tiny squares arranged to create something resembling a blocky circle, with thin, dark lines extending further, as though a grid had been branded into his skin.

        Yamato stared at the unnatural color of his brother’s shoulder, completely taken aback. “What… what the hell is that! _?_ ”

        Hikari covered her mouth as she looked at the darkness marring Takeru’s skin, her face pale. She could do little more than whisper Takeru’s name, her voice choked.

        Patamon flew in close to Takeru to get a better look at his partner’s injury. “That doesn’t look good at all…”

        Miyako raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, _that_ looks like a normal bruise.”

        Mimi cringed back a little. “What in the world _is_ that?”

        “Reminds me of a burn…,” Daisuke muttered, stopping himself just short of poking Takeru’s injury.

        Takeru took advantage of his brother’s shock to wrestle himself free, yanking his shirt back down as he shot Yamato a fierce scowl, practically baring his teeth at his older brother. “ _Enough_ already, _all_ of you!”

        Taichi jerked back at the outburst and held up his hands in a placating manner. “Whoa, hey, calm down, Takeru.”

        “No, _you_ calm down!” Takeru shouted as he pointed at Taichi. He swept his accusing finger across the room, aiming it at nearly everyone in turn. All of his anger was boiling over inside of him, burning like a roiling inferno. He had never felt so angry in his life, and he could not stop the torrent from bursting out of him. “I am _sick_ and _tired_ of this crap! You don’t know how I’m feeling, you don’t know what the mark is supposed to even mean! And yet you keep bringing it up and _ignoring_ me when I say I’m _fine_! You’re all just making crap up and freaking out when you haven’t got a _damn_ clue, and I – am – _sick of it_! Unless one of you has some insight that I don’t and can tell me _exactly_ what this is and why I should be worried, _leave me alone_!”

        Yamato stared at Takeru with wide eyes. His emotions wavered between concern for Takeru’s injury and anger at being unable to be there to shock at his younger brother’s outburst. It was very much not like Takeru at all, he was having a lot of trouble reconciling what was happening.

        Hikari cringed at the tirade Takeru unleashed and focused her gaze down at her lap. She regretted bringing up the entire subject in the first place after seeing just how much it upset her friend.

        “Excuse me,” Iori said, his voice strangely calm in the face of such rage, yet carrying an underlining tone of authority. The other Chosen turned to stare at him, as he in turn glanced around to meet their gazes with a stern expression. As he spoke, he radiated with an aura of maturity, as if he were the eldest child there rather than one of the youngest. “I believe we have gone through enough for one day. If there is no reason to suspect that there is any imminent danger, we should leave the matter for another time. Emotions are high and that will only complicate matters.”

        Jou was quiet for a long moment he looked at Iori. Only minutes before before, he had awoken from his sense of lethargy to panic, wondering what he could do to treat Takeru’s injury. At seeing the much younger boy so calm and collected was enough to make him feel a wave of embarrassment, shame, and a little bit of envy. He was the eldest, and yet one of the youngest was showing far more maturity. Even the way Iori spoke sounded far too old, far too grown up for someone several years his junior. It made him feel as though he was not just a failure as a Chosen, but as a senpai as well.

        Taichi swept his gaze along the group that just returned from the Digital World. Looking closer, he could see that they were showing varying degrees of distress – even Iori who acted calm was keeping a white-knuckled grip on the bokken. “What the heck happened to you guys in there?”

        Koshiro tried not to make it obvious that he kept looking towards Takeru. “The Digimon Kaiser, he…” He paused for a moment, faltering with his words. “He’s got…” He fumbled for a moment to decide on a term that best described the abominations they faced. “… _monsters_ that _aren’t_ Digimon.”

        “Yeah,” Daisuke said, his tone subdued. He kept glancing at Takeru, unsure of how to take the blond’s rant. “They’re these shape-shifting blobby… things with lots of faces and hands and stuff that pretend to be people you know so that they get you. Hikari-chan thinks touching them is really, really bad, and I guess one touched Takeru and that’s why his skin has that weird spot, and they’re creepy as _Hell_!”

        Tailmon’s ears canted back as she fixed a narrow gaze towards a spot in the carpet. The image of Wizarmon’s face haunted her, despite her best attempts to ignore it. “That… thing at the end… What is that brat playing with…?”

        Mimi shuddered at the memory and hugged Palmon closer to her. “It was like being in a horror movie!” She buried her face in her partner’s petals. “It was so scary! I… I don’t want to face those… _things_ again!”

        “It’ll be okay, Mimi,” Palmon said softly as she hugged Mimi fiercely. “I won’t let any of them touch you.”

        Takeru grimaced, as the reminder made his shoulder throb dully for a moment before it returned to being numb. He dodged his brother’s gaze, pretending to find Koshiro’s computer fascinating. “What I want to know is why it had images of our crests on it.” Unthinkingly he rubbed his shoulder, trying to get some of the feeling back in it. “And what that’s supposed to mean.”

        “You know, I think that gray spot is something we should be worried about a _bit_ more right now,” Miyako said, focusing her narrowed gaze at Takeru.

        “The hell it is,” Takeru said, stiffly. “I’d say our _crests_ are–”

        Miyako continued unhindered, talking over Takeru’s protest. “We need to know what that monster does if it touches someone, since for all we know it might be _fatal_. We already know they put you in a reeeeaaally foul mood.” She paused then glanced sideways at Hikari. “…And we need to know why Yagami knows about it.”

        Hikari ran her hands along her face, brushing her limp bangs away. The act made her hairclip fall out, but she scarcely noticed. She kept looking towards Takeru, her expression sickly. “I don’t know… I just keep seeing it in my nightmares.”

        Taichi jerked slightly, instantly alarmed, and he turned to Hikari with wide eyes. “Nightmares? What nightmares?”

        “Exactly,” Miyako said as she raised a finger. “You’re the one with the connection to a god and made a lot of funky things happen, which means that you seeing those things in your dreams can’t be a coincidence. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tenraimon was trying to warn you about them, or something like that.”

        Hikari frowned, the suggestion making her feel uneasy. “I don’t know… I don’t think so. I… I haven’t _spoken_ with Tenraimon in a long time…”

        “It doesn’t mean it’s not her,” Miyako said. “For all we know, she’s been kidnapped or something to let darkness take over, and you’re having nightmares because of it, kinda like how you… I think Koshiro summed it up as you feeling Tailmon nearly dying because of the Digimon Kaiser, which made you start panicking and screaming without really understanding _why_ , let alone how you made that egg and brought her here, right?”

        Hikari felt her stomach twist and she spared a brief glance towards Tailmon before quickly looking away as she saw her partner’s intense stare. “Maybe… but… it doesn’t really _feel_ like it’s Tenraimon. I can’t explain it, but…”

        Miyako hummed quietly before frowning. “That doesn’t mean that it _isn’t_ her, though it could also be the Digimon Kaiser messing with you. He seems to have a real hate on for you because you remind him of someone – maybe an ex-girlfriend who broke up with him for being a spoiled brat who doesn’t know how to treat a lady?”

        Hikari let out a wordless noise of displeasure. “I don’t know…”

        Koshiro hummed softly, furrowing his brow. “Miyako _does_ have a point. Hikari has always had a strange connection to the Digital World.”

        “It may be a dream, or it may not be,” Yamato said with a shake of his head. “But it’s all we got to go on. If you can think of _anything_ at all that might help Takeru–”

        “I – said – I'm – fine,” Takeru said, grinding each word out through jaws clenched so tight that his teeth ached. Even though he knew that he was not all right, he felt compelled to say that he was. This subject had somehow become personal, and admitting to even the slightest ache felt like a loss.

        Hikari buried her face in her hands and shook her head. “I don’t know… I don’t… It’s just… I…” She stopped moving as revulsion crawled up from her stomach to her esophagus. “What happens in my dreams when those things… when they catch a Digimon… or… _me_ …” A shudder ran through her, bringing with it an intense feeling of nausea that she had to fight to control.

        Taichi placed his hand on Hikari’s shoulder, brow furrowed with concern. “It’s okay, Hikari. You don’t have to think about it.”

        Miyako hummed thoughtfully as she looked Hikari over. “Well, if you can’t explain it now, maybe you can later when things are calmed down a bit. You should probably start keeping a dream journal or something so you can remember all the details before they get hazy after waking up. Your dreams might be the key to figuring out what those things are and how to get rid of them.” She paused then shrugged. “Besides, you know, the thing deciding to tear itself apart for no real reason.”

        Mimi shuddered and held Palmon just a little tighter. “Don’t remind me. I’m going to be having nightmares about that for _years_!”

        Miyako readjusted her glasses. “So anyway–”

        “Aw, lay off Hikari-chan, Inoe,” Daisuke said irritibly. “Just because you got to sit back and do nothing but play pretty captured sailor princess doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t wiped from actually _dealing_ with those monsters.”

        Miyako shot Daisuke a glare. “Why don’t _you_ try getting kidnapped and used as a hostage something, Motomiya!”

        Daisuke barked out a short laugh. “As if I’d be dumb enough to give Tiny Tower the chance _._ ”

        Miyako rounded on Daisuke. “Look, I got needled enough by that brat because he caught me off-guard. I don’t need my ‘ _teammates_ ’ going after me too!”

        “You’re going after Hikari,” Daisuke said, glaring at Miyako.

        “It’s not the same thing!” Miyako shouted. “I’m just trying to find out what Yagami knows, or don’t you care that Takaishi might be in _serious danger_ from whatever it is that thing did to him _?_! I don’t know if you were listening just now, but it sounded like what those things do when they touch you is _seriously bad news_!”

        Daisuke jerked slightly, a flush of guilty heat rushing to his cheeks. “O-of course I care!”

        “Don’t bring me in to this,” Takeru said, his voice rough as a dark feeling surged inside him. He did not like how Miyako was badgering Hikari any more than Daisuke did, and he especially disliked that he was being used as a pretense. The more everyone ignored him and focused on his injury, the angrier he felt. Even knowing that he would have been concerned for _their_ sakes if their positions had been switched was not having much of an effect. His mood was growing progressively sourer by the moment. “If Hikari doesn’t know, she doesn’t know. And neither does anyone else.”

        “Yeah,” Daisuke said, nodding vigorously. “You shouldn’t be badgering Hikari-chan! She’s probably already told us everything she knows about what’s wrong with Takeru already, all right?”

        “Then stop being a white knight and let _her_ tell me off if I’m pushing too hard,” Miyako said with an edge to her voice as she placed her hands on her hips. “Forgive me if I’m worried about Takaishi being _poisoned_ or something possibly even _worse_ a little more than I’m worried if Yagami is _tired_!”

        “ _I’m_ worried,” Taichi said, frowning. “Look, it doesn’t seem like it’s an emergency or something to me, or Takeru would probably be in a ton of pain, right?” A brief flickering of uncertainty made him look towards Takeru until the younger boy nodded sharply. “Plus if Hikari _knew_ it was an emergency, she would’ve said so already.”

        Miyako cocked her head towards Hikari. “Good question. _Is_ it an emergency? How fast does something bad happen to people exposed to those things? _What_ does it do?”

        Hikari took deep breaths with her palms over her face until she could manage to speak. “It’s… what happens… is… madness.”

        Miyako blinked. “Madness?”

        Hikari nodded slightly. “Pain… a-and… they become… a part of it… screaming the entire ti…” The rancid taste of bile stopped her from continuing, warning her that saying anything more would make her throw up.

        Miyako frowned, not satisfied with that answer. “So, okay, did you ever see it cured in any of your dreams, or…?”

        Hikari shuddered and shook her head once.

        Takeru bristled as he fought hard to bite back the anger prickling inside of him. The fact that everyone insisted on changing the subject from what was actually important – the creature they fought and what the Digimon Kaiser was doing – and kept bringing the conversation back to his shoulder was really starting to rub salt in his already raw nerves. Even the mantra that he would have reacted the same as them if any one of them traded places with him was quickly losing to the dark, unpleasant feelings that flooded his body. It was as though there was a tiny whisper at the back of his mind that kept reminding him that their concern was more harping on his injury than actual worry – that they were pointing it out as if the gray patch on his skin was his fault and were rubbing his face in it. That idea alone made him clench his teeth until it was painful. As if he could have anticipated something falling out of a vent on top of him! “I said back off and I meant it.”

        “Stop it!” Mimi shouted, her voice cracking with emotion as tears welled in her eyes again. “Stop! I don’t want to hear anymore arguing or think about those monsters anymore! I just want this day to be over!” She squeezed Palmon close to her chest, burying her face in her partner’s petals. “No more monsters. No more… I can’t take it anymore!”

        Everyone stopped to turn and stare at the Chosen of Purity, her outburst and tears derailing the conversation completely.

        “That’s right, that’s right!” Palmon said, clenching her fists together as she shook them in the air. Tears streamed down her own cheeks as well, but they did not diminish the fierce expression on her face. “No – more!”

        Sora had been about ready to snap as well, but Mimi and Palmon had beaten her to the punch. She gave the two weeping Chosen a lingering look before she glanced around at the rest of her friends and offered a soft, reassuring smile. “I think Iori and Mimi are right – we should leave it at this for now, and go rest. We’ve all had a very… very long day. It’s not going to do us any good to keep going like this when everyone’s so clearly tired.”

        Miyako sighed as she rubbed the tension that had crept into her temples. “Point taken. I guess it _is_ too much to ask if a dream can give us all the answers. Sorry for dragging things out so long.”

        Takeru did not look at Sora, or anyone for that matter. He still felt as though everyone was staring at him, even when no one was anymore. Their accusing eyes had left a lingering stain on him, and he was too tired to deal with it. Without waiting for a response, he proceeded towards the door. “Let’s go, Patamon.”

        “Takeru?” Yamato whirled about to stare at his little brother in alarm. “Wait, where are you– _?_!”

        “I’m done,” Takeru said, his voice as frigid as an arctic breeze. “I’m tired and I’m leaving. You’re all free to talk about me while I’m gone, since obviously none of you care about my input.”

        Patamon looked to the others, his expression filled with worry. He felt he should say something, but when words failed him, he darted after Takeru when he saw the Chosen of Hope had already reached the front door.

        Taichi ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Yeah, I think this conversation has dragged on way, way too long and everyone is stressed.” He noticed the troubled expression on Yamato’s face and clasped his friend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. He’ll probably feel better in the morning.”

        Yamato looked away from Takeru’s retreating back so that he could look at Taichi, smiling weakly. Wordlessly, he followed his little brother, stopping only to put his shoes on before he disappeared out the door, closing it behind him.

        Sora let out a heavy sigh before she turned to Mimi. “Let’s go back, okay? I don’t think it’s safe to take you back to America just yet.”

        Mimi let out a quiet sniffle. “I… I want to go home… I miss Mama and Papa… and… and…” She choked on a sob as Sora wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She leaned against her friend as she allowed herself to be led from the apartment.

        Iori watched as Sora escorted Mimi away before he turned to Miyako. He was silent for a long moment he offered her a small, wry smile. “At some point, I’ll want an explanation, but I’ll allow it to wait for now. Shall we go?”

        Miyako straightened up. “That’s no problem. I can still talk about it if you’re up for it. We’ll just stop by my house and give you the Chosen Child Introductory Kit we cooked up online.”

        Daisuke blinked repeatedly. “Chosen Child _what_? There’s a _kit_ for this? Why didn’t I get it?”

        Miyako gave Daisuke a sideways glance. “Because you don’t need it anymore, obviously. In fact, you’re the reason why the ‘pit crew’ online thought it’d be a good idea, since you got thrown in blind without any idea what to do and not much time to stop and explain it and that puts everyone at risk.”

        Daisuke’s curiosity evaporated in an instant, replaced with irritation. “Hey! V-mon and me helped a lot the first time we went up against Tiny Tower! And besides, Hida didn’t know either and _you_ dragged him in.”

        “I knew Iori could adapt quickly,” Miyako said. “Besides, right now the kit isn’t much more than a text file with some basic information and a D-Terminal, and we haven’t even finished all the important stuff we wanted to put in the file. It’s not easy to summarize everything someone needs to know about the Digital World you know.”

        A displeased sound rumbled in Daisuke’s throat as he eyed Miyako critically. “If Hida gets to see it, I should too.”

        “Sure, whatever,” Miyako said, her voice deadpan, as she marched towards the door. Iori was already waiting for her with his shoes on, holding the door open for her. “I’ll send you a copy to your D-Terminal when I get home, Motomiya.” She shoved her feet into her shoes then looked over her shoulder. “Oh, and could you stop shooting me those death glares and trying to pick a fight with me all the time? I’m sick of it.”

        Daisuke jerked back as though struck. “ _Me_? _You’re_ the one who’s been acting all high and mighty and–”

        The sound of the slamming door cut off the rest of Daisuke’s protest, as Miyako left without looking back.

        Chibimon scowled, glaring at the spot where Miyako had stood before he hurried over to Daisuke’s leg, grasping it tightly. “It’s okay, Daisuke. What would she know about the Digital World, anyway? Besides, she had that ‘kit’ and still lost her partner!”

        “Yeah,” Daisuke muttered before he scooped up Chibimon. “She acts like she’s hot stuff, but _she’s_ the one who got kidnapped.”

        Taichi frowned in displeasure. “Oh yeah, that’s right. Now we’ve got _another_ partner caught by the Digimon Kaiser. We’re going to need to find Iori’s egg right away before he snags it too.” He turned to Koshiro, noticing that the other boy was typing at his laptop. “What’s up, Koshiro?”

        “I’m sending an email to Jijimon,” Koshiro said without looking up. “I want to see if he knows anything about the monsters, the mark it left on Takeru, and if he knows what happened to Gennai.”

        “Good idea,” Taichi said, smiling a little. He turned to Hikari. “Come on, we should…” He stopped as he noticed the flush of red staining her fair cheeks, which were even more pale than usual. The way she leaned back against the chair hinted at a limpness or heaviness about her that showed too in the way her head bobbed low, her gaze heavy lidded and distant, not really focused on anything. “Hey, are you okay?”

        There was a beat of silence, only a second, before Hikari seemed to snap out of her stupor. “I’m fine. It’s just been a very long day.”

        Taichi was not convinced. Over the years, he had learned to pay attention to subtle details when it came to Hikari. Though he was still struggling to notice as much as he wanted to, he caught how his sister sat straighter when he caught her attention, and though she was smiling, there was a slight strain to it. It made him anxious. “Come on, we should get you home.”

        Daisuke was at Hikari’s side in an instant, his expression heavy with remorse. “Sorry I didn’t stop Inoe keep going after you like that sooner. Especially after all the crap _we_ had to deal with all day.”

        Hikari shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m worried about Takeru too. I should probably take her advice and start keeping a dream journal.”

        “Hey, I’ve got a better idea!” Daisuke said, his eyes lighting up. “After you have a dream, you can send an email! It works out better that way because if it’s a really bad dream, you can talk to someone. You can go ahead and send me an email any time day or not. Heck, if you want to talk over the phone, just let me know in an email and we can talk all you want!”

        Hikari let out a small laugh that failed to sound convincing. “Thanks, Daisuke, but I don’t think a phone call would be a good idea after last time…”

        A dark expression crossed Daisuke’s features. “Oh. Right. The noodle incident.”

        Taichi raised an eyebrow. “Noodle incident?”

        Daisuke forced a laugh and did his best to act cheerful as he waved the thought away. “It’s nothing, Senpai. Nothing at all!” He laughed a bit more as he backed away towards the front door quickly. “Well… you two have a good night! I’ll see you tomorrow, Hikari-chan! Bye!”

        “Bai bai, Hikari-chan~!” Chibimon said cheerfully as he waved to Hikari and bounded after Daisuke.

        Tailmon was quiet as she watched her partner intently, her expression unreadable. She approached Hikari and glanced up at the Chosen of Light, wordlessly. Her expression alone said everything she needed to.

        Hikari met Tailmon’s gaze for only the briefest of instants before she had to look away. “I’m tired. Let’s go home.”

        “Right,” Taichi said as he helped his sister to her feet then led her to the door. “How about we take it easy for a couple of days while we figure out what we’re going to do next, okay?”

        Hikari let out a hum of affirmation.

        Once the trio was gone, Koshiro looked up from his laptop towards Jou, his brow furrowed with concern. “Hey, Jou, could you do me a favor? I know what’s wrong with Takeru’s shoulder isn’t exactly natural, but could you look up stuff about skin discoloration causes and health risks?”

        Jou jerked, looking up sharply. He practically dropped his Digivice, startled out of his thoughts. He had been standing by stupidly, staring at the device as though it might somehow give him any answers as to what he should be doing right now. Naturally, it had remained silent and the Chosen of Honesty had all but missed the conversation, until Koshiro brought him back to reality. “I-I… yes, of course! I’ll… I’ll look in to it and ask my brother too, so…”

        Koshiro tilted his head slightly. “Hey, are you okay?”

        Jou hesitated before he let out an awkward laugh, reaching up to touch the back of his head. He could not help but note the irony – Koshiro had been the one to face an unspeakable monster tonight, but he was completely calm. Jou, on the other hand, felt like total wreck. A small, bitter part of Jou was only too eager to point out that Koshiro at least had Tentomon, but he shoved that thought aside with a shake of his head. “I-I’m fine, just fine. …Y-you? Everyone else seems badly shaken…”

        Koshiro leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath before letting out slowly. “Let’s just say I doubt I’ll be getting any sleep tonight.” He shivered when he thought of the monsters the Digimon Kaiser unleashed and fought to resist the urge to hug himself. “I… I’m trying to think of them as just personification of glitched programs or something like that. I mean, it’s most likely what they are anyway… but if that’s the case, then maybe if they touch you they corrupt your programming… or maybe defragment you like a computer… and that worries me because we’re flesh and blood, not data.”

        Jou was quiet for a moment, his gaze fixed on his feet. “We become data when we enter the Digital World, and then turn back in to flesh and blood when we leave…” While the Chosen Children had certainly been roughed up during their adventures, he failed to remember anyone ever suffering a serious injury such as a broken arm or even a deep cut. They had miraculously avoided grievous harm, despite so many enemies’ best efforts. Unfortunately, it meant that he had no frame of reference for what happened to such injuries when they transferred to and from the Digital World.

        Koshiro nodded, his expression grim. “Right. Which means that what happened to Takeru might mean a real serious medical condition here in the real world.” He sighed as he scratched the back of his head. “Honestly, I’m wondering whether or not we need to send him to a hospital, or if they can even help. This is way out of my league.”

        Jou felt a chill run down his spine. The very idea was frightening, on many different levels. There was not just the concern for Takeru’s well-being – the Digital World complicated things exponentially. They would have no way of explaining the injury to the doctors, and chances were that the doctors would not even be able to do anything about it. “W-what will we do i-if it comes to that… _?_!”

        “I don’t know,” Koshiro said, his voice soft. “There might not be anything we _can_ do… All we can do is just try and find out what that mark is, and what it might be doing to Takeru.”

        Jou grimaced as he brushed away some sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. The pressure of being the leader of the Chosen Children and the only one in the group with any medical knowledge was suffocating, even more than he had anticipated. He was not simply dealing with a few cuts and bruises, which anyone could figure out how to treat. This was something else entirely, and downright terrifying. “I… I’ll talk to my brother, and I’ll do what I can…”

        Koshiro gave his friend a wan smile. “Thanks. I’ll do the same.”

        Jou nodded before he quickly scooped up his belongings. He hurried towards the exit, practically stumbling on the carpet in his haste before he caught himself at the doorway, and threw Koshiro a sheepish smile as he bid his friend goodnight.

        The closing of the door seemed loud in the suddenly very empty apartment. Tentomon turned to Koshiro, his fidgeting betraying his nervousness despite the lack of any expression on his face. “Koshiro, what will we do if Jijimon doesn’t know?”

        Koshiro closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. “If that happens… then the only one who might have the answer would be the Digimon Kaiser himself.”

        Tentomon went quiet for a long while before he finally responded in a quiet voice. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

        “Me too, Tentomon,” Koshiro murmured. “Me too.”

* * *

        Iori and Miyako’s trip back to their apartment complex seemed to stretch at least ten times as long as usual, mostly due to the weighty silence hanging between them. Neither felt in the mood for talking, leaving them with little more than their own thoughts to occupy them - thoughts made both Chosen Children immensely uncomfortable.

        Iori alternated his grip on his bokken, holding it tightly until his hands grew sore, then loosening his hold to get the circulation back into his fingers, only for some errant, unnerving thought about the day’s earlier encounters to enter his head and make him tense up again. His body was rigid with tension, and he fixed his gaze straight ahead, only vaguely registering the familiar path that took them back home. Memories of the mission replayed themselves in an endless loop inside his head. He felt lost, overwhelmed. He vowed to wait patiently for a proper explanation for what had happened to him, but it was difficult not to question the disturbing things he saw in that other world. If he had any doubts that he had left Earth, they had left him at the sight of that abomination with countless heads and limbs.

        What in the world had Miyako gotten them both into?

        Iori tried to focus on the aspects of what happened that he mostly had a handle on. _That ‘knight’ Digimon…_ His brow furrowed as he thought back to the bizarre spherical creature known as Gladimon. While he had managed to fend off Gladimon attacks with an ease that surprised even him, there was a lingering question weighing on his mind that wondered if he was truly satisfied with his current abilities. He had won kendo tournaments in the past, but those were all human opponents, not strange monsters that lurked on an alien world. There was nothing in this world that oozed and screamed and transformed into giants that shredded metal like paper.

        The answer was painfully clear to Iori – if he was going to protect Miyako and the other Chosen Children from these inhuman threats, he needed to train more. He would have to rebuild his training regime completely from scratch and figure out a better way to combat these new otherworldly opponents. There was vast difference between training to fight a human with a weapon and trying to put down a terrifying creature. The day would become a frame of reference for him to work with, allowing him to incorporate those experiences in to his training. The fact that wood could stand up against sharpened metal was enough to turn everything he had already known completely on its head

        Iori nodded to himself, taking some satisfaction in his decision. He glanced over at Miyako, wanting to share his thoughts with her when he noticed the tension in her expression. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, but did not notice anything as she moved rigidly with each step. She seemed completely absorbed in her own thoughts, muttering to herself so quietly that he could not make out whatever she was saying. His gaze lingered on her as they neared the apartment complex, and he eventually decided that he needed to speak up. “Miyako, are you all right?”

        Miyako jerked at the sudden sound of Iori’s voice, her expression panicked for a brief instant before she composed herself. “I’m fine. Just fine.” She paused a moment to compose herself. “Anyway, Mom and Dad are out on a date tonight, same with Chizuru and her boyfriend, and Mantarou will be managing the swing shift while Momoe is probably going to sleep until just before it’s her turn to take over, like usual, so we’ve got until 11:30 or so to talk Digimon. Plenty of time.”

        Iori allowed Miyako’s chatter wash over him as he focused more on her body language and the inflection in her voice. It told him enough about what she was really thinking. “We don’t need to discuss Digimon tonight. I can wait, at least until tomorrow when everyone has had a chance to rest.” He made certain to keep his comment indirect, so that it did not sound directed at Miyako, even though it most certainly was.

        “Yeah, okay, sure,” Miyako said without looking at Iori. “That gives me some time to add more info to the file you might need. I’ll just email it to you tonight. I’ve got to forward the info to Motomiya too anyway.” She sighed. “I swear, what the heck is _up_ with him? It’s like every time I said something, he was ready to go after me. Heck, I didn’t even need to _say_ anything. I just had to wear that stupid outfit!”

        The instant the words left her mouth, Miyako remembered the merciless taunts from the Digimon Kaiser and she felt herself bristling all over again. “Like _Hell_ I’d willingly want to wear something as humiliating as that,” she muttered under her breath.

        “Hm?” Iori tilted his head as he glanced over to Miyako. “What was that?”

        Miyako clasped her hands together loudly to distract Iori. “Well! I’m not going to let him get me down. I’m not going to rise to his bait again.”

        Iori blinked and stared at Miyako in confusion, before he schooled his expression to something more neutral. He could tell that the subject was not something Miyako wanted to talk about, and given everything that had happened, he was not going to pry. There was a time and a place for everything, and now was not that time. “I’ll walk you to your door, and then we can talk tomorrow after school.”

        Miyako nodded then cocked her head in Iori’s direction. “But really quick first… How are you holding up after all that craziness? You kinda got flung into a huge mess because of me, and, well…” She trailed off on an awkward note as she focused instead on heading to the elevator once they reached the outdoor hallway of the apartment complex.

        “I…” Iori faltered briefly at the question, uncertain of how to respond at first. “…Do not worry about me.” He offered Miyako a sly, playful smile. “I am used to… crazy shenanigans when you are involved.”

        Miyako laughed, though it did not have as much humor in it as she would have liked, and she pushed the call button for the elevator. “Oh come on, my shenanigans are far from crazy. They’re well thought out and well planned shenanigans. Get it right.” She cocked a crooked smile in Iori’s direction.

        “Yes, of course,” Iori said, with a chuckle. “I apologize. Your shenanigans are nothing if not properly orchestrated.”

        “I’m glad you see things my way,” Miyako said.

        The sound of a chime put the conversation on hold as the elevator doors opened, revealing an old woman in a cardigan and a young man in headphones bobbing his head to obnoxiously loud music. The Chosen Children waited until their neighbors left the elevator before hurrying inside and pressing the button to their floor.

        For a number of long seconds, there was only the quiet hum of the elevator traveling upward. When the doors opened again, words blurted themselves out of Miyako before she could stop them. “Do you think he’s okay?”

        Iori started at the unexpected question, stopping mid-step before turning his attention back to Miyako. “Who?”

        Miyako sighed, but did not answer she was outside the elevator. “My partner,” she said in a voice so quiet that Iori nearly did not hear her.

        The elevator doors nearly closed on Iori before he hurried after the class representative. He found himself at a loss as he was again forced to try and understand exactly what had happened to them earlier. The only thing he was certain of was that Miyako had a strange creature, a Digimon she said, much like those other children, including his classmates. While he was still wrapping his brain around the concept of befriending creatures from another world, he knew that his friend felt whatever was inside the egg was important to Miyako.

        They were nearly at the Inoe apartment when Iori spoke up again. “While I don’t trust that boy at all, he seemed to avoid bringing any harm to you. Moreover, he provided me with a light against my wishes that kept the creatures away. That alone… makes me believe that he will not harm your egg.” He understood that there was a good chance that he was wrong about that strange boy with the two-tone hair and weird outfit, but he saw no point in voicing his pessimism when Miyako was in no mood to hear it.

        Miyako let out a quiet rumble in her throat, but said nothing until they reached her apartment. She fished out her keys and fumbled with them. It troubled Iori to notice that she passed over the key to the front door three times before she finally used it. “Yeah, well, I hope you’re right.”

        “I won’t pretend that I understand what’s happening or who that boy was,” Iori said. “The fact that he’d do something so hostile as to kidnap you and unleash monsters, then turn around and provide protection to those he feels can’t handle said monsters… I don’t think anyone can understand him. But I believe that if he had wanted to harm your egg, he would have done so in front of you.”

        Miyako failed to suppress a flinch, her hand frozen mid-turn on the doorknob, as those words conjured terrible images in her head.

        Iori immediately realized he had made a mistake, and a second later, he understood why. He silently chastised himself for inadvertently reminding Miyako of how helpless she had been as the Digimon Kaiser’s captive, though he was not sure how to smooth it over. The fact that she had been taken hostage at all when he was looking after her still twisted in his gut and made the hand clutching his bokken tighten ever so slightly. “As I said… I believe that alone means your egg is safe.”

        Miyako straightened her spine and nodded. “Yeah, right. If that brat didn’t wreck one of his bargaining chips to humiliate me, then he’ll hold off on doing anything while I’m not there to watch. We just have to outwit that halfwit.” She opened the door before looking back at her friend. “Well… good night, Iori.”

        “Goodnight, Miyako,” Iori said with a smile he hoped was reassuring. “Please take the time to rest.”

        Miyako returned the smile with one of her own, though it was only half as convincing as Iori’s. “You too.”

        Iori nodded before he turned and proceeded to leave, walking away to his own apartment as Miyako closed the door behind him.

        The second Miyako was inside, she automatically slipped into the motions of her typical evening routine. She triple-checked that the door was locked, exchanged her shoes for slippers, moved the dirty dishes from dinner into the dishwasher before turning it on, and threw away the empty wrappers and takeout boxes leftover from the day’s meals. She shook her head at the dust bunnies resting near the walls in the hallway and left a sticky note on the microwave to remind Momoe to vacuum before their parents got home – not that she expected it to be read. Knowing her sister, Momoe would likely not notice that the note was there even while waiting for the microwave to heat up one of the many premade box lunches that sat in the fridge.

        This was nothing new to Miyako. She suspected Momoe was betting that their mother and father would be too distracted by the pile of unwashed laundry Chizuru had forgotten to do before rushing out to party. A quick check of the dryer showed the Chosen Child that her school uniform had been sitting there since she had put it through the wash herself when she got home. It was a good thing she threw in the aprons from their store as well. All of the clothes were wrinkled from spending hours crumpled up in the dryer, but she had learned how to be quick with an iron by this point. She hung one of the aprons on Momoe’s doorknob, paused for a moment, then put the sticky note on it, before putting the rest of the aprons and her uniform away.

        Miyako muttered to herself as she took a brisk bath, going over tomorrow’s schedule, plotted the most succinct way of summarizing the Digital World for Iori and Daisuke, and reviewed information for the upcoming quiz. She was still covered in steam as she put on her pajamas, then used the dryer on her hair while typing up an email for her fellow new Chosen Children. When everything was her satisfaction, she sent the email, which left her with nothing left to do but sleep.

        Miyako leaned back in her chair, the springs groaning in protest. The towel slipped from her hair and hung precariously from her shoulders as she angled her head back so that her gaze traveled towards the ceiling. Without her glasses, everything was blurry, but she was certain her room looked exactly the same as it always did – as neat, clean, and pristine as a fancy hotel room, with only the most tasteful decorations that her parents and any gossiping adult neighbor would approve of.

        The only thing that anyone could arguably disapprove of was her computer setup, and Miyako gave her parents a report over ten pages long, complete with citations, to dispel any doubts that the computer would in any way label her a nerd or otaku and thus diminish her chance of catching a man to marry her. Getting contact lenses to make her seem less intellectual sealed the deal, although fortunately – or unfortunately depending on one’s perspective – the contact lenses made her eyes itch badly and turn red, damaging her appearance far more than glasses ever did, so her parents stopped pestering her about remembering to wear them. It was just as well, as her original plan to get rid of the blasted things might have resulted in a broken garbage disposal.

        Miyako had to admit that the computer she created had been worth two months of itchy and watery eyes. The computer took up nearly half a wall, with four monitors, multiple hard drives, and all of it custom made to be faster than anything she could buy in a store. The programming and operating system came from Koshiro and the rest of her online friends, which made it practically immune to every form of virus on the internet. This computer was her pride and joy, her finest achievement, or rather second finest, as fixing Guardromon took up the top slot now. There was little in the real world that could trump saving the life of an entirely artificial electronic-based life form.

        A few clicks of the mouse brought Miyako to her archive of video files. Dozens upon dozens of folders filled with bootleg copies of her favorite shows too risky to buy DVDs for were sitting there, waiting for her to watch them. She clicked on one of her favorites without thinking, but the first few notes of _Moonlight Legend_ made her twitch, and she immediately shut off the video.

        Miyako pushed away from her computer, uncaring that she knocked her towel to the floor, and began to pace a circle around the room. Everything was in place, her bed still made, the floor vacuumed, furniture dusted, school bag loaded, and her uniform hung in its place on the wall waiting for tomorrow. On the fifth rotation around her room, she considered doing Momoe’s vacuuming. On the eighth, she nearly tripped over her towel and kicked it aside before deciding that she would just wake up her sister prematurely so Momoe would actually get it done without her having to do the work – again. The thirteenth rotation was disrupted midway as a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye brought her to a complete halt. A quickened heartbeat later, she realized that she had accidentally brushed up against her uniform, causing it to sway just enough to make her think, for just an instant, that someone had entered her room without opening her door. She stared at the uniform for nearly half a minute before continuing, but she kept looking back at her neatly pressed clothes through the next six laps around the room. She finally returned to her computer after the twenty-fourth rotation and switched over to her music folder to load Carl Orff’s _Carmina Burana_ before turning the volume up to max.

        Miyako dropped heavily onto her bed and put her pillow in her lap. She fixed her gaze on the far wall without seeing it and waited as the music slowly began to build. When the gong started crashing and the singers’ voices boomed through her room, she covered her face with the pillow and used it to muffle her scream.

* * *

        Yamato sighed as he closed the door to his apartment behind him. He made a halfhearted attempt to remove his shoes before he leaned back heavily against the door, closing his eyes as weariness washed over him. He knew he had to start making dinner, but he lacked the motivation to move from that spot for the moment.

        Yamato had walked Takeru home, although ‘walked’ was a bit optimistic a way to put it. He followed Takeru, who kept doggedly trying to outpace him until the two were just short of running. Every attempt he made to strike up a conversation and alleviate the fear and tension he felt between them only served to aggravate the situation. His younger brother had actually actively ignored him the entire way to the apartment complex where Takeru lived, giving him the cold shoulder rather than acknowledge his presence at all. They parted at the elevator when he had been ready to go back home with Takeru if that was what it took, only for his younger brother’s piercing glare to stop him.

        “I don’t want to talk right now,” Takeru had said, the first words he gave to Yamato since leaving Koshiro’s apartment. “I’ll call you when I do.”

        Yamato had been stunned by the look and tone more than the actual words. The doors to the elevators closed before he could recover and he lingered a moment more, racked with indecision, before he dejectedly made his way home. The uncharacteristically antagonistic behavior Takeru exhibited towards him disturbed him almost as much as the mysterious injury on his little brother’s shoulder. He barely registered the trip back home until he was already outside his apartment door, mechanically fishing out his keys.

        It was not just fatigue that caused this strange attitude in Takeru, Yamato was certain of it. Something had happened in Factory Town that had must have shaken Takeru badly. Perhaps it was the injury or the monsters or something else that went unsaid, Yamato could not be sure, but he knew that this was something he could not dismiss. This cold, easily agitated Takeru was almost a different person from the patient and easygoing little brother Yamato knew and loved. Unfortunately, Yamato had no idea what to do to fix whatever was wrong.

        “He had been upset before,” Yamato muttered to an empty home. He recalled how odd Takeru had acted at the start of the mission, acting rather annoyed while pretending that nothing was amiss. He knew enough about his little brother’s behavior to notice when Takeru was trying to hide something from him. “Does that have something to do with it…? Did something happen?”

        More than anything, Yamato wanted to know what the away team had seen in Factory Town when communications had been severed. A sudden surge of purpose sent him to the phone, kicking off his shoes as he went. Takeru was close to Hikari – if anyone knew what might be going on, it would be her.

        The phone rang over half a dozen times before someone picked up. “Yo, Yagami residence,” Taichi said in a weary voice.

        “Taichi!” Yamato said, as he straightened up, relieved that he had gotten through to someone. “It’s Yamato. I just got back.”

        “This late?” Taichi turned his gaze to the clock on the wall to double-check the time, frowning when he noted that it was half past ten. He was dressed in a pair of soft flannel pajamas with a towel wrapped around his shoulders to keep his damp hair from soaking his clothes, his body still flushed from the heat of his recent bath. “Did something happen?”

        “I walked Takeru home,” Yamato said before pausing to let out a humorless chuckle. “It seemed to piss him off, though.”

        Taichi frowned. “Is he okay? I’m kinda worried. He’s never snapped like that before.”

        “Something’s definitely wrong,” Yamato said, his voice low. “but he doesn’t want to talk about it.” He let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the wall. “I don’t know what he saw after we got shut out, but I don’t understand how anything could’ve affected him like this.” He paused as a strange idea struck him. “Unless it’s that mark on his shoulder, but even then, how the hell could it do this?”

        Taichi ran his hand through his damp hair and pressed his back against the wall, unknowingly mirroring Yamato’s posture. “Who knows how anything in the Digital World works, man? For all we know, that mark was some kinda, I don’t know, parasite or something that’s taken over Takeru’s mind.” He paused when the full weight of his words sunk in and he gave himself a fierce mental kick. “Er, sorry. That’s probably not something you want to hear right now, huh?”

        “Not really, no,” Yamato said dryly, forcing out an awkward chuckle. A moment later, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “I guess all we can do is wait to see if Jijimon knows anything.” He looked straight ahead without seeing the wall in front of him, as an awkward silence passed between them before he spoke again. “Did… did Hikari say anything? Like, about what they saw?”

        Taichi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with the towel. “Nope, but that was because she was too busy getting sick on the way home.”

        Yamato’s eyebrows shot up as he jerked ramrod straight. “Hikari got sick?”

        Taichi grimaced. “First in the bushes, and then all over me when I was giving her a piggyback ride home.” He rubbed his neck again. “I tell ya… you don’t know gross until you have to stand around for like an hour with puke in your hair _and_ your shirt, but I had to wait until Mom and Tailmon got Hikari cleaned up first, you know?”

        Yamato cringed at the unpleasant imagery. “Yeah, I hear you. I guess she always was prone to getting sick, and she’s been through a lot of crap recently… we all have. We were probably lucky we lasted this long without her getting sick.”

        Taichi let out a frustrated breath. “Yeah… Plus I think she hasn’t been getting much sleep lately. She tries to hide it and act like nothing’s wrong, but…” He ran his hand over his face, trying to smooth out the tension creeping underneath his skin without success. “You know, it’d be nice if the doctors could, I don’t know, _fix_ this. Make it so she stops getting sick so much and risk it getting all serious, and stop saying stuff like Mom doesn’t feed her right or take care of her, and can you believe the last one said it’s because she’s _fat_? She barely weighs anything as it is, and they’re telling her to her face that she’s fat and that if she doesn’t lose weight she’ll keep getting sick and it’ll be all her fault! Who the _Hell_ did that guy think he is _?_!” He slammed his fist against the wall, ignoring the pain that flared in his knuckles.

        Anger swelled within Yamato’s breast, burning bright hot for both Taichi and Hikari. This was not the first time the Chosen of Courage had confided in him about how frustrating doctors could be. “It’s because he’s too stupid to figure it out, so clearly it’s your fault.” He paused for a moment to reign in his bitterness and tried to release with his next weighty breath. “I can’t even begin to imagine what garbage they’d say about Takeru’s shoulder.”

        “They’d probably think it’s a tattoo and he’s part of the yakuza or that they’re being pranked with paint,” Taichi grumbled. “I doubt they’d have the first idea what to do about it anyway.”

        “Yeah,” Yamato muttered. “So taking him to the doctor or a hospital would just be a total waste of time. If they can’t do anything for Hikari, they’ll be even more useless here.”

        Taichi ran his fingers through his hair. “At least the doctors can give medicine that helps her feel better. We still had some of those tablets that stop nausea leftover from that time two months ago where she couldn’t stop throwing up, and those helped her from getting sick a third time tonight.” He looked down the hall in the direction of his sister’s room. “Tailmon is keeping an eye on her and says she’ll let us know if Hikari gets worse, and Mom thinks she should just rest up for a few days, so we’ll wait and see how she’s doing. Hikari says it’s not that bad and none of us should worry, but you know how she is about that stuff.”

        “Yeah,” Yamato said, shifting his position slightly as he remembered uncomfortably the last time Hikari got sick when Digimon were involved. “I think everyone should take a few days off while we wait for Jijimon. And even then… I think Hikari should sit that trip out, assuming he can even help us.”

        Taichi let out an affirmative sounding grunt. “Man… I wish Agumon was here… I wish all our friends were back, and, heck, I wish Ryo and the rest of the other Chosen Children and their partners would show up already! With 15 of us, we can just be like a sport team and rotate out who goes in while the others rest up for the next mission or whatever.”

        Yamato nodded, not that Taichi could see it. “Right. We’d be sharing the burden, so it’d be easier for everyone. As it is, all the stress is on those who can actually fight and… I think it’s really starting to affect them.”

        “Yeah,” Taichi said softly. “Hikari, Takeru… Mimi has always been sensitive so she’s probably really feeling it right now. Koshiro and Daisuke seem to be doing okay at least… and I’m not sure how Iori and Miyako are going to deal with all this.”

        Yamato hummed thoughtfully as he thought of the newest members to their team. “While I’m glad we’re finding more Chosen, this is probably the worst time to be new at this.” He narrowed his eyes as he felt his anger start to flare. “That bastard’s got a lot of nerve, doing this crap.”

        “Maybe we should try figuring out how to train them,” Taichi said. “You know, _outside_ the Digital World where that brat can’t pull something on us. Tailmon has been doing that for a while now. Agumon did some sparring with her sometimes whenever we could find an empty spot for it, and I think Patamon did too.”

        “Yeah, might be a good idea,” Yamato said, then shifted his weight to his other foot. “Y’know, speaking of Ryo… did you see how that kid reacted to Hikari mentioning him, and the other one? Keiko?”

        Taichi’s brow furrowed. “Yeah. It sounded like he knew them. And what did he mean by ‘you’re nothing like her’ when he was yelling at Hikari?”

        Yamato slowly shook his head. “I don’t have a clue, but this makes me think we need to try harder to find Ryo. I’m willing to bet that neither of them know what he’s up to, and we’re going to need them to bring his power-tripping ass back to Earth. At the very least, he’ll have to explain himself to them.”

        Taichi rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, but how do we even find them? Do we just start looking up Akiyamas in the phone book and call around? We don’t even know even anything about Keiko except apparently Hikari reminds the Kaiser enough of her that he’s yelling denials in her face about it.”

        “I think that’s all we can do right now,” Yamato said. “I mean, at least we have a last name to go on. It’d take a while, but what choice do we have?”

        Taichi sighed. “Well, at least it’s better than what we have on the Digimon Kaiser himself. We don’t even have a _first_ name for that guy.” He flexed his fingers before curling them into a fist. “I tell ya… if I knew who that brat really was on this side, I’d teach him a lesson about playing with lives like a game!”

        “No kidding,” Yamato said, the words coming out in a low growl. “And I’d be there giving you a hand – and a fist.” He unclenched his hands when a sudden thought struck him. “Wait.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Jijimon… seemed to know the kid. At the very least, the kid knew Jijimon. Do you think he’d be able to give us a name?”

        “What?” Taichi jerked before the memory came to him. “Wait, back when we saved Tentomon… You’re right! The Digimon Kaiser acted really weird around Jijimon, almost like he lost the nerve to fight or something!”

        “Right,” Yamato said as his expression darkened at the memory. “When he was torturing Palmon.” His chest tightened with guilt, but he forced himself to ignore it. “Jijimon stepped in and suddenly the Kaiser wasn’t acting so big.”

        Taichi frowned. “Wait, if Jijimon can intimidate the Digimon Kaiser, then why isn’t he trying to fight the Kaiser like we are? Sure he’s helping us and that’s great, but isn’t he a high level Digimon? I thought Koshiro said he thought Jijimon was an Ultimate or something. Can’t he fight too?”

        Yamato let out a displeased hum. “That’s a good question. It looks like we’ve got a lot to ask Jijimon.”

        “Yeah,” Taichi said around a yawn as fatigue settled in despite his excitement and agitation. He rubbed his face, blinking a few times. “Let’s talk about this more tomorrow. It’s getting kind of late.”

        “Right, sorry,” Yamato said with a sigh, then grinned sheepishly. “Tomorrow it is. It’ll give Jijimon time to respond. And if he hasn’t, well… after school, we can visit Centarumon. I’m sure he’ll know where the old fart is.”

        “If we don’t sniff him out first,” Taichi said with a chuckle.

        Yamato rolled his eyes. “That pun was awful,” he said, though he had to fight to keep the amusement out of his voice. “Anyway, I’ll see you at school. Just have Hikari rest, okay?”

        “No worries there,” Taichi said with a laugh. “If I know Tailmon, she’s going to make sure Hikari stays in bed, whether Hikari likes it or not.”

        Yamato laughed along with Taichi. “Hah, sounds good to me!”

        After Yamato and Taichi exchanged their goodbyes, silence settled in all at once, stripping the Chosen of Friendship of all mirth. He never realized how much he had grown to hate quiet since Gabumon left. He had taken for granted how he never had to return home to an empty apartment for over a year and a half. Now, when he wanted the comfort and distraction of another presence, there was no one.

        Yamato shook his head. It was best not to think about it, or focus too much on Gabumon’s stuff lying in his room, waiting for his partner’s return. “When it rains, it pours, huh?”

        Yamato cut himself off from speculating what Gabumon would say in response. He had survived this long by not thinking too much about his partner’s absence. He kept his thoughts focused like a razor’s edge, aiming his anger squarely at the Digimon Kaiser’s head. Being depressed and brooding was not going to help anyone, and keeping himself occupied would ensure he stayed sane.

        It had been a busy day, but Yamato doubted that he would be able to get any sleep at all.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two youngest members of the original Odaiba eight suffer from sleepless nights as they are haunted by whispers and dark worlds. When voicing their fears is unacceptable, they only have their own thoughts to turn to, and even those might be tainted.
> 
> * * *

        Takeru could feel his body begging for sleep, exhaustion weighing down his muscles and making his eyes itch unpleasantly. Yet, for what seemed like hours, he found himself staring up at his ceiling without really seeing it. He stopped looking at his clock sometime after midnight, as each time he looked at the glowing numbers and saw the night steadily ticking away from him, he felt his frustration flare, making him more awake and aware of the unpleasant feelings churning in his chest. He could hear Patamon sleeping soundly by his head, against the pillow. The rhythmic, reassuring sound of his partner’s breathing provided some comfort, but it did little to help his restless mind go quiet. A small voice whispering in the back of his mind simply refused to let him sleep.

        When Takeru closed his eyes, he could see the events from earlier that day play in his head. The monsters plagued him with their shifting faces and screams, but in particular, the way Angemon’s melting head begged him for help twisted his heart. Yet, that monster was not what plagued him the most. As horrific as the creature was, he could justify its existence as another monster to face. If he compared it to Apocalymon being a composite of all the Digimon that were unable to evolve, he could almost understand its existence. Perhaps the creature was the Digimon Kaiser’s attempt to recreate Apocalymon. It would hardly surprise him given how unstable the tyrant was.

        It was going to the world of darkness that haunted Takeru the most. If it had been just a world in shades of black and white, he would never have given it another thought, but that place was far more than that. He could not forget how _hopeless_ he felt in that world, how quickly it stripped him of his will to fight and left him listless, practically lifeless. He doubted that he could have mustered the strength to care if Digimon had been lying in wait to kill him in that world, and the thought utterly terrified him.

        Such a lack of hope made Takeru feel as though he betrayed himself, and, worse than that, his very crest.

        “That place…,” Takeru murmured, keeping his voice quiet so as not to wake Patamon. “Where was that?”

        No voice in the dark offered Takeru any answers or advice. There was only quiet grumble in his head that told him what no matter what it was, or what it had done to him, he had ultimately failed to meet its challenge, which could have gotten him, Patamon, or anyone else killed.

        There was also the matter of that mysterious girl. Just thinking of her prompted Takeru to trace his cheek where she had slapped him. Although he had been in a stupor, he could now recall vividly the sharp sting that brought him back to his senses, as well as how cold her touch had been in that brief instant. None of that short encounter made any sense. Why was that girl there? Why were her clothes so similar to Hikari’s? Why was she crying and why did his presence enrage her enough to attack him like that? Most importantly of all, how did her slap return him to Factory Town, or was it just a coincidence? Was the email a coincidence as well? The email was exactly like the one he received not long ago about how to use the Digimentals, right down to rendering his D-Terminal completely unusable.

        Takeru shifted his gaze to the broken D-Terminal resting on his nightstand. Tomorrow he would go ask Koshiro to fix it, though he had no idea how he was going to explain what happened to it. “Was that her, too?” he whispered. His instincts told him that it must have been. The timing was too coincidental, as the email directly referenced his visit to the strange world, though he had to wonder why she chose to send such a strange type of message that would completely ruin the device that received it. “Just who _is_ she…?”

        Takeru let out a frustrated breath. All the questions refused to give him any rest and he was no closer to answering any of them. He flicked his D-Terminal open, as though its black screen might have some hint, some clue the girl left behind for him to find to solve the mystery. The device was as dead as it had been after the email she sent, offering him nothing. He intended to show the D-Terminal to Koshiro when they got back, but he had completely forgotten it in all the chaos involving the giant monster and the subsequent confrontation with his brother and the others. It was only after the flames of his temper had died down to glinting embers that he remembered.

        That was another thing that troubled Takeru – how quickly he lost his temper with Yamato.

        Takeru made it a point to keep his patience, to try and not lose his cool. He had learned the folly of childish temper tantrums a long time ago. He was pretty proud of his maturity, how long he could suppress his anger even in the face of terrible people and keep a level head. Even in the face of the two gossiping boys making awful insinuations about Hikari, he managed to keep his calm for a good long while, probably longer than he needed to. Losing his temper in that situation was inevitable, and even Patamon had snapped. However, that situation was a far cry from the way he went off on his brother and friends. What he did was inexcusable. Even if they were being pushy, they were just concerned for his well-being. Did he really have any right to get so angry?

         _They were calling me a liar._

        The errant thought stopped Takeru dead. “A liar..?” The word hung in the air on an awkward note, as a small voice inside him insisted it was true, even as part of him warred against it.

         _Concern is all well and good, but after I told them I was fine, they should have backed off._

        The thought played in Takeru’s head in a loop, bringing him back to the earlier conversation. It stretched out far too long, especially after such a traumatic event. Anger twisted his gut as he recalled how distressed Hikari looked while suffering under Miyako’s relentless interrogation, all for the sake of a dumb splotch of gray. Thinking back on it now with a clearer head, he realized that she did not seem merely uncomfortable, but in pain. In all the worry over such a trivial injury, none of them noticed that something was wrong with Hikari, not even him. The idea that they could make him overlook something as important as that only rekindled the heat of his anger. The worst part was that he could not even send her an email until he got Koshiro to fix his D-Terminal.

        “Yeah,” Takeru he muttered, bitterness creeping into his voice. “They weren’t listening to me. If they would have just listened, then…”

         _They were listening, they just didn’t care. They’ ‘knew’ that I was hurt and wanted to keep rubbing it in my face._

        Takeru stared at the wall for a long time as the notion burrowed itself into his brain and took root. When he closed his eyes, he saw Yamato lunging at him again to practically tear off his shirt despite his wishes, and he relived the anger and mortification, only now it felt more pronounced. Yamato tended to act recklessly, especially when it came to his little brother, no matter what Takeru said. The idea of Takeru being injured was too much for Yamato to handle – it always was.

         _He doesn’t trust me. He’s never trusted me. Rather, he’s never trusted that I’ve ever been capable of anything._

        Takeru’s eyes snapped open and he immediately sat up, nausea churning his stomach like a storm. He turned to focus on Patamon before he carefully slipped out of the bed, mindful not to wake the slumbering Digimon, and then walked lightly to the kitchen. Some milk might ease his upset stomach and help him sleep.

        When Takeru opened the refrigerator door, a throb of pain resonate through his shoulder and he held the side of the cold milk carton against it as he hissed through his teeth. He scowled and moved the carton away a moment later when he thought of how Yamato would react after catching him like this.

         _All my training… all my work… and for what? For everyone to turn on me the second I make even the tiniest mistake? Is their faith in me really that fragile? Or did they just never have any faith in me to begin with. Did this whole thing just confirm that I’m still that stupid little kid they need to watch out for?_

        Takeru shook his head as though to dispel those thoughts before he went to fetch a glass. “I’m over-thinking this. I am… definitely over-thinking this. They were panicking, I was panicking… that’s all.”

         _Just the same, I shouldn’t mention what happened – don’t mention that other world, don’t mention that girl, don’t mention a new email, nothing. They’d just take it as another excuse to freak out at me. Patamon probably won’t mention it, so if I don’t say anything then neither will he. I’ll see if I can reboot the D-Terminal to get it going again, so I won’t even have to let anyone know that it crashed._

        The more the thought repeated itself in Takeru’s head as he drank his milk, the more reasonable it became. “I guess that’d be best,” he muttered into his empty glass. “I don’t need to worry anyone else.”

         _I’ll deal with this myself._

        “I’ll deal with this myself,” Takeru said. “Either way, it’s nothing to worry about.” After putting the glass in the dishwasher, he winced as he closed it with more force than he intended. “It’s just… more Digital World stuff.”

        A small part of Takeru still felt troubled as he rubbed his shoulder. He nearly pulled back his collar to take another look at it, but quickly squashed that impulse and the temptation to get medicine or an ice pack for the pain. He knew whatever this spot was, it was not ‘gangrene’ or anything ridiculous like that. If anything, it reminded him of what had happened in that other world, when his hands slowly turned to gray. The color came back when he returned, no harm done. He had no reason to believe that this would be any different.

        Still, that nagging doubt refused to leave Takeru alone, no matter what that small voice in his head whispered against it. “If I start to feel any worse, I’ll go to a doctor or something.”

         _As if a doctor could help me. It’s ridiculous to even consider it. Even if this thing is dangerous – which it isn’t – what exactly do they think they’re going to do about it? Jou’s medicine could only treat the symptoms, and that’s it. Honestly, am I the only one who thinks about things at all, without getting all hysterical?_

        Takeru paused and shook his head, dispelling such thoughts. Wordlessly, he went back to his room and silently slipped back into bed. It was late, he was exhausted, and it had been a very trying day – it was only natural that brooding about this would make his mood take a turn for the worse. Thinking too much about the situation was not going to accomplish anything. It would be better if he went to sleep and looked at the problem with fresh eyes in the morning when he was well rested and calm.

        If only Takeru could get any sleep.

* * *

        Hikari was dreaming again. She was standing in the middle of an empty dirt road that cut between buildings made of wood and stone. She stood as the only spot of color in this monochrome world. The sky did not seem to have clouds, but instead a fine gray mist that grew steadily darker further and further from the ground until it was black. Looking at the sky from the horizon allowed her to see the gradual change from light to dark, but staring straight up showed her nothing but blackness. Although the light should have been muted or nonexistent, she could see her surroundings just fine.

        This place was the Dark World. Although Hikari had never heard anyone in her dreams call it that before, a part of her somehow felt certain that it fit. There was never any sun or stars – nothing to indicate if it was night, day, or something in-between. The sound of waves striking the shore in a steady rhythm came from all around her, giving her no hint as to where the ocean was located. The smell of something foul mixed with salt lingered in the air, which felt thick with moisture and clung to her skin like a slimy film.

        The buildings that surrounded her were rustic, as though something she would find in a seaside village, but far less welcoming. They stood silent and empty, completely devoid of life. The many signs hanging outside the buildings gave the impression that there were businesses, hotels, and the like in this town once upon a time, save for one small detail. Every single sign had the same exact text written on them, no matter how cheerful or warped the font may have been painted.

        Although Hikari had made it a point to learn the meaning of the glyphs used in the Digital World a long time ago, nothing on the signs made any sense. She would have been certain that it was nonsensical gibberish if not for the fact that every sign displayed the exact same phrase.

Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Huanglongmon ph’n’ghft wgah’nagl fhtagn.

        Hikari knew that whatever the glyphs meant was something significant. One such sign hung from a streetlight with a blackened bulb beside her, the wooden placard worn from years of water and wind. She tried to read the words aloud, as she did many times in dreams that came before, but the lack of vowels made the phrase completely incomprehensible, and the mangled syllables never came out the same way twice. The only word that came close to making sense to her was Huanglongmon, but she had no idea if it was a real Digimon or just another jumble of gibberish that happened to have ‘mon’ at the end.

        When it was clear that Hikari would not solve the mystery of the strange text this night, she looked behind her to locate another staple of her dream. Less than a meter away stood shadow that appeared nearly as solid as she was. Although she could not make out the shadow’s face or other fine features, its size and shape made her think of Tailmon. The shadow followed her as she made her way down the street, as it always did in every dream she had in the Dark World, and always at the same distance away. The shadow would never come too close or lag behind, and she could never outrun or hide from it, though she tried many times before. At times, she braved approaching the feline shadow, but it backed away every time to keep that gap of empty space between them.

        After weeks of dreaming with the shadow always her side, Hikari ultimately decided it was merely unnerving, but not truly frightening. Perhaps because of its company or the way it reminded her of Tailmon that made the shadow oddly comforting at times, particularly when compared to the other horrors lurking in the Dark World. Sometimes she would forget that it was even there if she tried not to look behind her.

        Hikari had lost track of how many nights she spent wandering aimlessly through the Dark World. She had grown somewhat familiar with the empty buildings that made up the town, but she never failed to lose track of where she was whenever she wandered the streets. Landmarks always seemed to relocate to different areas the instant she lost sight of them. What she found inside the buildings would change as well, sometimes in small ways, and other times more dramatically.

        A vivid example was a café that at one time was closed off to her because it had no doorknob. The first time Hikari entered, there was food wafting steam but no smell, and countless overturned chairs littering the floor. It was as though a crowd of Digimon had been ready to eat, only to flee moments before her arrival. The second time she came to the café, it was completely shambles, the inside decimated as though a hurricane had passed through, and two of the walls along with most of the ceiling were completely gone. Through the gaping hole, she could see the ocean and a trail of rubble leading along the shore to the water’s edge. The last time she entered, the building was entirely intact, but run down from age and time. There were no traces of tables or food, just countless old newspapers covering almost every wall and floor. The only wall that was devoid of papers had large letters scrawled on it in a dark, thick fluid, spelling out the one phrase that haunted the Dark World.

Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Huanglongmon ph’n’ghft wgah’nagl fhtagn.

        There would be no searching the café this time for Hikari. The doorknob was stuck in place and refused to open. A sense of relief washed over her at the discovery, as she dreaded what she would find inside this time. Unfortunately, the feeling was short lived, and she moved on to the next building, knowing that she needed to brave the unnerving nature of the town in order to find answers. Maybe then she would end this dream once and for all and finally leave the Dark World behind her forever.

        More than once, Hikari had attempted to escape the town, but each time she always reached the ocean, no matter what way she turned. She would try to run straight in the opposite direction, only to get lost in the town. The sound of waves always haunted her, as clear and present as when she stood on the edge of the shore. Even when she dared to walk down to the bottom of a basement with over four dozen sets of stairs, the ocean seemed to follow her every step in the way.

        The worst times were when the fog rolled in from the water. Things lurked in the fog – horrible, unspeakable things. The few times she saw Digimon in this world were when the fog came in, and it never ended well, no matter how hard she tried to save them from the abominations hunting them in the gray mist.

        Hikari rubbed her arms as she made her way along the streets, but she could not banish the chill that slid through her skin and settled deep down in her bones. When she turned a corner and spotted the ocean in the distance, she turned in the opposite direction.

        As frightening as the town was, the shore was far, far worse.

        There was a particular landmark Hikari searched for in every dream. It was rare that she would ever find it, but she lucked out this time it would seem. The building was a fun house, or at least that was what she assumed it was. The faded images of smiling Digimon on the outside and decorative carvings in the worn and damaged wood gave her the impression that was what the building was originally used for. There was no door, just a yawning opening waiting for her to wander inside into the dark.

        Of all the buildings in this monochrome town, the fun house was the only one Hikari failed to search every time she came to the Dark Ocean. It was not because of her fear of what might be inside – though the place did give her a sense of foreboding – it was something on the outside that always drew her attention until the moment she woke up. Beside the entrance was a large mirror with a warped surface that should have shown her distorted reflection, but it was never _her_ inside the mirror.

        Hikari recalled that the first time she discovered the mirror was after the initial encounter with the Digimon Kaiser. When she passed in front of the fun house mirror, she stopped immediately when she notice the girl inside the bubbled, dirty glass that appeared so different from her. She initially mistook the girl as a distorted reflection of herself, wearing an outfit all in black that matched the one the Digital World gave her, save for a few minor details, such as replacing the Crest of Light accents with moons. The girl in the mirror even had a dark shadow of a cat following her, just like Hikari, only the shape was not quite right to match Tailmon. Other details about the girl were different as well, such as long black hair and skin even more pale than hers.

        The girl in the mirror mimicked Hikari’s every movement as perfectly as a real reflection whenever they encountered each other, up until the moment their red eyes met. In that instant, her expression would change, showing sorrow or anger. The first time it happened, Hikari jerked back with a scream and nearly ran away. Only the pain etched on the black haired girl’s face kept the Chosen of Light frozen in place, watching as the girl in the mirror pounded on the glass, as though desperately trying to escape.

        The girl in black was the only thing in the Dark World that still held any trace of color, even if it mostly came from her vibrant red eyes. That alone made Hikari almost certain that the girl in the mirror was important. Though doubt still lingered and whispered to Hikari that there was nothing here beyond her subconscious fears and perhaps the whispers of Tenraimon and the Digital World’s influence, she felt certain now that this dark girl was the only thing real. Hikari was also sure that the girl was trapped and needed her help. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to help the other girl. She could never get any answers from the girl, not even a name, as no sound came from the mirror, no matter how much the girl screamed.

        When Hikari saw those red eyes this time, the girl in the mirror’s expression twisted up in agony before a flood of tears trickled down the dark girl’s cheeks. The Chosen of Light felt her heart wrench at the sight, and she instinctively reached out for the other girl, but only felt cold glass against her palm.

        “It’s okay,” Hikari said softly, though she wondered if the girl in the mirror could even hear her. “I’ll get you out of there… somehow.”

        This was a dream, every bit of it. Hikari knew that even if she felt as lucid as though she was awake. Yet, the plight of this girl who was only present in her darkest dreams was a dagger digging into her heart, every bit as genuine and painful as the suffering of all the Digimon enslaved by the Digimon Kaiser. “You’re real… aren’t you. You’re not me – you’re _like_ me. You’re another Chosen Child.”

        In a sudden burst of clarity, Hikari remembered the moment in Factory Town when the Digimon Kaiser screamed pure hate at her, and she now understood why. “You’re her, aren’t you? You’re Keiko… right? You’re the reason why the Digimon Kaiser can’t stand to look at me… because I’m wearing your clothes.”

        The girl in black spoke, but her words never reached Hikari. She wiped away the tears on her cheeks, but more came swiftly to take their place.

        Though Hikari was aware her efforts to communicate with the other Chosen Child were futile, there was little else she could do. The thought of breaking the mirror crossed her mind, perhaps with the chair behind the ticket booth. She discarded the idea just as quickly as it came, as she feared that she might hurt the other girl.

        A part of Hikari had hoped that the realization of the girl’s identity would change something, perhaps free Keiko. This was still a dream after all. She only felt a bit foolish for hoping as the seconds ticked by and nothing changed between her and the girl in black. If nothing else, she took some solace I the sound of her own voice in this otherwise silent and world.

        “Are you the reason why they appear on me?” Hikari asked. “Are you doing this somehow?” She hesitated when a terrible suspicion began to form. “What happened to you?”

        The dark girl dragged her fingers, wet with her tears, along the surface of the glass. Hikari placed her hand over that hers, wanting to offer some faint sense of comfort to the captive. When the black haired girl continued moving her hand, Hikari realized with a jolt that she was writing something on the glass.

        Hikari removed her hand immediately and tried to make out the letters written in tears, but the dirty film coating the rippled glass made it hard to decipher such a faint message. Squinting did little to help make any sense of the streaks of water, and her frustration grew when the other girl finally stopped writing. “I don’t… I can’t read it. What are you trying to tell me?”

        The sudden sound of a siren chilled Hikari to her core. “Oh no…” Reluctantly, she turned away from the mirror towards where she was certain the ocean lay, and watched as the white fog slowly rolled in. Her instincts told her to run and hide, but she felt certain that she was close now to having some sort of answer from the girl in the mirror.

        Hikari shivered as the fog slowly erased the features of the town around her, limiting her visibility to only a few meters around her. Shadowy figures of varying sizes emerged from the dull white mist, but she knew from previous experiences that they were not the danger that was coming – that would be what came later to hunt them down. When the shadows came close enough, she could see that they were Digimon, panicked and in ragged condition, and all of them in shades of monochrome. Some looked her way, but before she could say anything, they let out ghastly screams as they fled from the fun house.

        This was not normal. While sometimes these gray Digimon were afraid of Hikari, they almost always spoke to her whenever she approached them, even if their rambling did not always make sense. At worst, they would shout accusations at her, or babble disturbing things as they looked at her with hungry eyes. None of them had ever reacted this way to her before.

        A terrible sense of dread seized Hikari and she turned back to the mirror. She choked on a scream of her own and covered her mouth as she stepped back.

        The dark girl’s tears had turned to blood, dying the near white of her skin a vivid shade of crimson. The message she wrote on the glass was now frighteningly clear in large red letters.

        That was when Hikari heard more screaming coupled with laughter, crying, and static, as the tide came in.

* * *

        Hikari awoke with a cry she barely choked back from turning into a full-blown scream as she wrestled with the sheets tangled around her. For one terrified moment, the blankets were the wave that had flooded the town and pulled her down into the depths of the ocean of madness. Once free, she tossed the sheets aside and bolted upright as it slowly registered that she was back in her bedroom and not the Dark World.

        The sensations of the dream were still fresh and clear in Hikari’s mind. The last few seconds she experienced made her skin crawl as though her veins had been filled with ice water. Despite how her body shivered with cold and revulsion, her body was sticky with sweat. She struggled not to think about what happened when the dark water reached her, how she had been flooded with horrifying sensations and those _voices_ …

        It took Hikari nearly a minute to calm her breathing, though her heart took a little longer to return to its normal pace. She kept looking around at her bedroom in the sparse illumination granted by the small television on her dresser. She must have forgotten to shut it off before she went to bed and now it silently displayed nothing but static and the word “MUTE.” Somehow, the static made her feel uneasy, and she groped blindly for the controller to shut the television off, plunging the room into darkness.

        It took some effort for Hikari not to turn on the light and banish away the shadows that distorted the shapes of her familiar possessions. Her family was already worried enough because of her sickness without alerting them that she was suffering from nightmares on an almost nightly basis. She had to be strong and suffer through this on her own.

        A tremor ran through Hikari as she remembered the intense terror that permeated the final moments of her dream. Her insides churned painfully with the threat of nausea and she fumbled to find her water bottle in the dark.

        A whisper of movement made Hikari flinch, and she instantly focused on the foot of the bed where a pair of bright blue eyes gazed back at her.

        Tailmon watched Hikari silently, her expression unreadable in the dim illumination from the streetlights that slipped in through the edges of the curtain. She waited for her partner to calm down from the brief jolt and realize who she was before she got up. She took her time in stretching, giving Hikari a moment more to relax before she moved to the head of the bed. She easily snatched the water bottle from its place on the nightstand and placed it in Hikari’s hands before flopping down on her side beside the Chosen of Light. She moved her long tail to drape it across Hikari’s waist. The gesture was light, but undeniably protective.

        Hikari could feel her insides slowly unclench with the reminder that she was not alone. Tailmon would never leave her to fend for herself, even against a foggy nightmare town. She smiled gratefully at the feline Digimon before drinking deeply from the bottle, hoping the water would calm her nerves and ease her troubled stomach.

        When Hikari was certain that she was not about to get sick again, she eased herself back down to the bed. She pulled Tailmon close after a moment’s hesitation. Normally, she tried not to get too close to her partner when she was sick for fear of spreading her illness, but she needed Tailmon’s comforting warmth right now.

        Tailmon closed her eyes as she relaxed against Hikari, offering no complaint – not that Hikari expected any. Tailmon was a constant source of strength, even when her partner was at her weakest. There was never even a question about it.

        Although Hikari felt a little better with Tailmon in her arms, she could not shake the unsettled feeling fluttering in her chest. Dream or no, she was now convinced that there was another Chosen Child out there who was suffering some horrible fate at that very moment and was calling out to her for help.

        Hikari just wished she knew how.

* * *

        Normally, Takeru would be asleep so early in the morning. The sun was only now beginning rise over a city that was just starting to awaken. He should still be in bed, squeezing every minute of rest he could so he would not be bone tired when class started in only a couple hours, but he had given up. Sleep was just not in the cards for him right now. The little voice of cynicism in his head simply refused to shut up.

        Takeru stretched before squatting down, exercising his legs with the help of the outdoor concrete stairs leading up to his new apartment complex. His body groaned in protest, his muscles stiff with fatigue. There were gaps of time that he had slipped into a dream-like state that might have been sleep, but images and sounds of the ocean filled his thoughts, making him feel almost as though he had stepped back into that other world. Remaining awake and listening to his own doubts on loop was a restful vacation in comparison.

        “Okay!” Takeru said, forcing out more cheer than he felt as he straightened up. He turned to Patamon, who was still half-asleep, leaning against the railing as he sat on the bottom step. “You didn’t have to come with me, you know. You should get more rest.”

        Patamon yawned, stretching out his mouth as large as he did when firing an air attack. He blinked away sleep from his eyes, making him look more alert as he regarded Takeru with a look that reminded the Chosen Child that the tiny Child Digimon was also sometimes the imposing Adult Angemon. “So should you.”

        Takeru blinked before letting out a chuckle. “I guess so. Ready?”

        Patamon fluttered up on to Takeru’s shoulders, distributing his weight on both sides of his partner’s body while he rested his arms around Takeru’s neck. “Ready! Patamon, evolve to weight training assistant!”

        Takeru laughed. Then there were times when Patamon was still every bit of a Child as they both were back during their first adventure. “What a powerful evolution!”

        “Right,” Patamon said, his voice so serious that Takeru could not help but laugh again. “The most powerful of all.”

        Takeru continued to chuckle even as he began his morning jog, moving from the apartment complex at a brisk pace. He had no interest in doing his usual exercise routine, especially when he felt so exhausted. With his luck, he would wind up falling asleep in class. A brisk jog around the block would get his blood moving and hopefully help him shake off his fatigue so he could get through the school day without getting in trouble.

        “Hey, Takeru?” Patamon leaned forward as he fanned his wings slightly, bringing a cool breeze to Takeru’s neck.

        Takeru kept his gaze focused on the sidewalk ahead of him. “Hm?”

        “Where do you think the Digimentals came from?” Patamon asked.

        “I don’t know,” Takeru said, feeling a little relieved. For a moment, he thought Patamon was going to ask if something was bothering him. He was not in the mood to talk about it, or lie to his partner. “I would have thought Gennai, but he never mentioned them.”

        Patamon let out a thoughtful hum that tickled against Takeru’s neck. “Maybe he didn’t think we’d need them?” The odd note to his voice suggested to Takeru that he did not believe that to be the case.

        “Then why make them at all?” Takeru asked.

        “They would’ve been helpful against Vamdemon or the Dark Masters,” Patamon mumbled.

        Takeru considered that as he rounded the corner. “No, I don’t think so. Strong as they are, I can’t imagine any of the Digimental evolutions being able to hold their own against an Ultimate like the Dark Masters, or even against Vamdemon. The Crests are better in many ways, even if only their special Chosen can use them.”

        Patamon turned his gaze skyward, watching the occasional cloud drift by between tall skyscrapers. “I wonder which came first, the Crests or the Digimentals?”

        “Good question,” Takeru mumbled. He paused, his train of thought derailed when he noticed a familiar face across the street – it was Iori, jogging with weighted bands strapped to his ankles and wrists. Takeru quickened his pace to reach the edge of the crosswalk. “Iori! Good morning!”

        Iori snapped out of his meditation and turned his sharp eyes to Takeru and Patamon. A beat later, he recognized who addressed him and smiled as he changed direction. He paused only to wait for the traffic to stop and allow him to cross so that he could join the pair. “Good morning. You jog as well?”

        Takeru flashed the other boy a smile that was stronger than he felt at the moment. “Yeah, especially when I have tension to work out.”

        Iori nodded, his eyes telling Takeru silently that he completely understood. “That it does. Do you mind if I join you?”

        Takeru smiled. “Of course not. Be my guest.”

        The two boys soon settled into a steady rhythm as they jogged together down the street. Although Takeru focused on the ground and his feet, Iori’s gaze constantly strayed to Patamon. The Digimon felt increasingly uncomfortable under such intense scrutiny, but hesitated to say anything.

        Eventually, Takeru noticed Patamon shifting uncomfortably against him and Iori’s staring and turned his focus to the other boy. “What’s up?”

        Iori realized he had been staring and looked away. “I’m sorry. It’s still quite a shock that Digimon exist. I suppose I’m simply curious.”

        Takeru raised his eyebrows, mildly surprised by the pinked cheeks ruining the normally neutral façade of the newest Chosen Child. A thoughtful hum escaped him as he reminded himself that Iori was his age after all, and not some world-weary middle-aged samurai like the other boy tried to act most of the time. “It’s a lot to accept. I’m sorry it was all thrust at you so suddenly.”

        “Do not apologize,” Iori said. “It’s just how Miyako is.”

        Takeru tilted his head, feeling his own curiosity grow. If there was anything he had gleaned from Miyako’s attitude as Class Representative, it was that she was a stickler for the rules. It was hard to imagine someone who lectured him about keeping Digimon a secret would act impulsive on a regular basis. “Really? That’s… surprising.”

        “I know Miyako better than anyone,” Iori said with a wistful smile that almost seemed out of place on the face of such a usually sober child. “You get used to her recklessness.”

        Takeru made a noncommittal noise as he considered that. He was new to the area, so it was not all that surprising that he did not know much about Miyako beyond her role as Class Representative. Their classmates certainly did not seem to think there was anything more to her than that. He knew that he had to fix that now that she had been revealed to be a Chosen Child like him.

        With a shake of his head, Takeru put his mind back on the topic at hand. “Still… It takes a lot to just trust someone when you’re staring down giant melting monsters and things like that. No one would blame you if it was too much for you to take.”

        Iori shook his head slightly.“As I said, I know her, and have known her for a long time.” His voice was soft as he stared straight ahead, his gaze focused somewhere beyond the streets before them. “This is actually not the most outrageous thing I’ve had to deal with, if you can imagine that.” At noticing the shocked look on Takeru’s face, a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. “You would be surprised at the things you don’t know about Miyako.”

        “Like what?” Takeru asked, his curiosity growing.

        “That outfit she wore in the Digital World,” Iori said, as he returned his voice to the path ahead of them. “It suits her.”

        Takeru nearly stumbled when he outright gawked at Iori, but fortunately caught himself before he could face plant into the ground.

        “Really?” Patamon asked, blinking. “With the way she kept going on and on about it, I thought she was planning on ripping it off and setting it on fire.”

        Takeru shook off his confusion and quickened his pace so he would not lag behind Iori. “Same here.”

        Iori smiled at Takeru, his expression surprisingly playful. “I would owe Miyako a million ohagi if she knew I told you that, however, so please don’t mention it to her.”

        Takeru silent for a moment, taken aback by the newfound knowledge and the crooked grin Iori wore. He realized that he did not really know the two newest Chosen Children at all, but he was looking forward to finding out. He returned the smile with one of his own. “My lips are sealed.”

        “Not a word!” Patamon said before covering his mouth with both his wings for good measure.

        Iori chuckled. “Thank you.”

* * *

        Sora knew this was not the right mentality to have, that it would only make time move that much slower. Yet, no matter how much she tried to make herself enjoy the school club activities, all her efforts came to nothing. It was impossible to feel joy when there was none to be had.

         _So this is what a ‘girl’ spot feels like,_ Sora thought, bitterly. It was not so much that tennis was a bad sport – she could see what drew people to play or watch it – she just had no interest in it, or skill, for that matter. Her mother had told her that if she could be good at soccer, clearly she would have no problem with tennis. Her mother was very encouraging, telling her repeatedly that could do anything she put her mind to.

        That may have been true, but Sora simply did not have the ‘mind’ for tennis.

         _Of course, that’s probably because of my teammates_ , Sora thought.

        Sora did not have to look around to know Rie was present – the other girl’s obnoxious laughter did that for her. She knew that Rie was trying to get her attention by ‘innocently’ giggling too loud while pretending to be discreet, occasionally whispering to some other girls standing close by.

        Although Sora felt twinges of curiosity and unease at not knowing what Rei found so funny, they were smothered by an overwhelming sense of apathy. Whatever someone like Rie found funny would most likely anger her, which was the entire point. The bully was clearly baiting her to get some sort of reaction, but Sora had no interest in falling for such an obvious trap.

        The more Sora dealt with Rie, the more tired she became. She hated that their relationship had become something so poisonous, but when compared to the anguish she felt over Piyomon’s capture and all the horrors going on in the Digital World, Rie felt miniscule, microscopic. As it was, she was already questioning why she continued to try to find something to enjoy about a sport that failed to hold her interest. If she was being honest with herself, the only reasons why she kept coming back were because she did not want to disappoint her mother, and because being part of school clubs were good for college transcripts.

        Sora closed her eyes and focused on the sound of tennis balls striking the rackets and asphalt in a rhythmic pattern, only occasionally broken up when someone scored. The chatter from her teammates and the squeak of sneakers created white noise that almost drowned out Rie’s increasingly noisy attempts to get her attention. The world slowly, reluctantly started to slip away as she tried to empty her thoughts, when a sudden beeping brought her crashing back to Earth.

        Sora jerked, eyes flying open, as she instantly recognized the particular chime.

        “Why Sora!” Rie said too loudly, her voice scandalized. “You brought a _cell phone_ to _practice_ and left it _on_? Don’t you know how _rude_ that is?”

        A couple of the girls giggled while more started whispering, but Sora ignored them and the disapproving look from the coach. She abandoned her place in line and dove for her bag. Her friends knew her schedule, which meant that the only reason why they would send her a message was if it was important.

        Anxiety churned in Sora’s stomach as she whipped out her D-Terminal, feeling equal parts dread and hope as she opened up the email from Koshiro. The message was short, but its impact on her was profound.

Jijimon wants to see us immediately. How soon can you get here?

        “Sorry, but I have to go,” Sora said rapidly as she hastily shoved her stuff into her bag. “It’s an emergency!”

        “Sora! _?_ ” the coach said, her voice almost a squawk. “Wait just one minute, young lady!”

        “It’s an emergency!” Sora shouted without looking back. She was already at the door to the school before anyone could think to come after her. She felt no guilt as everyone gawked at her, no concern for what they would say tomorrow or what questions they would throw her way, and she knew mother would understand.

        Sora was a Chosen Child.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>         The Chosen Children have finally learned the identities of all fifteen of the Crests.  
> 
> 
> * * *

        It came as little surprise to Koshiro that the email he initially received from Jijimon was nothing but a set of coordinates and instructions that _all_ of the Chosen Children needed to be present for the answers. Despite this, he tried pressing for more information, but his half dozen emails were met with silence. Only bringing up the fact that Hikari was too sick for travel got a snort, snappy remark in response.

         

I hat emails. come when u ALL can. WAIT an learn PATIENCE Knowledge. DArn kids!

         

        Waiting had been the hard part. While the Chosen did need a break from the missions, fighting, and stress, the wait did little to resolve the tension inside each of them. The anticipation reminded them that relaxation was an impossible dream until the Digimon Kaiser was finally defeated.

        After a little over a week, Jijimon unexpectedly sent them another message, telling them to come right away. The sense of urgency to the email had the Chosen back in the Digital World less than an hour afterward, minus Hikari, who remained waiting in front of Koshiro’s laptop left in the Yagami apartment. There was a small mixture of disappointment amongst some of the Chosen Children when their clothes did not change upon their arrival, leaving most of them in their school uniforms. Unsurprisingly, the coordinates Jijimon gave the group took them far from any temple, or anything remotely resembling civilization at all. In every direction they looked, they found dense but lush and green trees with little more than a crumbling stone path broken up by weeds to indicate which way they should go.

        Mimi admired the scenery and the clean air as she listened to the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects that they could not see. “It’s so pretty and peaceful here.” She giggled as she pointed out some vines coiled around tree trunks. “Look at those flowers, Palmon! They’re almost as colorful as you are.”

        Palmon grinned and ran her hands along her petals. “Yeah, they’re really pretty, but not as pretty as the rainbow you painted, Mimi.”

        “Of course,” Mimi said, giggling. “You deserve only the best, Palmon.”

        “It’s so much different than the forest near the other temple,” Sora said as she took a lingering look around. She thought back to the first trip to find a temple that she, Mimi, and Koshiro took. The forest they were in had been deathly still and empty until they found that group of controlled Digimon. “You can actually _hear_ life… like it’s more _alive_.”

        “It just serves as a reminder of how the Digital World is _supposed_ to be,” Takeru said as he walked forward along the winding path. “Rather than how it is _now_.”

        “It’s quite curious,” Iori said as he stopped to admire a bright red flower that stuck out from a particularly large bush. “When one thinks of a different world, you tend to picture environments more like _this_. Though, if we are the only humans here… does that mean the Digimon made the metal town and these pathways?”

        “They might have just _happened_ ,” Takeru said with a shrug. When he noticed the strange look Iori sent his way, he let out a soft chuckle. “Wait until you see clockwork trees, telephone booths lining a beach, and a town made out of a bouncy castle. The Digital World does what it wants, when it wants.”

        “There’s a lot about the Digital World that we don’t have answers for,” Koshiro said. “And the last time we were here, a lot of it was altered from what it originally looked like by the Dark Masters, so who knows what it’s going to be like now… especially with the Digimon Kaiser hacking into the world’s code.”

        Yamato gave their surroundings only a cursory glance before he returned his attention to Takeru. Frowning, he hurried to catch up with his younger brother. “Hey, would you rather wait back in the real world with Hikari? You can both gate in together once we find the temple.”

        Takeru stiffened, but his movements did not slow and he refused to look back. “Why the hell would I do that?”

        Yamato grimaced, taken aback by Takeru’s tone. The hostility his younger brother displayed had not gone away after that first night, but instead grew steadily worse with each passing day. Given the past conversations they had recently, he could already tell that this discussion was doomed. “There’s no point in you pushing yourself, especially with your shoulder–”

        “My _shoulder_ has nothing to do with my _legs_ ,” Takeru said, his voice as frigid as an arctic wind. “I can walk just _fine_.”

        “Just the same,” Yamato said through gritted teeth, “you shouldn’t push it.”

        “Same to you,” Takeru said, the words coming out in a growl.

        Mimi looked at Takeru, clearly concerned. “Is it doing any better? Is it hurting you? Has it shrunk any or faded or…?”

        Patamon shook his head sadly. “Nope. Takeru says it’s just numb, not painful or anything like that, but it’s still the same size and color as before. I think we need help getting rid of it.”

        “What would _help_ is if everyone _backed off_ already,” Takeru said, his voice growing colder by the second. In truth, the shoulder throbbed with pain even now, but he was not going to let Patamon or anyone else know that.

        Yamato stared at Takeru for a long moment before he turned to Taichi, his expression helpless. He just could not comprehend the change in his brother’s behavior, no matter how much he tried. It felt too jarring, too impossible for Takeru. Taichi could only give him a sympathetic look, having no answers to give.

        Patamon grew troubled as he moved in closer to his partner. “I’m sorry, Takeru. I don’t mean to keep bothering you about it, but we’re all just really worried about you. If anything were to happen to you…” His voice cracked and he looked away, unable to even think about the idea a moment longer.

        The anger churning inside Takeru diminished when he heard Patamon’s words, which caused his heart to clench with pain that rivaled his shoulder. Even still, he could not bring himself to look at the others. A part of him still whispered that for all their concern, they were ignoring his feelings and judgment. “I know.”

        Daisuke moved to Takeru’s side, hesitant and uncertain. “Hey… uh… have you been sleeping okay lately? You’ve been kind of, well, grouchy since Factory Town.”

        Takeru felt a swelling of irritation inside of him before he glanced to Daisuke, forcing it down. Instead, he offered the other boy a weak smile. He found it much easier to talk to Daisuke than Yamato, if only because he did not feel like he was under attack. He could take his classmate’s concern at face value, as Daisuke had nothing to gain from it. “No, not really. I’ve been having nightmares every night, so it makes sleeping kind of difficult.”

        Daisuke frowned then looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, yeah, I guess that’s not surprising after those monsters we saw. I’ve been… uh…” He shifted awkwardly in place for a moment. “I’ve been having bad dreams about those things too, but V-mon has been pretty good about waking me up before they get bad, and he helps me relax about getting back to sleep so I don’t get too tired.”

        “Well, yeah, there’s that,” Takeru said, with a weak chuckle. “But I’m actually kinda okay with that. I can file that two headed abomination and the rest of them as just more weird stuff the Digital World has done to me. I’m talking more… personal crap. Crap that I thought I was done with,” At seeing Daisuke’s confused glance, the Chosen of Hope sighed. “You know, like my parents’ divorce… and being separated from my brother for years because of it. Not to mention…”

        Takeru trailed off before he looked down at the ground, his expression darkening. There was a prolonged pause before he spoke again. “…When Patamon died.”

        Yamato felt annoyed that Takeru was more willing to talk to Daisuke than him, but he kept his mouth shut. At the very least, his little brother was talking about this at all. For that reason alone, he would swallow the words he wanted to say and let his little brother vent – even if it was not to him.

        Patamon drooped a bit, feeling a pang of guilt that he had a hand in making his partner feel bad. “Takeru…”

        Daisuke nodded, uncertain of what to say, as the topic seemed far more delicate than he was ready to deal with. It was also still disorienting to know someone who had been killed and reborn. “Oh.”

        V-mon drooped, glancing to Daisuke. He had to wonder how his partner would take it if _he_ ever died. Temporary or not, it obviously still upset the blond. It made him that much more determined to get stronger for Daisuke’s sake.

        Takeru nodded. He could tell that the mention had upset more than just Patamon, as he could see the worry and pity everyone turned his way, so he opted instead to change the subject subtly. “That, and Pinnochimon.”

        “Pinnochimon?” V-mon repeated, as he glanced up. “Who’s that?”

        “A psychotic Digimon who kidnapped me to play ‘tag’, which basically involved him chasing me around with a gun,” Takeru said, so casually that it even surprised himself. “I guess he thought it was ‘funny’.”

        Daisuke outright gawked at Takeru. “You mean he was shooting at you and acted like it was a _game_?”

        “I remember hearing about that,” Miyako said as she looked curiously at Takeru. “That was with a _real_ gun from our world, right?”

        Takeru nodded. “Yeah. I don’t even know why he had it. He definitely didn’t _need_ it. He was perfectly capable of killing me by himself.”

        Yamato’s insides clenched. He remembered how Takeru had been kidnapped, and his own behavior when his younger brother had managed to escape without his help. Guilt and irritation, mostly at himself, came rushing back at the reminder.

        Miyako glanced towards Iori at her side, but only for an instant. Just a glimpse showed her to see the rigidness in his posture and a terrible hardness around his eyes as he stared unwaveringly ahead of them. She pretended not to notice. “Maybe he was trying to screw with your head. Guns are pretty scary, no matter who holds them.”

         “If it were one of the other Dark Masters, I’d agree,” Takeru said, with a shake of his head. “But Pinnochimon… I honestly don’t think he gave it that much thought. He didn’t seem like the kind of Digimon to give _anything_ much thought. He acted like an immature brat who just did whatever he felt like doing at the time. I doubt he could even come up with anything so manipulative and was just using a gun because he thought it looked cool.”

        Miyako slowly shook her head. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Plenty of people back on Earth use guns for the same reason. Makes me wonder if he stole it from another Digimon or if there’s trees that grow guns out here.”

        Daisuke blinked at Miyako. “ _Grow_ guns?”

        Miyako raised an eyebrow at Daisuke. “Are you really surprised by the idea at this point?”

        Daisuke scratched his head. “This place isn’t _that_ weird.”

        “Oh, hey, look!” Taichi said as he pointed ahead of them. “I think we’re almost there.”

        The Chosen fixed their attention to an unusual structure resting further down the path. A stone arch covered in runes loomed over the dirt road, so circular and smooth it almost appeared to be a massive ring that had been partially sunk into the ground centuries ago.

        “Hang on,” Koshiro said as he quickened his pace. “I want to examine the markings on this.”

        “This… doesn’t look like a temple,” Takeru said, as he frowned. He gave the area a quick glance around. “I don’t see Jijimon, either. Is this really the place…?”

        Taichi’s expression contorted unpleasantly. “It’d be a lot easier to find these temples if Jijimon didn’t expect us to wander around looking for them. What’s the point of it?”

        “At least it’s _something_ ,” Miyako said. “Maybe this is just a sign we’re going in the right direction.”

        “I guess,” Daisuke said, brow furrowing. “I still wonder if we were supposed to go the other way.”

        Miyako shrugged. “Our odds of being right were 50-50, if the path was even leading us in the right direction at all.”

        Koshiro nodded as he ran his fingers along the cool stone of the arch. “This looks pretty old. I’m having a hard time figuring out what’s written on it.” He frowned and moved to another spot. “Maybe thi–”

        The words hung in the air, unfinished, as Koshiro passed underneath the arch and disappeared. There was no flash or fanfare, just one instant he was there and the next he was gone.

        Mimi shrieked as she saw it happen. “Koshiro! _?_ ”

        “K-Koshiro!” Tentomon cried out as he bolted towards where his partner had been. “Where did yo–”

        The second Tentomon passed through the arch he was gone.

        “What… what just happened! _?_ ” Jou nearly screamed, his voice spiking in panic as he slid his glasses down to stare before pushing them up again. “He… he disappeared _?_!”

        Taichi jolted as a memory hit him. “Wait, this must be like that pyramid, remember? Back during our first adventure.”

        “Oh!” Sora’s eyes widened as she brought her hand to her chest. “Like those hidden passages, and how no one could see us?”

        “Hey, Koshiro!” Miyako said sharply. “If you’re in a hidden temple or something, come on out. You’re freaking us out.”

        Tense seconds ticked by before Mimi looked to the others. “Why isn’t he answering?”

        “Maybe it’s because this is something else,” Miyako said, folding her arms over her chest.

        Takeru looked at the arch, frowning, before he pulled out his D-Terminal and typed up a quick email to Koshiro. “Are you okay? What happened?”

        Half a minute crawled by before the silence was broken by the chime of a D-Terminal. Takeru quickly skimmed the email before reading it aloud with a frown. “‘I’m fine. Come on through, it’s safe.’” Despite the reassurance, he cast a wary look to the arch.

        Sora turned her attention from Takeru back to the arch. “So it _is_ like the pyramid…”

        Taichi grinned. “Leave it to Koshiro to find the secret first.”

        “Well, that’s that, then,” Takeru said as he pocketed his D-Terminal before striding towards the arch. “Let’s go, Patamon.”

        “Right, Takeru!” Patamon said as he flew after his partner.

        Daisuke shot the others an inquisitive look. “Wait, what’s this about a pyramid?”

        “Let’s save the recap of past adventures for the real world,” Miyako said as she followed Takeru. “The short version is secret passages hidden with holograms.”

        Daisuke scowled, storming after Miyako. “Hey, how the heck do you know all this stuff already anyway?”

        “Koshiro told all of us online a while back,” Miyako said. “I’ll add it in the next update of the info file.” She paused just in front of the arch to cock an eyebrow at Daisuke. “Have you even read it yet?”

        Daisuke’s cheeks flushed with color. “Of course I have! It just barely had anything I didn’t already know!”

        “I _told_ you it was unfinished,” Miyako said, a defensive edge to her voice. “I’m just surprised you bothered to study it so quickly.”

        Daisuke scowled. “Just what’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

        Taichi grabbed the back of Daisuke’s shirt and dragged the younger boy towards the arch. “It means no bickering and let’s get going.”

        “Hey, _hey_!” V-mon growled at Taichi. “Don’t touch Daisuke!”

        The instant the Chosen passed through the arch, they went from a dense and green jungle to a high mountaintop with snow stretching as far as the eye could see. The path before them ended not far from the arch, leading to a wide set of stone steps carving a winding trail high along the mountainside.

        Mimi shivered as the air temperature changed from balmy to frigid in the span of a second and hugged herself. “So cold!”

        Koshiro waved at the group, standing further up on the massive staircase. “I think this is it, everybody! I can see something up on top of the mountain that looks like a temple.”

        Taichi looked back the way they came, watching as the last of their group, Jou, materialized out of thin air. There was an arch here too, but this one had been set up dangerously close to a cliff, with the path from the stairs going through it and stopping less than a meter away. He dared to peek over the edge of the cliff then backed away quickly when he saw no ground far below, just an endless sea of clouds and sky. “Let’s be careful where we step, guys. I have a feeling this is something a little different than a hidden room.”

        Daisuke looked around, his eyes wide in awe. “We teleported! That thing must’ve been just like the Digital Gate!”

        Taichi nodded. “Yeah, except we’re still in the Digital World.”

        Sora shivered as she tugged on the edge of her skirt, her school uniform not providing nearly enough protection for her bare legs. It reminded her of going to school in the winter, before the students were allowed to change to their more insulated winter uniforms. Even then, the girls had to wear skirts that provided no warmth to their legs at all. “H-he could have warned us!”

        Yamato glanced over to Sora before he took off his green school blazer and held it out to her. “Here.”

        “Thanks,” Sora said with a grateful smile as she accepted the jacket. She swiftly tied it around her waist, letting it hang off her like an extended shirt. While it was not as useful as pants, it kept the worst of the biting wind at bay.

        Taichi noticed the exchange and quickly offered his own jacket to Mimi, who was wearing a skirt even shorter than Sora’s.

        “I knew I should’ve gone with my sequined jeans today,” Mimi said, holding Taichi’s jacket closed with one hand.

        Yamato suppressed the urge to shiver as the cold hit him harder now that he had no jacket and tried to focus his attention on other things. “What is his angle, anyway? Jijimon’s not outright _sabotaging_ us, but he’s not being _helpful_ either.”

        “He keeps comparing us to Ryo’s group,” Takeru said, as he crossed his arms. “And the hardships _they_ faced.”

        Iori swept his gaze along their surroundings. “Perhaps these ‘temples’ were meant to be trials for ‘Chosen’ to overcome.” His trip tightened on his bokken. “But the current situation demands that exceptions be made.”

        Yamato grunted in displeasure. “I think he’s pissed off and taking it out on us.”

        Miyako forced herself to walk swiftly up the stairs despite the tremors of cold running through her body. Privately, she felt thankful that she changed out of her school uniform into her work overalls before they arrived, though they were so worn from repeated use she wondered if her school uniform would have been warmer. At least her sneakers were more comfortable than the dress shoes. “I think this shows us we need to get some gear to face different elemental conditions.”

        Daisuke glanced sideways at Miyako. “I’m still surprised you even have _those_ clothes. I kept thinking all you had was a closet of school uniforms…” He snickered. “Since you love sailor suits so much.”

        Miyako shot Daisuke a piercing look. “I only have _one_ uniform – not that it’s any of your business – and I can’t afford to let it get wrecked here since _some of us_ like to be taken seriously at school. Also, that _other_ outfit was the result of sexist programming by a sexist jerk who gets off on seeing panty flashes and blatant sexist fan service!”

        Daisuke grinned despite noticing the snipe Miyako took at him. “Whatever you say.”

        Mimi shivered before pulling Palmon into her arms to keep both of them warm with body heat. “Let’s hurry and get to the temple before we start to freeze!”

        The Chosen Children kept relatively close together as they ascended the long and winding staircase, their Digimon keeping as close to them as possible. Occasionally a cold breeze blew harder, jabbing them with countless tiny needles made of ice, eliciting shivers and slowing down their progress, but eventually they reached the summit.

        The first thing to greet the Chosen was a monstrous cathedral of ornate design. Its gilded trims and vibrant splashes of color from countless stained glass windows made it stand out vividly against the pristine white snow. The structure was both impressive and oppressive, towering high above the group with blank faced statues of countless Digimon staring down at them. Above the large doors, a mosaic of colorful glass created an image of outer space surrounding two planets side by side that the Chosen instantly recognized – Earth and the Digital World.

        “Wow…” Mimi’s voice was a hushed whisper as she stared in awe at the building before them. “So beautiful!”

        “And it looks a lot warmer than out here,” Miyako said as she hurried forward.

        The first thing the Chosen focused on once they entered the expansive temple was the immense mural etched into the floor. The designs were intricate and filled with color, drawing focus to a number of important looking symbols. The overall shape was a circle, with the three relatively smaller circles set evenly apart along the periphery to form a triangle, with rows of runes and lines surrounding them and connecting them together. Within those three circles were five more circles arranged in the shape of a cross, with four linked up to a noticeably larger circle set at the center. At the heart of the mural was an ornate triangle where three altars rested, each placed at the points of the triangle.

        The amount of detail of the mural was staggering, and for Daisuke, Miyako, Iori, and V-mon, it was a beautiful work of art. For the Chosen who experienced the fateful August of 1999, eight of the more prominent symbols at the center of the fifteen smaller circles were the most important parts of the design. Each of Odaiba Eight’s crests had been set into the circles, with the other seven presumably belonging to the rest of the Chosen Children they were only now slowly gathering together.

        There seemed to be no pattern to the arrangement of the crests. All of them, save for Hikari’s, were like satellites orbiting a larger crest, one of which was the Crest of Light. That crest was placed near the east wall, which was made up almost entirely of stained-glass. Sunshine spilled in through slice of color arranged to look like a rainbow sun floating in a clear blue sky. The window on opposite wall to the west was a complementary counterpart, showing a dazzling darkened sky filled with stars and a crescent moon. Straight ahead, opposite of the entrance, was a depiction of the Digital World in a cloudy sky at twilight or dawn.

        Between each mural were arched hallways hidden in shadow, but the Chosen barely paid them any mind. They were so caught up in staring at their surroundings that they almost missed seeing Jijimon enter from one of the passageways.

        “Looks like ya made it,” Jijimon said. “Cold enough for ya?”

        Taichi shook his head slightly as he was snapped back to the present. “And then some,” he muttered as he rubbed his face to bring back warmth to his skin.

        “I know you have a point to sending us on these long walks,” Koshiro said in a tone that gave away how dubious he was about the idea. “But maybe next time you could warn us if we need to dress for warm or cold weather.”

        “That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?” Jijimon said as he tilted his head. “If the Digital World warned you before it threw random crap at you. Head’s up, here’s a blizzard! Just so you know, these bastards want to kill you! You want written notice or a giant blinkin’ sign in the sky? Shall we wipe yer butts for you while we’re at it?”

        Miyako eyed Jijimon, her expression deapan. “You’re a bundle of sunshine and rainbows aren’t you.”

        “Nope, fire and brimstone,” Jijimon said. “Wanna sniff?”

        “No!” Daisuke shouted as he cringed back, waving his arms defensively in front of him. “Never again!”

        Koshiro forced out an awkward chuckle and wondered if they should have left the doors open. “Let’s just get to the questions, okay, Jijimon?”

        “Nope,” Jijimon said, tapping his staff on the edge of the Crest of Light.

        Yamato cocked an eyebrow. “‘Nope?’”

        “When I say ‘everyone’, I mean _everyone_ ,” Jijimon said before he rapped his staff harder against the symbol at his feet and glared upward at the ceiling. “That includes _you_ , girlie.”

        Taichi blinked before his eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, that’s right! We need to let Hikari know she can gate in now.”

        Daisuke whipped out his D-Terminal. “Hang on, I’ll send Hikari-chan an ema–”

        A sudden flash of white appeared in front of the group. The lines of light wove itself into a grid that created the outline of two distinct shapes, one significantly larger than the other. Squares of color appeared over the grid lines, mostly composed of white. Like an image loading with increasingly defined resolution on a computer, the squares broke down into smaller ones that created a better definition of what the forms really looked like. Within seconds, the pixelization and light disappeared, leaving Hikari and Tailmon standing before the group.

        Daisuke nearly dropped his D-Terminal, his mouth hanging open. “Whoa…”

        Miyako readjusted her glasses, her eyes wide. “For once I agree with you, Motomiya.”

        “So that’s what we look like when we use the Digital Gate,” Koshiro muttered, fascinated by what had just transpired.

        Taichi was at Hikari’s side in an instant. “Are you feeling okay, Hikari?”

        Hikari nodded, smiling at her older brother. “Yes. I’m feeling much better today. You don’t have to worry about me.”

        “Right,” Taichi said, though his tone and frown proved that he was not quite ready to believe it.

        “Now that you’re _all_ here, I reckon we can get down to business,” Jijimon said as he tapped his staff on the ground.

        “Yes, that’s a fine idea,” said the voice of an old woman. Jijimon flinched at the sound as it echoed off the high ceiling of the temple.

        The quiet clunk of wood drew everyone’s attention to one of the hallways between the stained glass windows where a Digimon slowly approached them, using a broom as a walking stick to aid every step she took. Despite moving slowly, she carried herself with a quiet dignity that belayed her withered appearance.

        In some ways, the newcomer reminded the Chosen Children of Jijimon, at least on a superficial level. While her eyes were obscured by gray hair, the rest of her wrinkled gray face was exposed, her long hair neatly tied into a bun held in place by a band and an oversized gold and red pin. Her clothes consisted of a green cloak with a white and red trim over top a dress made of checkered blues and a gray and gold skirt. Around her neck was a necklace made of pink pearls with the Crest of Light painted in white on the largest pearl at the center.

        The sound of the broom striking the floor rang out the temple with an air of finality as the grandmotherly Digimon came to a halt not far from Jijimon. “Now that _all_ of us are _finally_ together, let’s have a nice long _chat_.”

        Jijimon grimaced before he rounded about, waving his staff towards the other Digimon. “You! I told you to stay out of this, you old bag!”

        The elderly female Digimon let out a scoff. “If you think I’m going to let you get away with sending me on a wild goose chase while you sneak off behind my back and help the Chosen Children without me, then you’ve got more wax in your ears than brains in your head.” She turned to the children and smiled. “Hello, Chosen Children. My name is Babamon. Don’t mind the old fart here.”

        Mimi looked between Babamon and Jijimon before her eyes suddenly widened in understanding. “Oh! I know who you are! You must be Jijimon’s wife, aren’t you?”

        “You bet she’s my wife,” Jijimon said gruffly, “so you lot keep yer hands to yerself!”

        “You’re very perceptive, young lady,” Babamon said with a wry smile. “You’re looking at the only Digimon in the world who can keep this knucklehead in line.”

        Sora smiled to the Digimon. Like Mimi, she also remembered the conversation at the previous temple. “Pleased to meet you.”

        Babamon took her dress in one hand and gave the group a small curtsy. “The pleasure is all mine.”

        Jijimon rounded on Babamon and slammed his staff against the ground. “You! Don’t you go gettin’ too pleasant with ‘em! The last thing they need is coddlin’!”

        Babamon’s demeanor switched from motherly to harsh in an instant as she directed her attention to Jijimon. “Better to be coddling than to run these children ragged between battles for your so-called training!”

        “Sure,” Jijimon said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Coddlin’ ‘em has done a _wonderful_ job so far, hasn’t it? It worked out _so well_ before.”

        Taichi blinked. “Before?”

        “You’re just pitching a fit because I didn’t fall for your tricks this time,” Babamon said waspishly before she turned back to the kids and spoke in a sweeter tone. “Now then, you children must have a lot of questions for us.”

        Hikari decided it was best not to comment on the Ultimate Digimon’s squabbling and nodded. “Yes. Do you know why our crests are on that mural?”

        “I was wondering about that too,” Koshiro said as his eyes scanned the expansive image stretched across the floor. “There’s more symbols on here that we don’t know, so they must be all fifteen crests, right?”

        Babamon nodded. “Yes, that’s very perceptive of you.”

        “Wouldn’t have to trick ya if you’d keep outta this, durn fool woman!” Jijimon said. He let out a snort as he turned his head away from the group. “As for the rest of ya, I’d say a better question would be why the hell _wouldn’t_ they be on the mural!”

        Babamon whirled towards Jijimon, brandishing her broom menacingly. “If you’ve got something to say to me, then go ahead and say it, you old codger. Don’t go snapping at these children!”

        “You go senile already! _?_ ” Jijimon shouted as he whirled to face Babamon. “‘Cuz I sure remember _already_ givin’ you an earful!” He shook his staff menacingly in her direction. “I won’t mind givin’ ya _another_ one!”

        Takeru looked at the two Digimon, feeling a growing sense of irritation and impatience at their behavior. He wanted answers, and their spat was not helping. Then again, it was distracting the group from focusing on whatever was wrong with his shoulder, which was the entire point of this trip, and he could not bring himself to be too disappointed about that. He found more interest in the giant mural and moved slowly away from the others to get a better look at the intricate designs around his feet.

        “Um…” Koshiro cleared his throat awkwardly. “Jijimon? Babamon?”

        Babamon’s mouth curled in displeasure. “Oh yeah? You think you can actually _take_ me this time?”

        “I can take you this time, that time, _any_ time!” Jijimon retorted as he shook his staff harder.

        “Hey!” Taichi shouted. “Time out, you guys!”

        Babamon pointed her broom at Jijimon. “Not even _you_ are stupid enough to start a fight _here_ of all places!”

        “Hah, don’t you worry none!” Jijimon said as he twirled his staff about. “My words are more than enough for you, you old harpy!”

        Mimi placed her hand on Taichi’s shoulder just as he stepped forward, preventing him from trying again to get the attention of the Ultimate Digimon. “It’s not a good idea to get involved when a married couple are having a spat.” She winked and held up a finger. “Trust me. Let’s wait until they sort things out.”

        Taichi blinked at Mimi then looked back at Babamon and Jijimon as they started going into a loud round of insults that would be perfectly at home on the kindergarten playground. “I guess…”

        Koshiro sighed, frustrated that they had to wait a little longer for answers. “I guess we could take a better look at this mural while we wait.” He pulled out his laptop and set to work scanning the floor.

        Jou adjusted his glasses as he looked down at the mural. “I wonder what all this writing is about…”

        Miyako frowned as she walked to the closest crest to her – the Crest of Courage. She frowned as she looked over the runes that surrounded it. “I knew I should’ve memorized what these characters mean,” she muttered under her breath.

        When Hikari looked to the sun mosaic, a strange sense of nostalgia washed over her. Slowly she made her way towards it, only to stop short in front of the Crest of Light. Unlike the symbol she used to wear round her neck, this depiction of her crest was painted white like a pearl, faintly reflecting rainbows where the light touched it. She knelt and lightly brushed her fingers along the smooth, polished floor. Strangely, she felt a brief pang of disappointment that nothing happened when she touched it.

        Takeru moved to Hikari’s side, watching her for a moment as she examined her crest, then turned his attention to the four other crests orbiting the Crest of Light. He only recognized two – Hope and Courage – while the other two were completely unfamiliar. One of the unknown crests looked to be a sword, while the other reminded him of a rosebud. A quiet hum rumbled at the back of his throat. “These crests must belong to Daisuke, Miyako, or Iori… or one of the other Chosen Children we haven’t met yet.”

        “That they do, kiddo.”

        Takeru jerked and whirled about to find Jijimon and Babamon standing directly behind him. He had not heard them approach, or noticed when they stopped fighting. The two seemed completely calm now, as though they had not been at each other’s throat only seconds before.

        Jijimon’s teeth barely appeared through his facial hair as he flashed Takeru a grin. “Over here in the Light, you got yourself Courage, Hope, Honor, an’ Kindness.”

        Miyako eyed the crest with the sword then glanced at Iori briefly before turning back to their guides. “Let me guess, this one’s Honor, right?”

        “Right you are, dear,” Babamon said with a smile.

        “Honor and… Kindness?” Takeru murmured as he looked over the new crests in a more critical light. “Who is–” He stopped then slowly looked over at Iori, his gaze focusing on the bokken at the other boy’s side. “…Honor. Definitely Honor.”

        Miyako flashed Takeru a crooked grin. “Kind of obvious there, isn’t it? I can’t think of anyone else who represents the spirit of honor better than Iori.”

        Iori blinked slowly as he noticed the attention focused on him, a look of surprise and wonder breaking his poker face, but only for a moment. “I… will take your word on it, though I dare say I’m not worthy of such praise.”

        Daisuke looked down at the Crest of Honor then moved to Hikari’s side, examining the symbol she was touching. “So I guess that one belongs to you, Hikari-chan?”

        Hikari nodded before rising to her feet. “Right. It’s the Crest of Light.”

        Daisuke folded his arms and let out a thoughtful hum. “It must be important ‘cause it’s bigger than the others and all.”

        “I wonder why they’re arranged like this,” Koshiro said as he eyed the lines that connected the Crest of Light to Courage, Honor, Hope, and Kindness.

        “Light is one of the three crests tied to the gods of the Digital World,” Babamon said, her voice sober. “Each one has four guardians to protect it, as you can see here.”

        Daisuke tried to be discreet as he looked at Hikari. “So that makes Hikari-chan like a princess and she’s got four knights to protect her?”

        Babamon chuckled. “You could put it that way.”

        “I call dibs on this one!” Daisuke said as he pointed at the Crest of Courage.

        Taichi stifled a snicker behind his hand. “Sorry, Daisuke, but Courage is mine.”

        Daisuke blinked then frowned. “Oh, er, okay, I’ll go with this one instead!” He moved to the Crest of Hope.

        Takeru couldn’t help but grin at Daisuke, as he could see where the conversation was going. “Sorry, but that would be mine, Hope.”

        Daisuke let out a displeased sound before he slid closer to Takeru, lowering his voice. “Any chance you’d mind trading?”

        Takeru chuckled. “I don’t think it works that way. We didn’t get to choose, the crests kind of chose _us_.”

        Daisuke’s frown deepened. “Wait, so… they’re alive like Digimon or something?”

        Koshiro rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think so, though Hikari’s crest and at least one other one are connected to entities that are like gods here… Though there’s not a lot we know about them yet.” He cast a hopeful look towards Babamon and Jijimon.

        “You influence yer crests far more than they influence you,” Jijimon said. “If ya don’t like yer crest, you got no one to blame but yerself.”

        Babamon sent an annoyed look Jijimon’s way, though it was hard to say for sure without seeing her eyes. “What lint-for-brains here means is that the crests, ultimately, are shaped by your hearts. You influence them, just as you influence the Digital World and even the gods themselves.”

        Hikari’s eyes widened slightly as Babamon turned her way. “Does… does that mean that the reason I can’t talk to Tenraimon anymore is…?”

        “No, no, child,” Babamon said soothingly. “That’s something outside of your control right now.”

        Dread coiled in Hikari’s stomach. “What do you mean? Did something happen to her?”

        Babamon gave Hikari a small smile. “Don’t worry about Tenraimon. She’ll talk to you again soon enough, I’m sure.”

        Jijimon slammed his staff on the ground, drawing the Chosen’s attention back to him. “Anyway, you done or somethin’? Just gonna ignore the rest of the mural?”

        Koshiro jerked slightly at the sound. “Oh, right. Do either of you know who these new crests belong to?”

        “Yep,” Jijimon said.

        Yamato waited a moment before it was clear the elder Digimon had finished talking. “Are you going to tell us?”

        “Nope,” Jijimon said with a shrug.

        Mimi furrowed her brow. “I thought you said you were going to give us answers once we got here.”

        Miyako held up her hand. “No, wait, let me guess. You want us to work through the problem ourselves first before you’ll tell us if we’re right or not.”

        “I’m afraid the situation is a bit complicated at the moment,” Babamon said slowly, clearly choosing her words with great care. “It would be best if we not focus on the other Chosen Children outside of your group right now.”

        Taichi blinked. “Complicated?”

        “We said we would answer yer questions,” Jijimon said, “but we didn’t say we were gonna answer _all_ of ‘em.” He let out a snort before he eyed Miyako. “There’s a good reason not to tell you yer crests, the same reason Gennai didn’t tell you before – people don’t like being told who they are, especially when they don’t realize it themselves. It makes ‘em feel pressured an’ uncomfortable.” He then turned pointedly in Sora’s direction. “And they might panic an’ do stupid things.”

        Sora inwardly cringed as she curled her fingers around the edges of Yamato’s jacket. She still remembered vividly how she reacted when she learned that she was the Chosen of Love, how badly she reacted. She had completely rejected the crest, as she had believed herself incapable of love, and in turn had caused her friends a lot of trouble that could have gotten any one of them killed.

        “So you’re just gonna let us guess, huh?” Taichi said before eyeing the crests. “Okay, then I guess Kindness must belong to a girl. I mean, it’s a flower and it’s _Kindness_ so it’s gotta be.”

        Jijimon made a choked noise as hunched forward before coughing in to his hand. “O-oh? That so?”

        “That probably means it belongs to Miyako,” Jou said as he adjusted his glasses. “Or maybe that other girl… Keiko wasn’t it?”

        Jijimon practically doubled over as he choked, covering his mouth with his hand as he tried to stifle the sounds coming out of him. “Pffffhhhhhfhhhhh…!”

        Babamon shoved her broom in front of Jijimon’s face, silencing him. “Shush you.”

        “Gotta be Keiko,” Daisuke said. “No way it fits Inoe.”

        Miyako shot Daisuke a withering look. “Oh, so fixing Guardromon and racing down flights of stairs to see if you were okay after a bucket fell on your head _wasn’t_ kind enough for you? What, do I need to start giving out free foot rubs too?”

        Daisuke scoffed. “You were the one who said it was a waste of time coming down to check on me over ‘nothing.’”

        “I was ready to call an ambulance!” Miyako snapped. “Do you know how much trouble you would’ve been in for a false alarm like that with a reputation like yours?”

        Daisuke returned the glare Miyako shot his way. “Like you were thinking about that.”

        Hikari turned a worried gaze Daisuke’s way. “What was that about a bucket?”

        Daisuke smiled sheepishly as he held up his hands. “It’s nothing, Hikari-chan. Don’t worry about it.”

        Miyako huffed. “Oh, so _now_ it’s ‘nothing’ when it involves Yagami, is it?”

        Daisuke whirled towards Miyako. “Hey! You were the one who said it was ‘nothing’ first!”

        “That’s enough!” Mimi shouted as she moved between Daisuke and Miyako. “No fighting, _please_!”

        Takeru shook his head and thought wryly of the scuffles Taichi and Yamato went through and felt thankful that Daisuke and Miyako were not going so far as trading blows… yet. “Come on, you two, we can worry about who’s what after we find out about the other crests.”

        Daisuke and Miyako let out irritated breaths and looked away from each other, arms folded in perfect unison.

        Takeru waited until he was sure that the pair weren’t about to snipe at each other again before headed over to the next area of the mural closest to the stained glass window depicting a planet. “There’s five more that we don’t know.”

        “That’s right,” Koshiro said quickly as he joined Takeru, eager to avoid another argument. “What about these two over here? The one in the middle that’s connected to mine, Jou’s, and Mimi’s must belong to another god, right?”

        “That would be Miracles,” Babamon said as she swept her broom towards the large, complicated symbol. “The one beneath it is Tenacity.”

        “I think Tenacity might be yours, Daisuke,” Hikari said with a smile.

        Daisuke blinked and stared down at the symbol in question, which looked like a stylized diamond. “You think so?”

        Hikari nodded. “Once you set a goal for yourself, you don’t let anything stop you, no matter how difficult the obstacle.”

        A splash of red colored Daisuke’s cheeks. “W-well… if Hikari-chan says so, then it must be true.”

        “Tenacity… that’s… that’s good, right?” V-mon asked as he glanced between Daisuke and Hikari. She was his partner’s friend, so he knew she wouldn’t say anything bad about Daisuke. Still, it wasn’t a word he was familiar with.

        Hikari smiled at V-mon. “Very good. It means he’ll never give up on anything he sets his mind to until he succeeds.”

        V-mon nodded slowly before breaking out into a big smile. “Right! Daisuke’s the best! Daisuke always wins no matter what!”

        Daisuke’s blush deepened as he looked down at his crest and muttered an almost unintelligible word of thanks.

        Taichi examined the Crest of Miracles with a critical eye. Unlike the rest of the crests, Miracles was not clearly recognizable, seemingly favoring a more abstract design. At the center there was something resembling an ‘M’ with odd angles and ends pointing inward. A triangle pointed away from each end of the ‘M’ with two diamonds placed above and below it. He slowly circled the crest, looking at it from all angles. “So what’s this supposed to be, anyway? A dinosaur footprint?”

        Mimi moved to Taichi’s side. “I think it looks like a crown. See, it looks pointed at the top if you look at it from this angle.”

        Hikari squinted a bit. “Maybe it’s supposed to be an arrow… just a really complicated one.”

        “All of ‘em sound about right,” Jijimon said with a sniff. “Especially if you know the DigiGod in question.”

        “So this one’s also linked to a deity?” Takeru asked. “Who is he?”

        Jijimon hesitated as he tapped his staff on the ground for a few seconds before letting out a grunt. “It _was_ Huanglongmon.”

        Hikari’s head shot up. “Huanglongmon?”

        Koshiro blinked. “What do you mean _was_?”

        Babamon clucked her tongue before she shook her head. “I’m afraid that Huanglongmon was lost to a terrible evil that came long, long before any of you Chosen Children were even born.”

        “Lost?” Mimi whispered with a growing sense of dread. “You mean…?”

        “What happened to him?” Taichi asked.

        “He was tortured to death,” Jijimon said, his voice gruff. “Or rather, tortured to the point that he decided death was the better option.”

        Takeru grimaced, his stomach churning. “But… wouldn’t he have been reborn…?”

        Jijimon stood tensely, his head slightly bowed. “Unlike Digimon, the Digital Gods are not designed to die – their very existence keeps our world running. You could say that they are the _programs_ that allow _us_ to continue functioning. And we found out a bit late the consequences of his actions, though no one can really fault his choice.”

        “Wait!” Koshiro said. “So if one of the DigiGods is dead, what does that mean for the Digital World?”

        “Don’t start panicking now,” Babamon said soothingly. “The death of Huanglongmon was a terrible tragedy and nearly destroyed our world, true, but the remaining two DigiGods managed to shoulder his duties and are maintaining the balance of the Digital World on their own.”

        “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Huanglongmon ph’n’ghft wgah’nagl fhtagn,” Hikari muttered under her breath.

        Babamon turned towards Hikari, but before she could say anything, Jijimon slammed the end of his staff against the floor.

        “Actions were taken,” Jijimon said, a bit too loudly, “things were done, sacrifices were made. Whether it all paid off still remains to be seen.” He pointed his staff towards the children. “But the fact that the Digital World’s still here means _something_ must be working, eh?” He smiled broadly enough that the whites of his teeth flashed through the busy whiskers on his face. “I guess you could say a _Miracle_ happened an’ leave it at that. So why don’t we keep goin’ to the rest of the mural?”

        " _Or_ we can stop it with all this crap and get to the _point_!" Yamato snapped as he clenched his fists, glancing about at the other Chosen before he returned his attention to Takeru - in particular, his shoulder. While he had curious about the mural and their crests, the longer the conversation went, the more he began to feel like it was distracting them from the entire point of their trip to the Digital World. As a result, everyone had gone off on complete tangents and the Chosen of Friendship found himself growing increasingly frustrated. "Enough already!"

        The Chosen of Friendship's outburst caused the other Chosen to turn and stare at him in confusion, to see Yamato's livid face as he looked at the other children before focusing his attention on Jijimon. "Who cares about the murals, our crests, or any of this crap? What about the reason we actually came here for! _?_ "

        Takeru scowled, his jaw clenching. He had been perfectly happy to talk about everything else, _anything_ other than his shoulder. "How many times do I-"

        Yamato made a sweeping gesture with his hand, pointing to Takeru. "What's wrong with him! _?_ That's why you called us here, isn't it! _?_ "

        The Chosen of Hope's scowl deepened. " _Nothing_ is 'wrong' with me!"

        "Calm down, kiddo," Jijimon said as he tapped his staff on the ground. "I get why yer concerned, but he's just tainted, not dying."

        Yamato paused at that. "Tainted?"

        "That's what we call it," Jijimon said. "Whenever you touch the Dark Ocean, it leaves a mark, a _taint_ ," The Ultimate paused before he eyed Takeru. "Though in this case, I reckon it up and touched _you_ , not the other way around."

        "I was _ambushed_ ," Takeru said stiffly. "I didn't _touch_ -" The Chosen of Hope paused, as the words 'Dark Ocean' echoed in his mind and immediately brought with it the memory of the dark world he had found himself in. His first thought was naturally of the girl he had met there, but he vaguely remembered there also being a body of water - an ocean. The whole thing felt vague and fuzzy like a dream, with the girl being the only solid memory he had of the place. Still, the sound of waves felt familiar, and even at that moment he could almost hear them echoing in his head. "...Dark Ocean?"

        "But Takeru didn't touch any water," Patamon said as he hovered over his Chosen. "It was this weird, gooey creature."

        "A weird, gooey creature that was born of the Dark Ocean," Jijimon said. "Or made out of it, if you wanna get all _technical_ about it."

        "Made out of the... as in made out of _water_?" Takeru asked, as he furrowed his brow. It reminded him of the sound of water they heard inside the wall, before the creature fell on top of him.

        "What, you never made ice before?" Jijimon asked as he tilted his head. "Movin', screamin', psychotic ice?"

        "Who cares what it's _made_ out of?" Yamato asked with a wide gesture of his hands, prompting his brother to glance over him with an irritable expression. "I want to know what it's doing to Takeru and how we fix it!"

        "Oh, it's doing what you'd expect being touched by the semi-physical form of _death_ , _despair_ , and _insanity_ would do," Jijimon said, with a shrug. "Makes him _real_ grouchy."

        "I am _not_ grouchy!" Takeru snapped, his expression darkening as he clenched his fists. "I'm _sick_ of everyone _nagging_ me and _blowing me off_!"

        "We're worried about you, _I'm_ worried about you!" Yamato shot back, turning to face his little brother. "You're not acting like yourself-"

        "How would you even know?!" Takeru demanded, the words coming out in a rush as a swelling of darkness formed in the pit of his stomach. "You ditched _me_ for over _half_ my life-" The Chosen of Hope immediately stopped, his eyes widening as realization of what he said dawned on him. Likewise, the stricken look on Yamato's face confirmed that he truly _had_ said the words, and he didn't just imagine it. Takeru hesitated, then looked down at the ground, his jaw clenching.

        "Don't take it personally, he can't help it," Jijimon said as he approached Yamato, his voice soothing. When Takeru lifted his head to glare at the Ultimate, Jijimon met the look with a steel one of his own. "Don't give me that look! It's the truth and you know it! I know damn well what's goin' on in that head of yours, far better than _you_ do! I know for a fact that you didn't mean to say that, so don't even try to pull that crap on me!" When the Chosen of Hope averted his gaze, Jijimon turned back to Yamato, who seemed to be trembling slightly. "Listen, kiddo. You of _all_ people should know what he's going through right now. It happened to _you_ before, and Love over there."

        Yamato paused at that before his eyes widened, the Chosen of Friendship meeting the Ultimate's gaze. "What-?"

        "What happened in that cave was between you two and your crests, so I won't go in to that. I'm not in the business of airin' dirty laundry," Jijimon said as he patted Yamato's shoulder. "Besides, this is about your brother, not you. Am I right?"

        "What are you-," Yamato began before his eyebrows shot straight up. The mention of Sora and himself in the cave triggered the memory, and at once he remembered back during his first adventure, when he found himself being consumed by his own thoughts - his inner darkness. Thanks to Gabumon, he had managed to escape from the trap he had found himself in - it marked the end of his fight with Taichi and their reunion just before the fight against Piemon. Yamato's eyes immediately went to Sora, who had a similar expression of shock as she too remembered the incident. She had also been in the cave, succumbing to her own dark emotions that she managed to escape with the help of Jou, Yamato, and their Digimon. "How do you know about that! _?_ "

        "I know a lot of things," Jijimon said, with a flash of his white teeth. "You could say it's my _duty_ to know, an' to give out advice as needed... or confuse the hell outta ya, whatever serves the purpose at the time."

        Takeru eyed the Digimon suspiciously before he turned to his brother, frowning. He had no idea what his brother was talking about, which only served to annoy him even more. It seemed his brother was keeping _another_ secret from him. "What-"

        "Anyway!" Jijimon said as he slammed his staff on the ground. "Your brother's goin' through something similar to that. Except, instead of bein' his own inherent darkness makin' a mess of his thinking, it's the darkness of thousands of souls... trapped in their own misery. Now, tell me, kid. When you got all the anger, resentment, fear, despair, and paranoia of that many pissed off poltergeists comin' to roost in yer head... what do _you_ think that'll do to you, eh?"

        Yamato's eyes widened as his skin went pale. "Y-you're saying..."

        "Wait, wait, wait!" Takeru raised his hands as he stormed over to the Ultimate. "Are you saying I'm _possessed_! _?_ "

        "They'd _like_ that, wouldn't they?" Jijimon said with a snort as he turned to face Takeru. "They'd love nothin' more than to drag one of the Lights right in to hell with 'em. They've been tryin' for years, an' it's no wonder they'd try to increase the eggs in their basket to improve their chances," At Takeru's confused expression, the Ultimate chuckled. "I'm sayin' that all that dark emotion has to go somewhere, and what better place than right in to your head? Molehills become mountains, and soon it feels everyone hates you and nothin's fair, yer totally alone with no one that even cares you exist, and it's just a pain in the ass to even be alive, so why not just kill _yourself_ an' be done with it... an' join them, eh?"

        Jijimon's words brought an immediate, intense reaction from the Chosen. Yamato instantly moved to Takeru's side as he barked out a protest, grabbing the stunned Chosen of Hope's arm in a vice.

        The other Chosen had similar reactions, shouting out all at once in both concern and protest at what the Digimon had said. Their words flew out in a flurry around Takeru, leaving him feeling dazed and disoriented as he stood silently in place.

        Once the Chosen had all reacted and the chaos simmered down, Jijimon simply offered Takeru a gentle smile. "You'll be fine. I think ya got enough people to support you, no matter how _grouchy_ you get."

        Takeru hesitated before he nodded numbly.

        Sora trembled as she clutched her hands together and held them against her chest. "Why... why would they want that! _?_ "

        Jijimon turned to Sora, tapping his staff. "Because Hope is Light, just like Courage, Honor, and Kindness. And each of them are the next best thing, next to Light herself." While no one could see his eyes, there was a definite impression that the Ultimate was eying Hikari. "And Light is _life_. They seem to think that if they get their hands on _Light_ , they can live again."

        "...And they can't?" Sora asked, her voice softening.

        Babamon shook her head. "...No. They can't live again if they can't properly die to start with."

        "I don't understand," Koshiro said, hesitantly. "What do you mean by that?"

        "Apocalymon came from the Dark Ocean," Babamon said. "Do you recall what he said? He was a conglomeration of all the Digimon who died during evolution... an unnatural death."

        "Digimon can and _do_ glitch. It's part of what sucks about bein' made of data," Jijimon said as he picked at his ear with his pinkie. "Sometimes our bodies can work it out, other times... well, sucks to be you, y'know? It's why we need to be able to die... it purifies our data, removes glitches, and allows us to keep existing. It's like defragging a computer in your world. And when we can't do that... bad things happen," The Ultimate paused before his voice dropped low. "Very, very bad things."

        "Obviously, no one likes to die." Babamon said.

        "It's a pain in the ass, literally!" Jijimon added, raising his staff upwards.

        Babamon shot her husband a look through her bangs. "...But it's an important part of our existence. As we get older, our data becomes more fragmented and we age - just like humans. Unlike humans, death is transient. We die, then our data is repaired, and we live again... fresh and new, and ready for another chance."

        "Exactly!" Jijimon slammed his staff on the ground before he pointed it at the other Digimon. "I mean, look at her! You think she always looked like a shriveled old crone! _?_ Once she kicks the bucket and gets reborn, it'll be Babe City all over again!"

        Babamon whirled, lifting her broom to point it at her husband, as if it were a sword. "But you'll still be a stinky old ass, so stuff it!"

        "Come and get it, hotstuff!" Jijimon snapped, shaking his staff at her.

        Takeru struggled to get his emotions under control as he processed what he had just heard, and what had just happened. It felt like a lot to take in, too surreal, but he imagined that was normal for the Digital World. "So you're saying that... the dead Digimon trapped in the Dark Ocean are trying to come back to life and think that _I_ can help them do that, so they're trying to... kill me? Or make me kill myself?"

        "Or mentally break you," Jijimon said, as both Ultimates lowered their weapons again. "Whichever comes first!"

        "That's not going to happen!" Yamato growled as he tightened his grip on his brother, as if he were literally holding the Chosen of Hope in the realm of the living. Takeru glanced at his brother but said nothing, though his arm quivered slightly in Yamato's grip. "I won't let it happen!"

        "Good, 'cuz yer gonna be a major factor in this battle," Jijimon said. "At least until we can get him cured."

        "But he _can_ be cured?" Miyako asked, crossing her arms.

        "Yes, though it will take some time," Babamon said, as she shook her head. "But let _us_ deal with that. We'll do what we can, so you should do the same... and keep being a support for Takeru when he needs it."

        "We'll talk to 'im, see if we can get 'im to spare any energy to heal ya," Jijimon said. "Though after Factory Town, he may not have anythin' available... at least not for a while yet."

        "'Him'?" Takeru asked. "Who's 'him'-?" The rest of Takeru's sentence was lost as the air distorted around him and most of the other Chosen Children, specifically centered on their clothes. What they wore degraded to large blocks of color then changed before gaining resolution and transforming into brand new outfits. It happened in a matter of seconds, transforming his casual clothes into the leather outfit he wore last time they came to the Digital World.

        Once Takeru got over the initial disorientation of the change, he looked to his shoulder, searching for the hole that had been there last time. To his surprise, bright strips of yellow with the words “KEEP OUT” repeating in black block caps crisscrossed the place where the hole used to be, like police tape marking off the border of a crime scene.

        Koshiro jerked in surprise at the transformation. “What the…?”

        “The hell?” Yamato muttered after seeing Takeru’s sudden change in attire. He glanced down at himself, only to feel a pang of disappointment at seeing only his ordinary school uniform, minus his jacket, completely unaltered. “My clothes didn’t change.”

        “Same here,” Taichi said, as his school uniform was also similarly intact.

        Sora stared at Takeru and the others who had their clothes altered, such as Hikari and Iori, before taking the time to look herself over. At first, she was certain that her school uniform hadn’t changed either, when she noticed something amiss, and it wasn’t just the fact that Yamato’s jacket had disappeared. She hesitated for a moment before lifting her skirt just enough to see that she was now wearing shorts, and not just any shorts but shorts identical to those from her old soccer uniform. “W-what?”

         “Awesome!” Daisuke shouted as he tugged lightly on his flame print jacket. “I’m back in my–”

        A loud feminine shriek shaped like a very unladylike curse cut Daisuke off and turned his attention to Miyako. Her clothes were not the frilly sailor-inspired dress with heels and jewelry that she appeared in during their previous mission, but what she wore now was no less striking. The new outfit left not a hair or inch of skin visible, as she was covered in a lavender bodysuit marked with strange black and white designs, with matching boots and gloves. Viciously, she yanked at an oversized helmet adorned with outlandish designs and a large black visor that completely hid her face. If it wasn’t for her angry shouting, she would have been completely unrecognizable. “What the _Hell!_ ”

        Daisuke stared at Miyako for a full ten seconds before he let out a deep belly laugh. “Hey, it’s the Class Rep Ranger!”

        “Really funny, Motomiya!” Miyako practically snarled, her voice sounding strangely distorted through the helmet. “If you’re done making fun, you can make yourself _useful_ and help me get this off!”

        Iori, who had been standing dutifully beside Miyako, was quick to assist his friend, although it was clear that he was struggling to keep a straight face. His outfit had also changed, though it was back to the samurai outfit from the previous day. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no clasps to the helmet, and it was molded to end at her neck, preventing it from being pulled off. “Are you all right?”

        Miyako shot Iori a warning look when she caught his expression before she glared daggers at Daisuke and anyone else who dared to throw even a snicker in her direction. Unfortunately, the effect was lost behind the black visor. “I _was_ fine until the Digital World decided to turn me into a dress up doll. _Again!_ ”

        Palmon frowned as she looked at the other Chosen, then up at Mimi. “Your outfit didn’t change, either, Mimi…”

        Mimi looked down at her clothes and let out a disappointed noise that was nearly a whine. “Again?”

        “Neither did Koshiro’s.” Tentomon said as he hovered near his partner.

        Koshiro frowned as he looked over his clothes. “That’s really strange. They changed before, but now they’re not. I wonder why that is…”

        “That’s… weird,” Takeru said as he looked at his shoulder, then glanced around. “Why did the outfits change for some people, and not others?”

        Miyako let out a grumble laced with colorful language.

        “It happened so suddenly, too,” Sora muttered as she straightened out the hem of her school uniform.

        Taichi tugged at his goggles, which were identical to the ones on Daisuke’s head. “Huh.” He looked Sora over and blinked. “Wait, weren’t you wearing a dress last time?”

        Sora nodded as she fidgeted with the hem of her uniform. “It completely changed my clothes last time. This time… it just gave me my old soccer shorts – though they’re big enough to fit now.”

        “It’d be nice to know why this keeps happening,” Yamato muttered, then eyed his own outfit. “Or doesn’t happen.”

        A strangled cry drew immediate attention to Jou, who was flailing about in a panic, fistfuls of fabric clenched tightly in his shaking hands. It seemed as though his school uniform had aged a century, the cloth frayed at the edges with countless holds everywhere, half covered with mismatched patches with badly done stitching. When the cloth started to tear in his grasp, he let it go, trembling all over as a sheen of sweat began to glisten on his skin. “N-no, no, no, no, _no_! What-what-what… _what happened to my uniform?_!”

        Mimi gasped, but quickly hid her stunned reaction behind a thin smile, as inside she cringed at the damage to Jou’s uniform. “It’s okay, Jou,” Mimi said, trying her best to sound soothing and mostly succeeding. “It’s not that bad. You can just uh… um…” She trailed off awkwardly.

        Jou whipped his head about to look at the others, desperation in his eyes. “W-what am I going to do? Is this permanent _?_!” He looked back down at himself and let out a high-pitched sound that was almost a cry. “I-I can’t go to school like this!”

        “Calm down, Jou,” Koshiro said as he approached his friend. “Don’t worry. Our clothes will turn back to normal the minute we return to the real world.”

        Jou tried to calm his rapid breathing as he looked at Koshiro, a faint hint of fog at the bottom of the lenses of his glasses. “A-are you sure?”

        “Oh, I know!” Mimi said before removing Taichi’s jacket from around her waist. “You can wear this for a while!”

        Jou hesitated staring at the jacket as though expecting it to turn into ashes if he touched it. With a shaky hand, he took the offered jacket and weakly smiled at Mimi, trying not to look as though he was choking back a scream. “T-thank you…”

        “Don’t worry about it,” Mimi said brightly. “Just remember to give it back to Taichi when we get back home.”

        Iori looked around at the others, fighting hard to keep a firm grip on the laughter that tried to escape him every time he looked at Miyako. “I take it that this is not normal for the Digital World?”

        Jijimon let out a loud snort as he rapped his staff against the floor. “Who the hell decides what’s normal? I sure didn’t vote for no one.”

        “Not that you’re one to talk about normal,” Babamon said.

        “Back at cha, you old biddy, “ Jijimon said. “I think only Miss Digital Ranger over there has any business bitchin’ anyway.”

        Miyako put her hands on her hips. “You’re darn right!”

        “This is very strange,” Koshiro said. “Usually this phenomenon happens as soon as we appear in the Digital World. I assumed it had something to do with the transition, but why would it happen after we’ve been here for a while?” He turned to Jijimon and Babamon. “Do either of you have any ideas?”

        “It’s that cosplay fetishist Digimon Kaiser,” Miyako said snidely. “He made a program that can change our clothes to whatever he wants. Honestly, I’m surprised he didn’t put us all in cheesecake outfits like he did to me last time.”

        “The Kaiser Kiddo already explained to you why it’s happening. The fact that you don’t like the answer doesn’t mean it ain't true,” Jijimon said. “If he could control what you were wearing, you bet your ass Light over there wouldn’t be wearing that dress.”

        Taichi blinked. “Huh?” He looked Hikari over, who was back in the white dress. “What do you mean? It looks okay to me.”

        Hikari only briefly looked up before returning her gaze to her attire. The dress felt ominous somehow, and memories of her dream and the dark girl made her feel uneasy. She looked at some of the patterns faintly stitched to the dress and realized they were similar to some of the glyphs in the mural. She focused briefly on the Crest of Light before removing her hairclip and verifying what she already knew – it was the same symbol. Slowly, she scanned the mural, until she found a crest that matched the hairclip the dark girl wore.

        It seemed obvious to Hikari that the crest she was looking for was the large one close to the window depicting a night sky. The symbol was made up of multiple crescent moons and a small circle, arranged so that the negative space in-between were shaped like crescents as well. Friendship and Love were connected to this crest, as well as two new ones shaped like a comet and a flame respectively.

        “There’s no denying it,” Jijimon’s voice came from near Hikari, causing her to jump slightly and turn to see that the Ultimate was right beside her. He wasn’t looking at her, but instead at the crests on the floor. His voice was soft, as if he were speaking only to the Chosen of Light. “If he had any say in what you wore, that outfit would be the _last_ thing he’d allow you to wear.”

        “Do you know something?” Takeru asked as he approached the Ultimate and Hikari. “You do, don’t you?”

        Jijimon paused, then tapped his staff on the ground before he pointed towards the smaller crests each in turn. “An’ over here, we got Friendship, Love,” he gestured to the comet, “Pride,” his staff pointed at the flame, “an’ Passion.”

        Taichi frowned. “Hey, you skipped one.”

        Jijimon paused at that, then let out a low cough. “Is that so.”

        Daisuke looked at the unnamed crest and cocked his head. “So, what’s this, the Crest of Night or something?”

        The pieces clicked in place, and Hikari knew exactly what the symbols meant. “It’s the Crest of D–”

        “That would be the Crest of _Darkness_.” a voice echoed through the temple, familiar in all its haughtiness. The other Chosen whirled about to see the Digimon Kaiser standing in the doorway to the temple, with Witchmon and FlaWizarmon to either side of him. He smirked at the other Chosen, idly toying with his whip. “Not that it’s any of _your_ business.”

        “You!” Yamato growled as he clenched his fists, glaring at the younger boy. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, showing your face!”

        “I could say the same to you,” the Digimon Kaiser said, his lips curling in to a sneer. “You really can’t take a hint, can you? I would think that the whole ordeal at Factory Town would’ve made it _abundantly_ clear that you are in over your heads and that you’d best get out now before you _drown_. But I suppose there’s no helping _stupidity_.”

        “If you think you can scare us, you’re wrong,” Takeru said as he crossed his arms. “We’ve faced far worse than a brat in a leotard.”

        “Big words from someone who needed a Digital God to save you,” the Digimon Kaiser said with a snort. “I’m surprised you didn’t wet yourself.”

        Daisuke grabbed his Digivice, readying himself for battle. “What the heck are you doing here! _?_ ”

        “How did you find us out here?” Koshiro asked, alarmed.

        Witchmon let out a soft 'tsk' and wagged her finger. “You’re not the only one with friends with connections, clever boy.”

        “Yo, Baba, Jiji,” FlaWizarmon said as he saluted at the two Ultimates, pressing two fingers to his forehead before flicking them outward. “Lookin’ good!”

        “Damn right I do!” Jijimon said before he pointed his staff past the Chosen at the newly arrived Digimon. His voice sounded rough, though there was obvious amusement hidden among the gruffness. “So keep yer eyes off my wife, ya philanderer!”

        FlaWizarmon laughed as he crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. “ _Philanderer_? Me? Jiji, I’m hurt~!”

        Witchmon flew in, covering her mouth with one of her large hands with a giggle. “Don’t be silly. FlaWizarmon would _never_ think of breaking up the Digital World’s cutest couple.”

        “I hope this is a _peaceful_ visit,” Babamon said. “It’d be a shame to start a fight in here.”

        “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Witchmon said, flashing her teeth in an overly wide smile.

        The Digimon Kaiser glanced over to Jijimon and Babamon, his mouth turning in to a thin line before he returned his attention to the Chosen. “You really _are_ an idiot if you think I don’t know where you are at all times.”

        “But how…?” Koshiro’s voice trailed off, his eyes widening in realization. “A Digital Gate!”

        The Digimon Kaiser gave Koshiro a flat look. “You’re supposed to be the Chosen of Knowledge, and yet it never dawned on you that I could track Digital Gates?”

        The realization was like a lead weight resting at the bottom of Koshiro’s stomach. “Track our… You can’t mean that you…”

        Daisuke gawked at the tyrant. “You mean while Senpai and the others were watching us through the Digital Gates, you were watching us with them too?”

        Miyako huffed. “He said _track_ , not _use_. He must have a program to tell him where and when we’re coming into the Digital World.” She turned to Hikari. “And we led him right to us.”

        Hikari cringed, horrified by the idea that she was the reason the Digimon Kaiser had found the temple.

        The Digimon Kaiser arched an eyebrow before he lifted a hand, first holding up one finger. “One, I did indeed say _tracking_. Ever since you _insects_ kept coming _back_ , I made it a point to know where you’ve been and when, so I know about every excursion you have _ever_ done.” Another finger came up. “Two, this temple is no _secret_. I knew about it before any of _you_ did.” He lifted a third finger. “Three, I don’t ‘need a program’ to do it. All I have to do is read the Digital World’s log of all gating activity and it lists it _right there_. It’s not complicated, _certainly_ not for a _genius_ , and even your supposed _Chosen of Knowledge_ should have been able to do it if he had even _half_ the brain cells that his _crest_ would _suggest_ ,” A fourth finger came up as he turned to Daisuke, a broad smile on his face. “Four, thank you for the _lovely_ idea. I should’ve thought of it earlier, so I could’ve seen their faces at my monster instead of just blocking them out entirely.”

         “Nice going, Motomiya,” Miyako muttered.

        “But that’s…” Koshiro faltered, wanting to say that what the Digimon Kaiser claimed was impossible, but he knew that it was. If he could do it, then so could the boy who could crack the Digital World’s code better than him.

        Taichi scowled and stepped forward. “Just what was that monster anyway?”

        “And what did it do to Takeru?” Yamato asked.

        Takeru bristled, shooting Yamato a glare. “I _told_ you–”

        “I don’t recall saying that was any of your business,” the Digimon Kaiser said, crossing his arms. “ _Nor_ do I recall inviting you back in to the Digital World for this little excursion – especially not with all this _dead weight_.”

        Taichi’s expression contorted with confusion. “Dead weight?”

        “That’s what you are, isn’t it?” The Digimon Kaiser asked, as his smile widened. “ _Dead weight_. An _anchor_ around your dear younger sibling’s _neck_.”

        The insinuation was like a stab to Taichi and he glared daggers into the Digimon Kaiser, his hands curling into fists. “You have a lot of nerve saying that when you’re the one who stole Agumon and the others from us!”

        “Damn right!” Yamato snapped as he clenched a fist. “You’re seriously asking for it!”

        “How can you say… how can you _do_ such things?” Sora asked as she gripped her Digivice.

        “Where’s Gomamon?” Jou stepped forward, more panicked than aggressive. “G-give him back!”

        “It’s your own fault,” the Digimon Kaiser said. “You’re the ones who threw them away. You’re supposed to be the veterans, the _senpai_ that us younger children look up to. There’s no excuse for what you did, for not _thinking_ and leaving your Digimon in an enemy world without any means of protecting themselves. Be thankful _I_ found them and not _someone else_ ,” The young man snorted as he tapped his whip against his arm. “They’re _alive_ , which is more than you deserve to know.”

        "Don't give me that garbage!" Yamato snarled, his hands clenching tightly in to fists. While the Kaiser was saying something he too had thought many times, he wasn't about to accept the words from the tyrant. He of all people had no right to say such things. “How were we supposed to know–”

        “ _How were they supposed to evolve without you there?_!” the Digimon Kaiser demanded, his expression fierce as he lashed his whip on the floor, though it caused no damage to the mural. He rushed forward to Yamato and slammed the hilt of his whip in the other boy’s chest, causing the Chosen of Friendship to jerk back. “Have they _ever_ evolved without you near before _?_!”

        The Chosen of Friendship flinched, stunned both by the Kaiser’s question and the way he asked it. He stepped back slightly. “I… that’s…”

        “You’re supposed to take care of them! What were they supposed to do! _?_ ” the Digimon Kaiser continued as he jabbed Yamato in the chest with his whip, following the older boy step by step. “ _What the hell were they supposed to do without you?_!”

        Yamato opened his mouth and then closed it, staring in bewilderment at the explosion of outrage on the Digimon Kaiser’s face. He could faintly see the other boy’s dark eyes through the goggles, boring in to his own in accusation. The Chosen of Friendship grimaced, then looked away.

        A heavy silence settled into the temple, broken only by the Digimon Kaiser’s heavy breathing as he glared murderously at the gathered Chosen Children.

        Haltingly, Hikari took a step forward towards the tyrant. “What happened to you?”

        The Digimon Kaiser whirled about to face Hikari, his entire body rigid. His breathing was still rough, his eyes a bit wild as he gripped his whip tightly and snapped it between his hands, the piercing sound emphasizing each snap. He stared hard at Hikari, then turned sharply on his heels, storming away from the Chosen back towards the entrance. “Nothing happened! Not a _damn_ thing!”

        Takeru stepped forward, gesturing towards his brother with a wave of his hand. “You seriously expect us to believe–”

        “I didn’t come here for _this_!” the Digimon Kaiser barked, snapping his whip down against the floor. Once again, the attack did nothing to the mural, which remained unharmed.

        Taichi stepped between Hikari and the Digimon Kaiser, wary of the whip. “So why _did_ you come here?”

        Daisuke raised his fist in the air, his hand clutching his Digivice. “If you’re looking for a fight, you’ve got it.”

        Babamon rapped her broom sharply against the floor, the sound ringing through the temple. “Enough.” Though the volume of her voice never rose, the authority she held commanded the others’ attention. “There will be no fighting today. Not here.”

        “Oh, don’t mind K-chan,” Witchmon said, flashing a wide smile. “He’s just a little upset that the other children keep making so many mistakes. You know what a sweetie he is, always thinking of others.”

        Miyako made a sound that was somewhere between a scoff and laughter. “Oh _please_.”

        FlaWizarmon moved to place himself between the Chosen and the Digimon Kaiser, leaning over to obscure the boy’s face. The sound of the Digimon’s voice could barely be heard, far too quiet to make out any actual words. The Digimon Kaiser himself gave no verbal response, standing rigidly as he fiddled with his whip. After a moment, FlaWizarmon stepped back and the Digimon Kaiser regarded the Chosen Children, composed once more.

        “...I came to make sure that you _two_ don’t do anything _stupid_ ,” the Digimon Kaiser said, as he looked pointedly to Jijimon and Babamon.

        “Too late,” Babamon chuckled. “This lunkhead of mine did at least a dozen stupid things before breakfast alone.”

        “The only stupid thing I did was not lockin’ you in the dungeon, ya nosy hag.” Jijimon retorted as he cleaned his ear with his pinkie.

        The Digimon Kaiser’s expression was deadpanned. “Can you stop flirting for _five_ minutes?”

        Taichi had an odd look on his face. “ _That’s_ what you call flirting?”

        “You _would_ think that about fighting,” Miyako said snidely.

        “Actually, I think he’s right,” Mimi said, feeling strange about agreeing with the Digimon Kaiser on anything.

        “We all go _way_ back,” FlaWizarmon said, with a wide grin. “An’ it’s just as _feisty_ as it’s always been. It’s nice to see some things never change.”

        “Hah, she’s changed plenty!” Jijimon spat as he waved his staff around. “Her hair, her clothes, but she can’t change her face and that’s the problem!”

        The Digimon Kaiser rolled his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. “Seriously…”

        “Very well,” Babamon said. “We’ll stop lightening the mood and let you get on with what you have to say.” She poked Jijimon with her broom. “ _Won’t_ we, Darling?”

        “I reckon,” Jijimon said. “Though I suspect I already _know_ what he wants to say.”

        “I want to make certain you’re not going to give that _one_ the Digimental of Light,” the Digimon Kaiser said, his voice rough.

        Hikari jerked. “What? Why?”

        Takeru stared at the Digimon Kaiser. “The Digimental of Light… _here_?” He paused then whirled to look at the three altars at the center of the room, which were noticeably empty. His eyes widened with realization. “Those altars… of course!”

        Koshiro looked from the altar to the mural, his eyes widening with realization. “That’s it! This is the temple for the Digimentals of the DigiGods!”

        Daisuke narrowed his eyes. “Oh, I get it. You’re trying to stop us from getting anymore Digimentals.”

        “Wait a second,” Miyako said. “I get it now.” She pointed an accusing finger at the evil dictator. “The Digimon Kaiser must be the Crest of Darkness! He knows your light kicked the butt of Apocalymon, and it was made from darkness, so he’s trying to keep us from getting his one weakness!”

        Daisuke gave Miyako an odd look. “Wait, you’re taking what that guy said seriously? Earth to Inoe, darkness is _evil_ , remember? Why would one of the crests be evil like that?”

        Miyako faltered and, for a moment, felt grateful for her helmet as it hid her flushed cheeks. “Well… that’s…”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s cheek twitched and he turned to glare at Daisuke. “I’m _honored_ , but perhaps you should know what you’re talking about before you start _running your mouth_. More than that, the fact that you’d even say that after Narakumon went to the trouble of _intervening_ for _your_ sake… you insects truly are _incapable_ of gratitude. I really shouldn’t be sur–” The Digimon Kaiser continued to turn his head to face Miyako, then paused with a jerk. After a moment of silence, he turned to fully face Miyako, as if getting his first good look at her. His eyes widened as he surveyed up and down Miyako's attire, his eyes coming to a stop on the masked helmet.

        Miyako noticed the scrutiny and felt her muscles tense with dread. “Don’t you dare.”

        The Digimon Kaiser opened his mouth before he quickly clamped a hand over it, attempting to stifle a laugh. Instead, it came out simply as a chuckling snort.

        Miyako clenched her fists until they ached, her entire body twitching with rage. “Shut up! You’re just doing this to spite me and you know it!”

        The Digimon Kaiser turned as his entire body quivered with repressed laughter. After a moment, he spun about and struck a pose, crouching as he stuck his arms out wide to the side, one higher than the other. “Digimon Ranger Otaku-chan!” he announced, with a very authoritative voice, before he smirked. “If you and your friends merge together, will you form a giant robot?”

        Miyako let out a strangled scream of outrage and stomped forward. “ _You’re_ the reason I keep ending up in these ridiculous outfits you stupid b–” A hand on her shoulder stopped her from moving forward and she shot a glare at Iori who held her fast, though her visor made it impossible to see her expression.

        The Digimon Kaiser barked out a laugh as he straightened up. “Oh, that’s right. It’s _entirely_ my fault and _not_ because of _you_. If that’s how you want to see it, by all means, _Otaku_ -chan.”

        Miyako shook her fist at the Digimon Kaiser. “Don’t you dare blame me because of the stupid cosplay program _you_ invented!”

        “Between the _senpai_ , you treating this like a stupid anime, Goggle-kun over there thinking this is a video game, and that _one_ , it’s no wonder you’re here begging for a miracle,” the Digimon Kaiser said as he waved his hand dismissively, walking back towards FlaWizarmon and Witchmon. He stopped before he glanced over his shoulder at Jijimon and Babamon, his mirth disappearing in an instant. “But I’d like to think that after everything that’s happened, you two would know better.”

        Jijimon tapped his staff against the floor, but didn’t immediately respond.

        “Ah,” Babamon said, her voice light. “I see. So that’s what this is about.” She sighed. “Well, you needn’t worry about _us_ trying to move them.”

        Koshiro shot Babamon a confused look. “Them?”

        Taichi frowned at Babamon and Jijimon. “Wait, you’re not thinking of _cooperating_ with him and keep Hikari from getting her Digimental are you?”

         Babamon let out a breath like a failed attempt at laughter. “Sorry, children, but regardless of what anyone here wants, the Digimental of Light is needed elsewhere right now.”

        Hikari could feel Babamon and Jijimon’s eyes turn to her and a terrible suspicion started to form. She pushed it aside for now, hoping that she was wrong, and focused instead on the Digimon Kaiser. “What happened during the battle with Millenniumon?” She paused only briefly when she saw the fallen Chosen Child flinch. “I haven’t been able to talk to Tenraimon since before that battle, and that was the last time we saw Gennai or Ryo. You were there, weren’t you? You were part of Ryo’s group, so you must know what–”

        “That’s none of your business,” the Digimon Kaiser growled, gripping his whip as a slight tremor ran up his spine. “ _You_ of _all_ people have no business talking about them, so just shut your mouth and stay out of it!”

        Hikari glanced briefly down at her dress then looked back up at the Digimon Kaiser, who stubbornly avoided looking directly at her. He always looked away from her, and she knew exactly why. “Keiko gave me this dress.”

        The Digimon Kaiser twitched, his grip tightening on his whip. He pulled it between his hands as his jaw clenched. “She didn’t give you a damn thing. That dress is _your_ doing, and nothing else!”

        It was a small victory for Hikari when the Digimon Kaiser finally looked at her, truly seeing her for the first time. She stepped out from behind Taichi so that they could finally look at each other face to face. She could feel the hatred in his gaze through the dark lenses of his glasses, stabbing her like a thousand needles. It only served to strengthen her resolve, her hand moving to touch her hairclip. “I met her… Keiko.”

        Taichi stared at his little sister with wide eyes. “What? When?”

        “She’s trapped someplace and needs us to save her.” Hikari said, keeping her focus on the Digimon Kaiser lest she lose the momentum slowly building inside her. She would not waste this opportunity. Instead, she gestured down to her dress. “My clothes are proof. She’s the reason why I’m wearing this dress, because it’s just like hers, except hers is black…” Her gaze drifted down to the mural as she held out her hairclip above the crest made up of moons. “…And this is in the shape of her crest.”

        The Digimon Kaiser’s entire body began to twitch, from his jaw and cheek down to his hands as they clutched his whip so hard that it creaked. He grit his teeth, baring them at Hikari them like a feral animal while glaring at Hikari as if his very eyes could rip her apart. “Shut up…”

        Hikari met the Digimon Kaiser’s gaze unflinchingly. “Keiko is the Chosen Child of Darkness.”

        Confusion ran rampant among the Chosen, as no one knew what to make of Hikari’s declaration. Even Tailmon seemed surprised before her expression hardened.

        “Wait,” Daisuke said. “Don’t tell me you’re buying that Darkness is a real crest too, Hikari-chan.” He glanced over at the Digimon Kaiser. “Though… I guess darkness could’ve corrupted it, but it’d be that jerk’s, not anyone else’s.”

        Sora furrowed her brow, uncertain how to feel. “Are you sure, Hikari?”

        “Did Tenraimon…?” Koshiro’s voice trailed off, letting the question hang in the air.

        Hikari’s gaze never wavered from the Digimon Kaiser. What lingering doubts remained vanished when she saw his expression and the stony faces of Witchmon and FlaWizarmon at his sides. “Something terrible has happened to Keiko, and she’s been calling to me for help. She’s trapped someplace… a world where everything is dark, dead, and empty. I’m sure of it!”

        The quaking of the Digimon Kaiser’s body increased. “Shut up…” His voice was as taut as his body, the words eking out of him as little more than a hint of breath.

        “She’s been trying to contact us all this time,” Hikari said, her heart constricting. “Maybe even since you started taking over the Digital World. She needs our help, and if you care about her at all, y–”

        Time slowed down for one instant as the crack of a whip turned Hikari’s words into a cry. A line of pain seared across her face, sending her reeling back before she collapsed to the floor.

        In that instant, all hell broke loose.

        “Hikari!” Taichi shouted, the cry echoed by nearly every Chosen in the temple. He raced to his sister’s side as fear flooded his veins like ice.

        Tailmon reached Hikari first, breaking her partner’s fall before Hikari could hit the ground. The amount of blood she saw on Hikari’s face sent Tailmon’s heart racing. The feline Digimon examined the red-eyed girl and was both relieved and infuriated to see a thin red line that started from her temple and ended halfway down her cheek, missing her eye by centimeters. The cut was shallow and probably wouldn’t leave a scar, but it was the location of the injury that was the issue. Tailmon knew from personal experience that injuries to the face tended to bleed heavily.

        The lingering relief lasted only as long as a breath before Tailmon could feel the rage bubbling up inside her, overpowering it. The sight of Hikari covered in blood was something out of her worst nightmares. Though her paws remained on her Chosen Child, she turned to the Digimon Kaiser, bearing her fangs. “Bastard!”

        The rest of the Chosen Digimon moved quickly, placing themselves between their Chosen Child and the Digimon Kaiser, bracing themselves for battle.

        Hatred tore a guttural cry from Daisuke’s throat, something more beastly than human. He charged at the Digimon Kaiser with a cocked fist and murder in his eyes, a look similarly shared by V-mon as the dragon Digimon followed suit. Takeru was by his side stride for stride, feet moving almost of their own accord. Although the Chosen of Hope was utterly silent, his expression was dark, reflecting an overwhelming urge to make the Digimon Kaiser pay for every drop of Hikari’s blood spilled. Patamon was quick on his heels, his chubby face twisted in an equally livid expression.

        The Digimon Kaiser’s composure was gone, leaving behind a shrieking boy with wild eyes hidden behind dark lenses. His whip cracked the air again, but it did nothing to deter the two boys charging towards him. “Shut up, shut up, shut up, _shut up_!”

        Takeru reached the Digimon Kaiser first, only for the whip to lash him in the shoulder right at the heart of the police tape. The pain was sharp and bit into his skin, but the aftershock of the strike resounded deeper than that, causing his entire body to shudder. All sound died away around him like a radio going to static, the voices around him becoming muted as he fell to his knees. He was only vaguely aware of Patamon receiving the back-end of the whip strike, the Digimon Kaiser flicking the whip quickly to nail his partner with the second _crack_ and causing the flying Digimon to fall to the ground with a yelp.

        The Digimon Kaiser had no time to bring the whip back around on Daisuke, who was already within arm’s reach. Just as the goggle boy’s fist was about to collide with his head, the Digimon Kaiser struck his knee upward into Daisuke’s stomach.

        Daisuke crumpled around the leg that struck him, his breath coming out in a pained 'whoosh' of air. He fell to the ground, only for the Digimon Kaiser’s boot to strike his side with enough force to send him tumbling back towards the others. For a moment, he could only lie down on the ground choking down air even as the pain made him cough it back up again.

        V-mon was on the Digimon Kaiser in an instant. He had been by Daisuke’s side in the attack and the sight of his partner in pain sent him over the edge. With a snarl, the dragon lunged at the leg that dared to strike Daisuke and sunk his teeth into the metal cuff that surrounded the Digimon Kaiser’s ankle. He felt the metal crumple in his jaw and tasted the tang of copper in his mouth.

        The Digimon Kaiser howled and slammed his foot against the floor in spite of the pain, shaking V-mon loose. His whip sang through the air again and struck V-mon repeatedly, leaving several lines across the Digimon’s body as red as his face, before he struck V-mon hard enough to send the dragon tumbling back to join his Chosen Child.

        For one terrible moment, Yamato was racked with indecision, torn between a vicious fury that demanded he strike the Digimon Kaiser and his concern for Takeru. The indecision lasted for only a second before he raced to his little brother’s side. “Takeru! Are you okay _?_!”

        Takeru clenched his jaw until his teeth hurt, but the pain was paltry compared to his shoulder, which felt as though it had been perforated with a thousand needles. He shook away the worried hand reaching for him as his own clenched into a fist. His breathing came as ragged hisses and he struggled to speak even as he tried pushing himself back to his feet. “F-f-fine… I’m–”

        “The hell you are!” Yamato snapped along with his temper. He glared down Takeru’s defiant gaze, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, unwilling to bend to his little brother.

        Takeru hesitated, his breathing labored, before he lowered his head slightly, his bangs casting a shadow across his eyes as he wrenched his gaze away from his big brother. Reluctantly he gave up fighting against the pain and sat down, but his entire being quaked from not only the horrible ache running through him, but black feelings of frustration and rage.

        “You…” Taichi struggled to form words to convey how he felt. When Sora and Jou arrived to help Hikari, he rose to his feet and took two steps towards the Digimon Kaiser. “You’re not getting away with this!”

        V-mon was back on his feet quickly despite his wounds, standing crouched with claws flexing at his sides, ready to fight. “Daisuke! Evolve me to Fladramon!”

        Daisuke, unfortunately, could barely focus on what his partner was saying as he struggled to even his breathing. Even with Mimi and Koshiro helping him sit up, his chest still ached with every breath and cough he made.

        Despite seeing so many fall to the Digimon Kaiser, Miyako stepped forward, angry and indignant. However, before she could even formulate the words she wanted to speak, the Chosen was cut off by a sudden burst of fire that detonated right in front of her face. She cried out in surprise and backed up as Iori quickly put himself between her and the blaze, gripping his bokken.

        All of the Chosen Children found themselves silenced by the raging inferno in front of them. Smoldering flames lashed out, dancing about as they crept across the floor, though oddly causing no damage to the mural despite the intense heat. It was enough to even cause the Digimon Kaiser to pause, staring as the swirling vortex of fire came between him and the other children.

        FlaWizarmon stood in the center of the flames, no longer smiling. His expression was stern as he held his hand out, revealing it to be the source of the fire. “That’s enough, y’hear? No more.”

        Witchmon moved to the Digimon Kaiser’s side. “Are you okay, K-chan?”

        The Digimon Kaiser stood stiffly, gripping his whip as he remained on both feet despite the blood trickling from his injured ankle, soaking his pant leg and dripping on the floor. He didn't look at Witchmon, keeping his gaze distant. "...I'm _fine_."

        Takeru grit his teeth as he glared through the fire at the Digimon Kaiser. He wanted to snarl at the boy, to make him pay for striking Hikari. He wanted to say _something_ at the very least, but his body simply wouldn't cooperate. The pain was paralyzing, resonating deep within his senses. Even breathing was difficult, making each pant _ache_.

        Thankfully, he didn't need to say anything. Instead, Yamato furiously faced the younger boy, getting as close to the fire as he dared. "You really think you can just attack Hikari and Takeru and get away with it?!"

        The Digimon Kaiser turned to face Yamato's anger, his own face a mask of barely restrained rage. "...I think I can do whatever I damn well please."

        Jou fumbled with the gauze in his hands, attempting to stop the bleeding. While the injury wasn't severe in and of itself, the location guaranteed that it would bleed heavily. Applying pressure with the gauze, he focused instead on bandaging Hikari's face. "I-it's... it's fine, it's fine." He said, more to himself than anyone else. "I-it didn't hit your eyes, i-it's just a thin line... i-it just looks worse than it is-" the Chosen of Honesty was cut off when Hikari's hand reached out to touch his shoulder. He stared as Hikari fumbled to her feet, her eyes surprisingly focused and firm despite the bloodied injury between them. "W-wait, Hikari-! _?_ "

        "Please," Hikari said, her soft voice underlined with a surprising amount of strength. "Keiko has been begging me for help every night. She's trapped in the Dark World. Please help me save her."

        The Digimon Kaiser bared his teeth, flashing his white teeth as a tremor ran up his spine. "You. You have _no_ idea what you're talking about... to say that to my face...!" The boy lashed his whip again, the weapon issuing out a large crack. "Don't talk about Kei-about the _Dark World_ like you know anything about it! Especially when you, _you_ of _all_ people, are falling for its usual tricks!"

        "What do you mean by that?" Hikari asked.

        The Digimon Kaiser snorted as he pulled his whip tight with his hands. "It'll do or say whatever it thinks will work on you, take whatever form it thinks you'll respond the best to, and you're _falling for it_!"

        "But I never met Keiko before," Hikari said. "I only know it's her because of _you_. If the Dark World is trying to trick me, why would it show me someone I don't know?"

        The caped tyrant immediately went quiet at that, hesitating.

        FlaWizarmon and Witchmon glanced at each other, their neutral expressions not revealing any of their thoughts. They then both glanced over to Jijimon and Babamon, who were standing quietly nearby. It was impossible to tell through the hair, but both elder Digimon seemed rather stone-faced as well.

        Hikari held her hands over her chest. "I don't doubt the Dark World is giving me nightmares..." A faint tremor ran through her body. "I'll never forget the feeling when the ocean..." She faltered for a moment before steeling her nerves, getting her mind back on topic. "I know how... _insane_ it is. How full of despair and hopelessness... and Keiko doesn't feel that way. She's the only thing that feels _real_ and I know she _needs_ our help!" She held out her hand to the Digimon Kaiser. " _Please_... even if you don't believe me, please at least tell me what happened to her. I know there must be _some_ way to rescue her."

        The Digimon Kaiser trembled as he snapped his whip with his hands, pulling it light before letting it go limp and then tight again in quick succession. The sound echoed for several moments before he finally stopped the gesture. "...I-"

        "I've got it!" Miyako suddenly shouted. "I've figured out why you keep acting so weird about Keiko! _You're_ the one who did it!" She pointed at the Digimon Kaiser. "You trapped her in the Dark World, didn't you?"

        Hikari jerked and stared at Miyako. "What?"

        The Digimon Kaiser similarly jerked, as if he had been physically struck, and dropped his whip so that it fell to the ground and clattered against the floor.

        "Think about it," Miyako said with conviction. " _This_ is the guy who is using literal liquid crazy to make _monsters_ that pretend to be people we know and try to take us to the Dark World! He did it to Takeru in Factory Town, and he probably did it to Keiko too! He's the one who's using it to create those mind controlling rings to enslave the Digimon and can flood the Digital World with towers made of the stuff whenever he wants! Keiko and maybe Ryo and who knows else figured out his plan, and he sent them to the Dark World!"

        Takeru glared at the Digimon Kaiser, his hand covering his shoulder. While the pain was still there, it had dulled enough that it was quickly becoming a secondary emotion. Miyako's words brought to mind the image of the fake Angemon writhing as he died in front of Takeru, melting slowly while pleading for help. The very suggestion that such a thing had been done _intentionally_ by the Digimon Kaiser filled him with a burning _hatred_ that only served to fuel the anger already inside him.

        Koshiro shivered as he remembered the way the monster had called out to him, even though he couldn't quite understand what it had been attempting to do. "That's true. That monster tried to lure me and Tailmon in."

        Miyako kept her finger pointed directly at the Digimon Kaiser. "You beat, torture, and brainwash innocent Digimon _for fun_. You sent those monsters after us _for fun_! I don't buy that crap that your lackeys were trying to feed us about it being for 'the greater good' or whatever. If that was true, then why were you having so much fun _torturing us and the Digimon_?"

        Daisuke wheezed as he slowly sat up, rubbing where the Digimon Kaiser had kicked him. "I hate to agree with Inoe, but..." He looked over at Hikari, wincing at how the cut on her face continued to bleed, painting a long red line along her cheek that dribbled down and created a stain on her white dress. His eyes narrowed before he fixed the dictator with a glare. "You kidnapped senpai and the others' Digimon and had them come after us. You had Takeru's own partner beat him up!"

        Patamon flinched at the reminder, his body tensing, and his eyes narrowing. "You made us beat Tailmon within an inch of her life. You beat Palmon mercilessly and made her attack us!"

        "You're hurting our friends right now!" Palmon agreed, scowling despite the tears in her eyes.

        "And don't think we've forgotten what you did to Hikari just now," Tailmon growled, her ears canting back.

        "And Daisuke!" V-mon added, baring his teeth at the Digimon Kaiser.

        The Digimon Kaiser didn't respond, instead his fingers simply twitching as he stared at Miyako. Beside him, fury was naked on both FlaWizarmon and Witchmon's faces, marring their usually jovial expressions.

        "He had nothing to do with it!" FlaWizarmon said, with a wide sweep of his arm as the wall of fire responded with a flash and a flutter around him. "He did _nothing_ wrong!"

        Daisuke let out a snort. "Are you kidding me?"

        "You're not exactly credible here," Miyako said. "Either you're just fine with the Digimon Kaiser pulling all this crap or you're his mind controlled puppets."

        Witchmon tugged her collar down to expose her naked neck. "Or we could be, I don't know, dear K-chan's _friends_?"

        FlaWizarmon made a display of pulling down the collar to his jacket as well, displaying his neck. "It wouldn't work on us, anyway."

        Jou adjusted his glasses as he stared, then turned to glance at the other Chosen. "I-I... I don't see anything...!"

        Mimi's expression contorted. "How can you just go along with all the horrible things the Digimon Kaiser is doing?"

        Witchmon let out a sigh. "Would you believe the power of friendship?" She looked over at the Digimon Kaiser, frowning as she noticed how he shook. "Speaking of which, maybe we should call it a day."

        FlaWizarmon glanced back at the Digimon Kaiser. "...K-chan, I think it's time to go. Now."

        The Digimon Kaiser didn't look at either of the Digimon, instead turning his eyes down to his shaking hands.

        "Nothing to say in your own defense?" Miyako asked archly. "If you _really_ had nothing to do with trapping Keiko in the Dark World then prove it. Tell us what you did with her, Ryo, and whoever else was on your team."

        The Digimon Kaiser kept his eyes on his hands. "...shut up..." His voice was soft, the words barely noticeable.

        FlaWizarmon kept his eyes on the Digimon Kaiser. "...He didn't 'do' _anything_ with them."

        Hikari looked to Miyako and the others, her expression troubled, before she looked back at the Digimon Kaiser. "Then please... help us rescue Keiko."

        "...Shut up," the Digimon Kaiser repeated, his voice tense and slowly gaining in volume.

        Hikari felt her insides twist. "Please-"

        "Don't waste your breath on him, Hikari-chan," Daisuke said as he climbed to his feet. "Tiny Tower will _never_ listen to reason."

        FlaWizarmon scowled, clenching his hands. "You have _no_ idea-"

        " _Shut up_!" the Digimon Kaiser shrieked, cutting off the Digimon. He reached to his belt and grabbed his black Digivice from where it sat and whipped it about. " _Shut up, shut up, shut up_!"

        Brilliant black light exploded from the dark Digivice, catching the furious Chosen and even his own Digimon escorts off guard. No one had time to react as the blackness lunged at the Chosen, engulfing their senses as the Digimon Kaiser's voice pierced the air.

        " _You insects don't understand anything_!"

        And then, their surroundings disappeared in to the darkness.


	22. Chapter Twenty One

The next thing the Chosen knew, they were being scattered about the Yamagi apartment, bodies impacting roughly with furniture, the floor, and whatever victim happened to hit said objects first. Chosen were spread about like trash in the wind before finally coming to a stop, the Kaiser's voice ringing in the sudden silence.

"...One of these days, I'm going to take that Digivice of his and ram it down his throat," Takeru growled as he glared up at the ceiling, lying on his back against the floor as he had both Daisuke and Patamon sitting on top of him.

"Not if I beat you to it first," Daisuke grunted as he pulled himself off of Takeru.

Taichi pulled his face out of the couch cushion, inwardly grumbling at how he was made the landing pad for Jou and Mimi. "I forgot he could do that." He looked around, frowning. "Hey, Koshiro, I thought this problem was fixed with the new Digivices."

Koshiro groaned from his position upside-down with his legs splayed against the side of the chair. "The new Digivices let us back in, but I guess that doesn't mean they can stop us from getting kicked out."

"He's done this to us before," Takeru grunted, propping himself up on his elbows. "Remember? When we split up to distract him while you found the Digimentals of Courage and Friendship."

"...That's right, he kicked you out then too," Yamato muttered as he got to his feet, pushing himself up off the sofa. He moved to Takeru's side and reached down to help his brother, then frowned as Takeru pushed the offered hand away and fumbled to his feet under his own power.

Taichi grumbled as he waited for Mimi and Jou to climb off him. "So what are we going to do about it? We can't exactly stop the Kaiser if he can kick us out of the Digital World any time he wants."

Daisuke frowned. "Wait... if he can zap us out whenever he wants, why didn't he just do that in Factory Town instead of telling us to leave and crap?"

Miyako smoothed out her glasses as she sat up from her awkward position on the floor. "Isn't it obvious? Psychological intimidation."

"Looks to me like he does it whenever he's _losing_ ," Takeru growled. "Like a _brat_."

"Hope's got the right idea," a voice chimed in, causing the Chosen to stop and turn to stare. Jijimon's face appeared on the laptop, though a bit fuzzy. He looked through the screen, as if he could visibly see the Chosen. "I reckon you all should just sit tight for now. We finished talkin' 'bout the important stuff, anyway... an' Kaiser Kiddo's waitin' for you to try and come back so he can boot you out again. Better off just waitin' until he's not so pissy - an' watchin' so closely."

Koshiro fell over as he scrambled to right himself. "Jijimon!"

Miyako frowned as she eyed the screen. "Wait, you could talk to us over the computer all along?"

A hand shoved Jijimon to the side, allowing Babamon to appear on screen. "Only when he gives up trying to hide what he's doing from _me_." She turned to her husband. "Which you're going to do from here on out. Isn't that right, you old fart?"

Jijimon growled as he proceeded to shove Babamon out of the way, only to have the female Digimon shove back so that it became a shoving match. "I ain't hidin' from nobody, no how! Least of all _you_ , woman!"

"You better believe it!" Babamon said as she ground her shoulder into Jijimon's. "Dears, if you need to talk to _either of us_ , just use this program I'll send you as soon as this knucklehead finishes apologizing for sneaking around behind my back."

"I ain't apologizin', and you ain't sendin' them anything!" Jijimon snapped.

"Wait!" Yamato said, lightly pushing Koshiro aside so he could stand in front of the screen. "But what about Takeru?"

"What _about_ me?" Takeru asked, his voice rough.

Yamato waved his hand over to his brother. "You didn't tell us how to fix him!"

Takeru bristled before he whirled about, clenching his fists."I _don't_ -!"

"I already told ya, _you_ can't do a _damn_ thing... besides be a good big brother to Mister Grouchy Pants," Jijimon said. "And try not to take anythin' he says to heart, 'cuz it ain't comin' from his."

Takeru paused at that before he looked away, his fists clenching tightly.

"We'll do what we can," Babamon said. "Hope, honey, try to keep this in mind - the Dark Ocean wants you paranoid and isolated. It wants you to see everyone as the enemy and will affect your judgment. I know you don't want to hear this and I can bet part of 'you' is screaming that I'm wrong and against you, but, trust me, you're being influenced by something else that wants you to hate your brother and everyone else you love so it can steal you away."

Takeru glanced back towards the laptop. As much as he wanted to snap, he held his tongue. The fact that the very emotions she was describing were occurring inside of him that very moment gave credibility to her words, even if he wanted to deny it - or rather, 'he' wanted it. He was smart enough to at least recognize that.

As the others focused on the two elder Digimon, Sora instead turned her attention to Hikari. She moved closer to the Chosen of Light, her eyes drifting over the young girl's injury for signs of blood escaping the makeshift bandage Jou had put on it. Despite the rough trip back to their world, it was still relatively in place. All the same, she couldn't help but feel concerned. "Hikari, are you alright?"

Much like last time, Tailmon had managed to catch Hikari and set the Chosen of Light in a chair to ease the fall. Hikari sighed, swallowing her feelings of frustration, and put on a smile as she turned to Sora. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Taichi grumbled as he moved to Hikari's side, eyes fixed on her injury. "We're taking care of that now before it's a scar." He looked over his shoulder. "Jou, you don't think she needs stitches, do you?"

"I'm _fine_ ," Hikari said. "Really. I barely feel it now."

"I-if it does, she'll need to go to the doctor," Jou said, his eyes glancing over to Hikari before returning to Taichi. "M-maybe my brother would-"

"She _said_ she's _fine_ ," Takeru said, his voice having a slight edge to it. He turned to face the Chosen of Light, his eyes lingering at the injury before he forced himself to look away. He was just as concerned as everyone else and the sight of her injury made his blood burn, but he also couldn't help but remember how everyone had fussed at him and ignored his insistence that he didn't need it. He would be a hypocrite not to defend Hikari from the same treatment, even if he felt the same as those questioning her. "...Right, Hikari?"

Though the tone made Hikari worry for Takeru, she gave him a grateful smile and nodded all the same. "It's just a scratch. It'll heal in no time, you'll see."

Takeru returned the smile, the tension easing from his face slightly. However, far too quickly, it returned with full force as his smile shifted in to a frown. "...But even if it _is_ just a scratch, he's going to pay for it."

"...There's no question about that," Yamato said as he crossed his arms. "That brat's got a lot to pay for, and we're going to squeeze him for every bit of it."

Sora looked at the two boys, then back to Hikari. Her expression grew pained as she looked at the bandage, then made herself look away. "How could he...? To attack Hikari so viciously like that...!"

"It's quite clear that he has no boundaries," Iori said, with a shake of his head. "Digimon or human, we are all insects to him. There's no reason to believe that he would hold humans to any higher standards than he does anyone else."

Taichi popped his knuckles one by one, a dark look passing over his features. Although he said nothing for a while, his expression spoke volumes of his dislike towards the Digimon Kaiser. After letting out a frustrated breath, he grabbed Jou by the arm. "Come on, we're getting the first-aid kit."

"Ah-? What-?" Jou stared at Taichi in confusion before he stumbled along with the Chosen of Courage. "O-oh, right! Of course! I should have more gauze, and some pain medicine...!"

Takeru watched as Taichi and Jou walked away before he turned his attention back to Hikari. The scene replayed in his mind, bringing with it fresh rage. However, he made himself shove it aside - at least for the moment - so that he could focus on something else. "Hikari, about what you were saying... about the Chosen of Darkness? About... Keiko?"

Miyako focused a stern gaze on Hikari. "That's right. What's up with not telling us about her sooner? That was kind of important information, you know."

Hikari felt her cheeks heat uncomfortably. "I'm sorry I never mentioned anything earlier... I only really realized she was... real recently." She grimaced, feeling ashamed that she had spent so long convincing herself otherwise. "When we were at the temple and I saw her crest it just... I knew for sure that she wasn't just a figment of my imagination."

Tailmon silently glanced up to Hikari, her expression unreadable.

Hikari noticed the look, but quickly turned away from her partner, feeling a wave of mortification. She knew Tailmon would have a few choice words for her later.

Miyako approached Hikari, hands on her hips. "So spill it. What do you know about Keiko? Don't hold back any details."

"...And why do you think she's the Chosen of Darkness?" Yamato asked, his arms crossed. " _Instead_ of the Digimon Kaiser?"

Hikari hesitated, as the reasons that felt so right in her head suddenly became flimsy and feeble when she tried to put it into words. "Well..." She paused to wet her lips, giving herself another second to think as everyone silently stared at her, waiting for her to explain. "I-I mentioned that the dress I'm always wearing in the Digital World was hers, right? Just black instead of white and with my crest on it instead of hers."

Sora nodded with a slight frown. "But how did you know that?"

"I saw her... in my dreams," Hikari said, her resolve faltering as she was acutely aware of how silly it must sound to the others.

"I knew it!" Miyako said, nearly shouting. "I _knew_ those dreams of yours meant something big!"

"Your dreams?" Yamato repeated slowly before he arched an eyebrow. "How do you know it was even _real_?"

"You saw how the Kaiser acted," Takeru said, turning to eye Yamato. He felt a twinge of irritation at his brother doubting Hikari's words. "If it wasn't real, he wouldn't have reacted like that."

Daisuke scratched the back of his head. "It does sound kind of weird, but a giant egg in the sky is even weirder than that, so anything is possible when Digimon are involved, I guess."

Miyako moved in close to Hikari, her eyes wide and eager. "So what did Keiko say to you? Did she give any tips on how to beat down that cosplay creep?"

Hikari instinctively jerked back slightly then shook her head, her expression regretful. "She... she can't say anything. In all my dreams she's trapped inside a mirror and I can never hear her voice..."

Koshiro frowned slightly as he considered this new information. "So what makes you think she's the Chosen Child of Darkness?"

Hikari's gaze slid to Tailmon briefly before she looked around at the others. "It's just a feeling I have. I know that's not much to go on, but... her God Crest is the one opposite of mine. Everything about her crest to what she wore... and even the fact that her partner was a cat like Tailmon... It reminds me of what Tenraimon said, that Darkness and Light are two sides of the same coin."

Takeru frowned as he crossed his arms. "...Yeah, that'd make sense to me. The fact that you look like her, you're dreaming of her, and considering what she can _do_... if she _didn't_ have a God Crest, I'd be surprised."

Yamato blinked, then turned his head slightly to look at his brother. "...'What she can do'?"

Takeru paused, then looked away as he shifted weight between his feet, forcing his expression to become neutral.

Hikari stared at Takeru with wide eyes. "You've seen her too?"

The Chosen of Hope hesitated, his face twisting as emotions warred inside him. He didn't want to respond, wanted to deny it, but at the same time he couldn't justify hiding it. It wasn't as if he had done anything _wrong_ , and it certainly would support Hikari when people were doubting her. And yet for some reason, the words were so hard to form. It took a great deal of effort to utter one word alone. "...Yes."

"What!? _When_!?" Yamato demanded as he moved closer to Takeru, his expression alternating between confusion and anger. "You never said anything!"

"I didn't know who it _was_ , or if it was even _real_ ," Takeru said, his tone rough. "But hearing Hikari describe her... how could she have seen the same girl I had, right down to the same dress and everything, if she wasn't real?"

Hikari felt her pulse quicken as she approached Takeru. "Where did you meet her? When? Is she okay? What about her partner?"

"...I met her when that creature... sent me to the Dark Ocean," Takeru said, slowly. While it was mostly a theory, he felt he could make such a statement with absolute confidence. "Back at Factory Town."

"Sent you to the-!?" Yamato began, his eyebrows shooting straight up.

"You said I disappeared, right, Patamon?" Takeru asked as he turned to his partner, who simply nodded with a confused expression. "After it touched me, I found myself in a strange place... a beach, next to a large black ocean."

Hikari felt a shiver run up her spine. She tried to speak, but found the words wouldn't come.

"Well, that explains that," Miyako said. "I'm guessing that taint is why you didn't decide to tell us this sooner."

"That's where I saw her," Takeru continued, lifting his head to look at the ceiling so that he didn't have to look at Miyako or his brother. "She was sitting on a rock, crying. At first, I thought it was you... because of the dress."

"She was crying in my dream too," Hikari whispered, her chest tightening with emotion.

"...She stopped crying when she saw me," Takeru murmured as he closed his eyes. "That was when I realized it wasn't you. Her eyes were _bright_ red, like blood... the only color in that whole world. For some reason, it wasn't making her color bleed out like it was mine."

" _Bleed out_!?" Yamato repeated, his voice raising in volume and pitch as both his anger and concern grew.

"...I don't know how else to describe it," Takeru mumbled before he finally opened his eyes, turning to face Hikari. He could see concern all over her face as well, and he offered her a small smile even as he continued with his dark story. "The look she had on her face when she saw me... she was _furious_. So furious, in fact, that she stormed right up to me before I could react and slapped me right in the face."

Hikari started at the admission. "She _hit_ you?" The words were echoed by Patamon who gawked at Takeru.

Takeru nodded. "And that's when I found myself suddenly back at Factory Town."

Daisuke stared at Takeru. "Wait, so she hit you so hard she sent you flying out of the Dark Ocean?"

Takeru nodded again as he crossed his arms. "Somehow. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but she was able to kick me out of that place."

Mimi quirked an eyebrow as she looked at Takeru with an inkling of suspicion. "You didn't do anything perverted to her, did you, Takeru?"

Takeru paused and turned to stare at Mimi, confusion evident on his face. "Perverted...?"

"Takeru'd never do anything like that," Yamato snapped as he eyed the Chosen of Purity.

Mimi let out a low hum. "I know, it doesn't sound like Takeru at all, but when a girl slaps a boy, it's usually because he did something perverted."

Taichi's eyebrows raised as he walked back into the room with the first-aid kit in hand. "What's this about Takeru being perverted to a girl?" He eyed Takeru and Hikari, suspiciously noting how close they were standing together.

Takeru's cheek began to twitch as his expression became strained, his confusion quickly being replaced with obvious irritation. "...Excuse me?"

Miyako snapped her fingers over her head. "We're getting off topic, people. We can discuss whether or not Takaishi is perverted after we get more information about a new Chosen Child in the Dark Ocean."

Takeru's cheek twitched again as his jaw clenched, making his teeth hurt even as it tried to maintain his smile. The initial accusation had taken him quite by surprise, and the continued comments had quickly turned that surprise in to dark, burning _anger_. It felt like a betrayal as a part of him deep inside demanded to know if this was somehow a reveal of what they thought of him – that they actually believed he was capable of such a thing, all this time. "Oh yes, let's discuss it at great length. Tell me all about how you think I'm a pervert."

Taichi set the first-aid kit down on the coffee table, allowing Jou to access it in order to treat Hikari's cut. "This girl involved wouldn't happen to be Hikari, would it?"

Hikari was quiet as she considered the facts Takeru had given and how they both supported and oddly contradicted what she had thought. She was only brought back to the present after Jou started bandaging the cut on her face. She spared him a small smile before letting out a frustrated breath at Taichi's comment. "Big brother..."

Takeru felt something inside him break, and his smile shattered at the same time. With one swift motion, Takeru lunged to slam his hands in to Taichi's chest, shoving him backwards roughly. " _Say that again_!"

Taichi yelped and staggered back, barely keeping himself from falling over. "Whoa, hey!"

"Takeru!" Yamato cried out as he moved to grab his younger brother, keeping the smaller boy from lunging at Taichi again. "Calm down!"

"Say it again! _I dare you_!" Takeru snarled, his expression akin to a wild animal baring its teeth.

"Get him, _get him_!" Chibimon cried out as he jumped up and down, waving his hands. Hearing Taichi say bad things about Takeru had been angering him as well, as Takeru was Daisuke's friend and would never do anything bad to Hikari – or this Keiko girl, whoever she was. "No one talks bad about Daisuke's friends!"

Hikari was between Takeru and Taichi in an instant, moving so quickly that the bandage Jou was putting on her got yanked off instead. "Takeru! Please!"

Taichi held his hands up in front of him as he stared at Takeru in open befuddlement. "H-hey, I wasn't going to punch you out or anything. I just-"

Miyako let out a loud groan. "Can we _please_ not antagonize the guy with evil voices in his head telling him not to trust any of us?"

Takeru's eyes blazed as they glared at Taichi, before slowly drifting down to Hikari. The anger flickered as the Chosen of Hope hesitated. Slowly, Takeru eased his body back, no longer fighting against his brother's grip. He forced his gaze away from Hikari, allowing his eyes instead to bore in to the cushions of the couch as his fists clenched so tightly that he dug his nails in to his palms.

"Takeru...," Patamon said softly as he flew in front of his partner's face. "It's okay. No one here thinks of you that way. _Really_." He looked around at the others who nodded in agreement, each of them wearing varying degrees of worry.

"...Don't say things you don't mean," Takeru said, his voice rough like a growl. He wasn't entirely certain if he was referring to Patamon's assurance or the accusations the others had spoken not only moments before. In the end, it didn't really matter.

Hikari reached out to place her hand on Takeru's clenched fist. She felt him flinch, but he didn't move away, instead glancing at her only long enough to see her small, tentative smile, before returning his hard gaze to the sofa.

Takeru's muscles relaxed in spite of himself, even as he kept his gaze on the sofa. Something about Hikari's touch felt warm and soothing, like the slow trickle of water on the fire inside him. Bit by bit, the flames of rage extinguished and his expression softened. "...I'm fine."

Miyako noted how Takeru's hand unclenched in Hikari's grip and their fingers twined together then looked between the two Chosen Children. "You know, it'd probably be best if you two spent as much time together as possible while Takaishi is trying to get over this, including overnight."

" _What_?!" Taichi shouted in virtually the same instant as Daisuke.

Takeru paused at that and turned to stare at Miyako, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes. At the same time, Hikari released her hand from Takeru and blinked, startled.

Miyako shrugged off the looks Daisuke and Taichi shot her. "It only makes sense, right? I can't be the only one who's noticed that out of everyone here, Yagami, er, _Hikari_ seems to be the best at getting Takaishi to calm down."

"It's true," Mimi said thoughtfully. "Hikari and Takeru have always gotten along very well."

"I think it's a great idea!" Patamon said, grinning. "It'll be like a big slumber party!"

Yamato made a low grunting noise in his throat. He couldn't deny what Miyako said, even if it irritated him. But then, Takeru and Hikari had always been close. It was different than their bond as brothers. "Taichi doesn't really have a guest room..."

Miyako eyed Taichi, who seemed to be obviously wrestling with the idea. "Actually, I think it might be better if they have it at Takaishi's place given that blow up just now. It's better to not risk making things worse on accident."

"So you want them to spend the night together _alone_?" Taichi sputtered, aghast.

Miyako made an obvious gesture of pointing at Patamon and then Tailmon, her expression deadpan. "Did you forget about these two or Takaishi's parents or Ishida right here?" She jerked her thumb at Yamato.

Taichi's cheeks blazed with embarrassed heat. "W-well no, I, uh... er..."

Hikari sighed and shook her head. She loved her big brother dearly, but there were times when his protectiveness could be a little frustrating. "I'll be fine. This is Takeru we're talking about, not some stranger."

Daisuke snapped his fingers. "Oh, I know! The six of us could sleep over at my house! I've got sleeping bags and..." He trailed off as images of Jun popped into his mind. "No, wait, actually that'd be the most terrible idea ever. Forget I mentioned anything."

Hikari gave Daisuke a sympathetic look before patting his shoulder.

"...I'm fine," Takeru said, shaking his head. While the idea of spending time with Hikari was tempting, he also knew it would create a big inconvenience for her. Besides, it'd be admitting that he _needed_ the help. "You don't need to put yourself through this for me. I'm... fine. I just... I'm tired, that's all."

Yamato eyed his brother, then grunted. "I wonder how 'fine' you can be... when you were about to rip out Taichi's throat a moment ago." He could see Takeru flinch and did his best not to similarly react when his brother turned to focus his angry gaze on him. "...Look, I think we can all pretty much agree that something is going on. Even if you don't want to admit it, you've _never_ been that quick to anger... and I'm willing to bet that you were being egged on. It's the only thing that makes sense."

Patamon landed on Takeru's head, his expression filled with worry. "He's right, Takeru. That isn't like you at all."

Takeru did his best to resist the urge to clench his jaw and grind his teeth. He knew they were right, logically. But deep in his heart, he didn't want to admit it - it felt like admitting _defeat_. And yet in spite of those feelings, he had to wonder how much of it was _him_ and how much of it was _not_.

Koshiro rubbed the back of his head. "That might be a good idea to do what we can to make it easier for Takeru to deal with this taint until we can get a cure."

"I guess," Taichi muttered. "But maybe Takeru should just spend the night here instead of Hikari over there. She's still getting over being sick, after all."

"W-wait, wait, wait!" Jou protested, waving his hands a bit as he glanced at the other Chosen. Being the eldest, he could certainly see all the unpleasant implications that the other children were perhaps missing. "Aren't you accepting this a bit too easily!? An unrelated boy and girl, alone at night!? T-that's kind of...!"

Mimi tapped her chin, cocking her head slightly. "Well, I guess if Takeru tries anything perverted or something, Hikari can just slap some sense back into him!" She smiled as she waved her hand in the air for emphasis.

Hikari cringed at the idea. "I really don't want to slap anyone, Mimi. Especially not Takeru."

Mimi paused and let out a quiet hum. "I guess that's true..." She turned to Tailmon. "Tailmon, we're all counting on you to protect Hikari's purity!"

Tailmon arched an eyebrow. "...I'd protect Hikari regardless, but I think the problem would be the taint more than Takeru suddenly deciding he wants to do more with Hikari than hold her hand."

Daisuke jerked and turned to gawk at Takeru. "You held Hikari-chan's hand!?"

Miyako eyed Daisuke. "You say that like he copped a feel inside her panties."

Daisuke's face turned dark red. " _I-I did not_!"

Takeru felt his tension return, his jaw going tight once more. Anger flooded inside of him, mingling in his stomach before flowing to the rest of his body. It was actually somewhat _painful_ , making his insides ache with dark feelings that only served to grow by the second. Slowly, he lifted his head and forced a smile across his face, one that wasn't particularly friendly. "Anyway, _thank you_ for the concern but _I refuse_. I wouldn't want anyone to think I was a _pervert_... though it does seem a bit too late for that~!"

Yamato's eyebrows shot straight up before he frowned. "Look. we're just-"

" _I said no_ ," Takeru said, still smiling even though his voice was hard as metal.

Jou joined Yamato in staring at Takeru in confusion before the Chosen of Honesty began to sweat. He was rather quickly beginning to regret voicing his concerns, as the atmosphere was tense all over again. "W-we should really discuss this a bit more-"

Takeru whirled to turn his focus on Jou, his expression openly hostile as his smile completely disappeared. The glare was enough to interrupt the eldest Chosen, Jou staring at Takeru in bewildered silence. Takeru held the other boy's gaze for a moment before he turned and headed towards the door. He grabbed the knob and threw it open before he turned back to the group, a smile reappearing on his face, one that did nothing to soften his harsh expression. "Come on, Patamon. I'm sure everyone'd _much prefer_ that the _nasty pervert_ leave, so I can't keep _harassing girls_ with my _mere presence_." Without waiting for a response, he turned and stormed down the hallway, leaving the door open.

Patamon and Tailmon shared a look before the Chosen of Hope's partner quickly took off to follow after Takeru. Yamato hesitated, glancing over to Taichi and then the door as he was struck with indecision.

Taichi let out a quiet grunt before he shoved Yamato by the shoulder, making the blond stagger a few steps towards the door. "Go ahead and go after him. Takeru is going to need his big brother to look out for him more than ever with this... stuff hanging over his head."

Yamato stumbled slightly before his indecision cleared, replaced with a grim face. He nodded to the Chosen of Courage and then hurried after his brother, leaving the rest of the Chosen in the tense atmosphere left by Takeru's outburst.

Sora stared at the door for several moments before she turned to look at the others. "He... seemed really upset. I've never seen him act that way before..."

"That must be what Jijimon meant," Tailmon said as she crossed her arms, glancing to Taichi and Mimi before turning her attention to the door. "...He took everything you said a lot more personally than he normally would have."

Taichi sighed and rubbed the tension lines that formed on his forehead. "I guess I've gotta try harder not to blurt stuff out without thinking it through first."

Sora looked at Taichi sympathetically, reaching out to touch his arm. "I'm sure Takeru knows you didn't mean anything. He just... needs time to calm down."

Taichi gave Sora a wan, but appreciative smile. "Yeah... I just wish Jijimon and Babamon could've just given him that cure they were talking about."

"They said they were going to take care of it, so I'm sure that they'll cure him soon enough," Sora said, then turned to look at the others. "In the meantime, we all need to... keep in mind that Takeru is hurting. He needs understanding."

"That doesn't mean we have to sit around and wait," Miyako said, raising a finger into the air. "We should take this time to work on our strategies. With all this new information the Kaiser dropped on us, we'll have a better chance of using that against him next time he shows his smug face in front of us."

"We should focus on finding more of the Digimentals, and taking out more of his bases," Tailmon said, crossing her arms. "I don't know why Jijimon and Babamon are keeping my Digimental, but the others should still be available."

Miyako wrung her hands together tight enough that the knuckles bleached white. "We also need to make getting my partner... _all_ the missing partners back a priority."

"We can start with getting Iori's partner," Koshiro said, his expression thoughtful. "Given the circumstances, his will probably be the easiest one to get back until we figure out where the Digimon Kaiser is keeping the others..."

Iori was quiet for several moments, glancing from the other Chosen before turning his attention fully to Koshiro. He hesitated as he seemed to be choosing his words carefully before he straightened up. "About that... please don't concern yourself on my account."

Sora smiled weakly to Iori and Miyako, trying to put a brave face for her underclassmen despite her own pain at the mention of missing partners. She could deeply sympathize with both Miyako and Iori, with Piyomon still in the clutches of the Digimon Kaiser as well. "It's fine, don't worry. We'll definitely find your partner."

"...I'm afraid you don't understand," Iori said, his voice rather neutral. "Please don't worry about getting me a partner. I don't need or desire one."

Sora froze, her eyes widening as she stared at the boy in front of her. Her expression grew blank and uncomprehending, as if he had spoken in a foreign language.

Taichi stared oddly at Iori. "Huh? You don't have to act so humble you know. You're part of the team, and so is your Digimon, so we're going to get him for you no matter what!"

Iori turned to Taichi, his expression polite and yet carrying a surprising amount of firmness. "...Please allow me to repeat myself. I do not need or desire a Digimon partner."

 Daisuke's jaw dropped. "Are you _kidding me_? Having a Digimon partner is the _best_!" He scooped up Chibimon and held the small dragon in front of Iori's face. "Just look into those eyes and tell me you don't think Chibimon is the most amazing Digimon you've ever seen!"

Miyako coughed into her hand, the noise sounding suspiciously like, "Brag much?"

Daisuke looked sideways at Miyako through narrowed eyes. "What was that?"

"Late night air makes my throat dry," Miyako said as she looked away, rubbing her neck.

Iori looked down at the little dragon Digimon staring up at him with his wide eyes, then shifted his gaze to Daisuke. "...Be that as it may, it has nothing to do with me."

Daisuke blinked at Iori. "Huh?"

"I am here to protect Miyako," Iori said, his voice authoritative. "That is all."

"What an awful thing to say!" Mimi shouted, her voice cracking high with emotion. "Your Digimon is out there waiting for you! They've been waiting for you for a long time, and you don't want to go see them at all _?_!"

"While unfortunate, I fail to see why that is my fault," Iori said, his voice becoming surprisingly hard. He turned to look at Mimi, his expression serious. "No one asked for my permission. What gave you the right to decide such a thing for me?"

Mimi was startled by the harsh glare, but was too upset for Iori's unknown partner to back down right away. "None of us were _asked_ , but that doesn't matter! What matters is your partner is in the Digital World waiting for you!"

"It matters to _me_ ," Iori said, wavering neither in his stare nor his tone. "Having a 'partner' goes against _everything_ I stand for, and I will not allow anyone to undermine my principles. Please contact whoever you must to have this partnership canceled _immediately_."

"I'm afraid that's not how it works," Koshiro said, brow furrowing. "Our partners-"

" _This is not open for discussion_ ," Iori practically barked, his expression startlingly fierce for what they had seen of the boy's typical behavior. He fixed a withering glare on Koshiro, silencing the older boy. Without another word, he turned sharply on his heels and stormed towards the door to Taichi's apartment. Even as he appeared to seethe, he still opened the door with care before turning to the others. " _Have a good evening_." With that, he then closed the door behind him, as if he had closed the door on the entire conversation itself.

"What the heck was _that_ all about?" Daisuke asked as he stared at the closed door, dumbfounded.

Koshiro turned to Miyako, who he noticed looked more sad than surprised or upset. "Miyako, do you know what that was all about? I thought you told Iori about all this."

"I did," Miyako sighed before heading to the front door. "I'll handle it." She paused, her hand on the knob, before glancing back over her shoulder at Koshiro. "Just keep focused on getting our Digimon. Iori will come around... eventually."

Miyako left before Koshiro or anyone else had a chance to respond or probe the subject further, leaving the apartment heavy with an unpleasantly thick silence.

Sora stared after Miyako and Iori before she turned to Taichi, her expression helpless and confused. "What... should we do?"

Taichi groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I think everyone's had enough today. Let's just all get some rest and try to figure things out in the morning." He glanced sideways at his sister. "Besides, Hikari should get some more rest."

Hikari snapped out of her thoughts as she looked up at her brother. "I'm fine now. Don't worry about me."

"That doesn't change the fact that you need rest," Sora said, with a smile. "We all do." She turned to look at the other Chosen, glancing around. "We should all get some sleep. We've... had a rough day."

"Agreed," Koshiro said. "At least now we can email Babamon and Jijimon. Maybe we'll get more answers now."

Taichi looked at Sora, then at the remaining Chosen. Given everything that had happened, calling it a 'rough day' was a complete understatement. It had _started out_ rough just by going to the temple, and between the Digimon Kaiser's sudden appearance and attack on his little sister and the outburst of two of their younger members, Taichi felt as if he had climbed the mountain itself rather than being teleported to the stop. However, voicing those thoughts proved just as difficult as the day itself had been with the words failing to form. In the end, all the Chosen of Courage could do was let out a frustrated grunt and reach up to rub the back of his head. "Don't count on it."

As the atmosphere remained somber, the Chosen slowly began to depart the Yamagi residence. One by one, they filed away until only Hikari and Taichi was remaining - at least, it appeared so initially. After Taichi closed the door behind Koshiro, he turned to see Jou standing awkwardly to the side. The eldest Chosen's expression was a mixture of various emotions that Taichi couldn't recognize, but at the very least it was obvious that Jou was staring off in to space.

"Jou?" Taichi asked. When the older boy failed to respond, he waved his hand in front of Jou's face. "Hey Jou, you okay?"

Jou jumped with a yelp, nearly falling backwards before he whipped his head to stare at Taichi. "E-eh? W-what-?"

"You were zoned out there," Taichi said. "Is something on your mind?"

Jou opened his mouth to voice a denial but the words couldn't form initially. Instead, he closed his mouth with an audible click and looked down at the floor, pushing up his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "I... shouldn't have said anything. To Takeru."

Taichi rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah... I'm kinda kicking myself over that too, but it's that mark on him that's messing with his mind right now, so you shouldn't beat yourself up over it."

Jou looked as though he wanted to argue before he let out a heavy, resigned sigh. He glanced over to Hikari before returning his attention back to Taichi. "...If it gets worse, call me, okay? ...Not that I can do much." Without waiting for a reply, the Chosen of Honesty sullenly headed towards the front door.

Taichi blinked, surprised by the heavy funk hanging over Jou to the point where words failed him.

Hikari, however, followed after Jou, meeting him at the door just as it opened. "Jou?"

Jou glanced back to Hikari, his expression weary. "Yes, Hikari...?"

"We'll save Gomamon," Hikari said, her voice resolute. "Just hang in there."

Jou paused, seemingly taken aback as he stared at Hikari. After several long moments of silence, his expression softened as tears formed in his eyes. "...Thank you." He then opened the door, slipping through it in to the hallway before closing it behind him.

 

*

 

The sound of the ocean welcomed Hikari back to the monochrome seaside town. Like before, she felt a pervasive sense of dread, but it was less oppressive now as she moved quickly through the streets, anxiety quickening her footsteps. She ignored the cafe as she passed it by for the third time, wandering lost through the ever changing town. There was only one place she needed to go before the dream ended - the fun house.

Hikari swallowed a knot of fear that kept her quiet, cupping her mouth as she shouted into the gloom. " _Keiko!_ "

Despite the relatively short buildings and the wide open sky, Hikari's cries echoed back to her, but her voice never sounded quite right and only grew more distorted as it repeated softer and softer until the sound of waves carried it away.

A terrified tremor ran up Hikari's spine as she thought she heard laughter behind her. She hurried her footsteps, only to spy the ocean at the very edge of the fog. She turned sharply and went in a new direction to take her away from both.

The breaking of glass made Hikari choke down a shriek of fear, but it didn't stop her from jerking back instinctively. The sound had been loud, almost as though something had shattered beside her, yet she saw nothing that could account for the noise. The closest thing to her was a twisted lamp post sporting sign bearing the town's universal phrase. At the top was the skeleton of a metal cage that might have held glass once upon a time, but now it held only a mess of shredded papers discolored with age surrounding a mass of something dark and unnervingly slick where the bulb should have been. As she looked to the ground for any shards of glass, she thought she saw the lump twitch out of the corner of her eye.

Hikari quickened her pace, deciding she wasn't curious enough to investigate the lamp post further when it made her feel so uneasy. The whole town seemed to be more foreboding now, more menacing than before. She felt unseen eyes watching her – and not kindly. Perhaps it was just her imagination or the experience of past dreams, but she felt like a cat that had caught the gaze of a wild dog.

And it was hungry.

An unexpectedly familiar sound made Hikari pause and instinctively reach into her pocket, only to find empty air where her D-Terminal should have been. The distinct chime came again before she had a chance to wonder if she had only imagined it. As the sound continued, she noticed that it was warped, much like her voice when it echoed back to her. Fear held rooted her feet to the spot as a fleeting thought of a trap whispered at the back of her mind.

The indecision lasted for only a moment, then Hikari forced herself to move, following the distorted chime with the vain hope that it wasn't another of this place's mind games.

It wasn't long before Hikari arrived at her destination - the fun house. The sight of it brought her a rush of relief that immediately turned to ice as she noticed the mirror was cracked. "Keiko!"

Hikari ran the rest of the way, skidding to a halt in time for her red eyed gaze to meet Keiko's. She scarcely noticed how the other girl's expression and posture mirrored her panicked run until that instant as she focused more on the thin crack that started at Keiko's forehead and ran down the pale girl's face to create an asymmetrical distortion. Hikari's eyes followed the crack and others to their origin. Before, the mirror stood flush with the ground and was nearly twice Hikari's height - now a large chunk was missing from the bottom, cutting the image of Keiko off just below the knees. A spider web of cracks spread outward from the now jagged edge, but they spread broadly enough for the majority of the mirror to remain intact.

Hikari looked around, but saw no hint of the culprit responsible. She turned back to Keiko only to find that the dark girl wasn't looking at her, but was staring resolutely downward. The Chosen of Light felt her stomach twist as she felt pain for Keiko anew. "Don't... don't worry. We'll save you for sure." Though she tried to sound certain, her voice came out weak with worry.

There was no sign of reaction from Keiko. Hikari considered touching the mirror, but hesitated. Instead, she followed the Chosen of Darkness' gaze to the shards of glass on the ground. As she looked at them, a thought appeared in her head. Perhaps there was some way of putting the mirror back together, though what meaning it held was still beyond her.

It was then that Hikari noticed there wasn't only shards of glass piled in front of her. For a moment she didn't quite recognize the warped rectangle of metal and plastic, but as it let out familiar tone, she knew that it was a D-Terminal. Carefully, she picked the device up, grimacing at some strange viscous dark goo that oozed from cracks in the casing and clung to her fingers. The device nearly slipped out of her hands when it vibrated as it sputtered out a garbled version of the usual tune. Somehow it struck her as weak and pitiful instead of unnerving as when she first heard it.

Glancing back at the mirror, Hikari saw Keiko's eyes were fixed resolutely on the D-Terminal in her hands. She fumbled to open the device, as the burnt frame practically welded it shut. Only a hard yank finally pried it apart and she winced as the weakened lid cracked and crumbled to the ground. She shot Keiko an apologetic look for damaging the D-Terminal, but the dark haired girl's gaze never wavered from the mangled object in her hands.

The edges of the D-Terminal's screen were bubbled and dirty like the mirror's surface, but an open email was still plainly visible. On a stained background that was supposed to be white, jagged black lines appeared, as though someone were digging into it with coal pencil before her very eyes.

_WAKE UP!_

Just like that, Hikari's eyes shot open wide, and she found herself back in her bedroom. She sat up immediately, feeling strangely wide awake.

Tailmon looked over to her Chosen, already awake herself. Her cat eyes were starkly visible in the darkness. She was sitting at the foot of Hikari's bed with her D-Terminal in her lap, the device open so that the light cast an eerie glow on her face. "Another dream?"

Hikari nodded, but the sight of her open D-Terminal distracted her before she could give her partner the details. She a sudden spike of adrenaline as she thought of what happened in her dream. "A message...?"

Tailmon nodded as she moved closer to her Chosen so that the two could see the D-Terminal. "Something strange is happening." She turned her head to look back at the screen, where the meaning of her words appeared. There was indeed a message on the screen, but the letters kept disappearing as if it were being erased as it was being typed. As each letter disappeared, another tried to take its place. In the end, it was only because of the constant reappearance of letters that the message could even be legible - 'go back', repeating endlessly.

 Immediately, Hikari thought of the dream. "But she told me to wake up, so..."

Realization struck Hikari like lightning as the message changed to a single word before it ceased completely.

_HURRY!_

In an instant, Hikari was out of bed, grabbing her Digivice. "Tailmon, come on!" Trusting that her partner would follow, she ran out to her father's office to turn on the computer.

Tailmon jumped out of bed and followed after Hikari. "It's Keiko, isn't it? She really _is_ talking to you."

 Hikari nodded as she waited anxiously for the computer to boot up. Why did it have to be so slow? It made her almost tempted to run to Koshiro's place to use the laptop he had brought over this afternoon when the computer finally finished its overly long boot up process. "I'll explain after we get there." She held up her Digivice to the screen and steeled her will. Though she didn't have the Digital Gate program, she concentrated and hoped that she could make a connection like she did before when she reached out to Tailmon. If she just focused on her desire to return to the Digital World more than anything else, perhaps it would respond and give her what she wanted.

It seemed that Hikari's wish was answered. Even without the Digital Gate program, a burst of light appeared from the screen of the computer seconds before the Chosen of Light felt herself being pulled through to the Digital World. In an instant, the familiar scene of her home was gone and in its place was none other than the inside of the great cathedral they had been in earlier in the day. The massive room was shrouded in an eerie darkness, obstructing most of the mural as moonlight filtered in through the far mural - coincidentally, or perhaps no coincidence at all, the mural of the night sky in particular.

Hikari focused on the mural as she moved quietly across the smooth floor, which felt surprisingly warm against her bare feet. She could barely see more than shadows and moonlight, but that was enough to lead her to the symbol for the Crest of Darkness and its empty altar.

Tailmon followed after her Chosen, glancing about the area before she turned her attention to the altar. "I don't see Jijimon or Babamon anywhere."

Though it was only Hikari and Tailmon, somehow the Chosen of Light felt certain that they were not alone in the magnificent temple. She hesitated as a flicker of uncertainty ran through her. The Chosen of Darkness was trapped someplace, she was certain of it, but then who was in the darkness with them now? "Keiko...?"

A low rumble of thunder was all the warning Hikari got before a sudden burst of lightning tore through the night mural, shattering it as it struck the altar directly in front of the Chosen of Light. Tailmon lunged to shield Hikari from the glass, only for it to never fall. Instead, the mural slowly reformed itself as the shards dissolved, eliminating any evidence that it had ever been broken.

Tailmon stared at the mural before she turned to the altar. The altar was similarly unharmed despite seemingly being struck by lightning. However, the cat Digimon's eyes focused less on the non-existent damage and more to the altar itself - it was no longer empty. Sitting on the top of the altar itself was an object that hadn't been there before, glistening in the darkness with an ephemeral glow. It was a large orb seemingly nestled on a base made of what appeared to be numerous twisted, clawing hands.

However, as Hikari looked closer, she saw the illusion of hands was a trick of the light casting dark shadows and distorting the actual shape of the object. Twisted fingers clawing at the orb were actually coiling branches of a large silver tree made from many trunks created an intricate nest that gently held a glowing sphere made of blue-silver in a protective embrace. The surface of the orb was translucent, allowing her to see the image of repeating moons inside made from darkness and empty space.

"The Digimental of Darkness," Hikari whispered, her voice awed in reverence.

"I don't reckon we gotta tell ya just how _significant_ what just happened was," came a voice directly behind Hikari, causing both her and Tailmon to whip about. Standing behind the two, obscured by the darkness, was both Jijimon and Babamon. Jijimon tapped his staff on the ground before he tilted his head. "I didn't expect 'im to be willin'. I guess this really _is_ a place of Miracles."

Babamon smiled kindly at Hikari and Tailmon. "You won't have to worry about nightmares anymore, dear. Darkness is on your side."

Tailmon looked at the two Digimon, then to the Digimental. "This is... Keiko's Digimental?"

Hikari turned back to the Digimental. She thought of Keiko and the dream, which made her heart lurch with gratitude. She picked up the Digimental, marveling at how light and warm it was. "Keiko..." She took in a breath, steeling herself. "Wait for us. We'll rescue you for sure."

The smile faded from Babamon's face, but she said nothing as she looked to Jijimon.

Hikari failed to notice the change in expression by the time she turned back around. "Tailmon, this is what the dream was telling me. Keiko somehow managed to send us her Digimental."

Jijimon glanced at Babamon before he cleared his throat. "It goes without sayin', but I'm sayin' it anyway. Take care of that Digimental, an' don't let no one ya don't trust know ya got it."

Hikari turned to Jijimon, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Darkness doesn't get trusted much," Babamon sighed, her expression grave. "Both in your world and ours. You should tell the rest of the Chosen, but no further than that."

Tailmon furrowed her brow. "You mean-"

"And _especially_ ," Jijimon said as he twirled his staff before he pointed it at Hikari. " _Especially_. Don't let that thing leave yer possession for _any_ reason. I don't care what they say, what they beg, what sorta sob story they try to sell ya. There ain't no reason in this world that anyone but _you_ need that Digimental, an' yer bein' trusted to take care of it. The least you can do is honor that trust and don't do nothing that might violate it."

Hikari grimaced as she remembered the confrontation earlier, how her friends were reluctant to accept that there was a Crest of Darkness. She was certain that they could be convinced that Darkness wasn't inherently evil, but as she thought of all the evil Digimon the Chosen Children had faced and how they exploited the power of Darkness, as well as the truth Tenraimon whispered to her all those years ago. She knew that truth was difficult to accept easily. She nodded with understanding of the responsibility she now shouldered and held up her Digivice to the Digimental, which glowed in response to her will before it disappeared and became a tiny icon on the screen of her Digivice. "Don't worry." She held the Digivice to her chest protectively. "I won't let anything happen to it."

"We of all 'mons ain't got no business lecturin' ya, least of all about _this_ ," Jijimon said as he lowered his head, tapping the end of his staff against the floor. "But he don't trust easy, an' the fact that he'd let you have his Digimental... he's puttin' a lot of faith in you, girlie, an' I see no reason to question it."

"Narakumon," Hikari guessed quietly.

"None other," Babamon said with a sage nod. "And I imagine the timing isn't a coincidence either..."

"What do you mean?" Tailmon asked before she paused, staring as Jijimon twirled his staff before pointing it to the entrance to the temple. Tailmon hesitated before she proceeded over towards the doors. With a flourish of her arms, she opened the doors as a gust of chilly wind blew in from the snow-covered mountain top around them.

Standing high above the world, it gave Hikari and Tailmon a perfect view to see the far distant horizon as it blazed, flames kissing the night sky to create a blood red horizon reminiscent of a sunset.

 

*

 

The massive temple stretched across the luxurious lake, its ornate Eastern structure in sync with the crystal clear water as blue and white mingled together harmoniously. And yet the harmony had been completely destroyed, fire voraciously devouring the wreckage as the very water itself burned. Digimon scurried about, their screams echoing in to the night. The line had been broken, the defenses cracked. And as the Digimon Kaiser's army surged in to the temple like a terrible tide, the Digimon housed within could do nothing but flee in terror.

FlaWizarmon stood beside the Digimon Kaiser as he surveyed the chaos, his expression rather neutral. "Well, paint me white and call me Sorcerymon... for all the build up, they didn't put up much of a fight, did they?"

Witchmon let out an overly dramatic sigh as she stretched her arms over her head. "They're so pitiful I almost feel sorry for them."

"... _They're_ not the ones I prepared for." The Digimon Kaiser said as he tapped his fingers against his arm, keeping them crossed as he glared at the temple.

"I know, I know," FlaWizarmon said with a lopsided grin. "Just trying to keep the mood up, y'know? Gotta keep spirits high when an _execution_ 's coming."

Thunder rumbled as storm clouds formed overhead, illuminating the graying sky with flashes of lightning that sparked across the clouds and never touched the ground.

The Digimon Kaiser slowly lifted his head, uncoiling his arms so that he could reach for his whip.

It was difficult to tell where the dragon Digimon ended and the clouds and lightning began, as his serpentine body appeared to be made from both, as translucent as a ghost save for his adornments and his flowing white whiskers that formed a beard half as long as he was. His body was bound completely in chains from its tail to the sharp angled blue mask accented with lightning bolts that covered his face. Large spheres of shimmering blue drifted in lazy circles around all four of its massive jagged claws, glowing as eerily as the jagged blade that jutted from the brow of its mask like a horn. Its delicate looking wings fanned out as its four red eyes narrowed at the invaders.

When the Digimon spoke in a voice that rumbled low like thunder, yet was as heavy and weary as a drawn out storm. "So... you've finally come."

 "We made a promise, didn't we?" FlaWizarmon said, with a bright smile on his face.

Witchmon twirled a finger in the air. "I'm surprised you didn't have the welcome mat ready for us."

 The Digimon Kaiser glared up at the massive Digimon, gripping his whip and pulling it tight. "Qinglongmon."

The massive dragon, Qinglongmon, narrowed his eyes at the Chosen Child for a long moment. "I see... So _you're_ the Digimon Kaiser."

The Digimon Kaiser hesitated for a moment before his face twisted in to a scowl. "Yes. I am."

Qinglongmon's sigh was like a rumble of distant thunder. "Then I will not run from my fate. I know I do not deserve forgiveness for what I have done, but all I ask is that it end with me. Let your hatred die with me, and spare the rest of the Digital World your wrath."

The Digimon Kaiser stared at Qinglongmon for several moments before he pulled his whip tight with his hands, a slight tremor running through them. "You are in no position to make such demands of me. The fact that you would believe that you alone would be enough to satisfy me shows that your arrogance has not diminished in the slightest."

"...You had to know that this was coming," FlaWizarmon said, his eyes narrowing as all friendliness left his face. "Even if the others don't want to admit it."

Another exhale from Qinglongmon carried thunder across the horizon. "I knew that the two of you would come, but I had hoped that time could heal the wounds that day left behind so that you could live free of the darkness it birthed inside your heart, child."

Witchmon smiled without mirth, showing off her sharp teeth behind black painted lips. "Sorry, but it's far late to kiss and make up now."

"Enough," the Digimon Kaiser said with a low growl before he straightened up, glaring at Qinglongmon. The screams had long since ceased, as the Digimon had ever finished fleeing or were already captured by his Digimon army. "I've wasted enough time on you." He then twirled his whip and pointed it directly at Qinglongmon. "If you're going to 'accept your fate', then _hurry up and die_!"

As if on cue, two new Digimon approached the trio from behind. Moving slowly, the black rings resting around their necks like collars shimmered in the fire light. The two Digimon looked to be skeletons, one a towering dinosaur made of bleached bones with a pulsating heart in its chest and a flesh-like missile with a glaring face on its back while the other was a canine made of metallic blue bones with flesh-stripped wings. It was Skull Greymon and Skull Baluchimon, and the two focused their vacant red-eyed stare on Qinglongmon, devoid of any emotion.

Qinglongmon's eyes widened with horror as he saw the two undead Digimon. "What have you done?"

"It's not _Omegamon_ ," the Digimon Kaiser said, his face twisting in a scowl. "But I'd say, for the moment, they'll get the job done."

 

*

 

There was not much Hikari could see from the temple save for the distant storm and smoke. She thought she briefly saw a dragon somewhere in the clouds, but couldn't be sure. For a while there was only the wind and thunder to be heard until a terrible but far away scream made her shiver harder than the cold air. Dread twisted in her chest as a golden light burst from the clouds and destroyed them, leaving only black smoke and gilded particles that slowly evaporated.

A terrible realization hit Hikari - the gold was not energy or an attack, but data.

"What's... what's happening!?" Tailmon demanded, her ears twitching as she stared at the data.

Jijimon let out a low, heavy sigh. "War."


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

For a middle school soccer game, there was a surprisingly large crowd of people gathered at the soccer field that brisk, chilly morning. People of all ages, from children to adults, occupied most of the sidelines to the point that the coaches actually had to block off their sections with tape and chairs to keep people from intruding - and even then, there were still a few arguments with the bolder interlopers.

The bleachers were filled to capacity, and then some, as every seat was occupied while the excess stood on, around, and under the bleachers. Some had rather expensive looking professional-grade cameras, while most either had regular cameras or their cell phones. By the side of the road, a television crew had set itself up, their news van parked nearby.

The Chosen were lucky to get their seats, especially so close to the field. It was entirely due to their connections to the team. It had seemed odd that the coach would give them tickets for seating, but it was now abundantly clear why. He knew it was going to happen, and wanted to make sure that at least his team didn’t get shafted. As it was, the Chosen had to deal with the encroaching crowd, and more than one ballsy adult attempting to bribe them for their seats or intimidate them in to surrendering them as if they had done something wrong.

“The hell is this?” Yamato muttered as he eyed the gathering around him. “Even my _band_ doesn’t draw crowds like this.”

“This isn’t a crowd, it’s a _mob_.” Taichi said, similarly disturbed.

“I’d expect this from a _professional_ game,” Takeru said as he stood by the sidelines, in the area sectioned off for the team. He wore the club uniform of a red shirt with white shorts, along with the rest of the team. “This is just… _ridiculous_. Is this really because of _one_ kid?”

"It's not just some kid we're talking about," Daisuke said, brimming with excitement. "This is _Ken Ichijouji_!"

Takeru tilted his head as he grinned lopsidedly at Daisuke before he glanced over to the rest of the Chosen. Everyone had been assembled, save for one conspicuously missing person. "Taichi, where's Hikari?"

"She was still sleeping when I left," Taichi said. "With how tired she's been lately, I wasn't about to wake her up." He let out a quiet chuckle. "Besides, Tailmon threatened to kick me out of the apartment for the rest of the day if I tried."

Takeru blinked before he chuckled. He could totally see Tailmon making good on her word. "Yeah, she needs as much sleep as she can get."

"I'm sure she'll be able to see it later," Sora said as she watched the television crews setting up along the sidelines. "And we can tell her everything, too."

Daisuke felt his enthusiasm diminish slightly. "Aw man, so Hikari-chan isn't going to see me take on Ichijouji?"

Takeru tilted his head to the side. "She might come later to see it."

Daisuke's eyes lit up with hope. "You think so?"

Takeru nodded, with a smile. "I'm sure she'll head right over as soon as she wakes up."

"Mom said she'd remind Hikari when she got up," Taichi said. "So she could show up at any time."

Takeru glanced to Taichi before turning his attention back to Daisuke. "See? So don't worry about it. Just focus on your big day, and make the most of playing against Ken Ichijouji~!"

At that moment, the sound of a horn cut off all further conversation. As the gathered spectators and participants turned their heads, a massive bus pulled up to the side of the road. It completely dwarfed their own school bus, deep navy in color with silver and gold trim. As it slowly came to a stop, the door flipped open wide. Within moments, the occupants began to leave the bus, single-file as they carried their soccer bags - it was the Tamachi soccer club. The boys all wore black pants, navy socks with silver and gold stripes at the top, and a navy shirt with a silver collar and gold stripes on the sleeves and around the waist.

"It's them!" Daisuke squeaked, practically vibrating in place from the excitement.

The crowd seemed to share Daisuke's excitement, gathering around the bus as they watched and waited. While it seemed like an eternity, in actuality the wait was only several moments long before Ken Ichijouji finally stepped off the bus, the last one to disembark.

The lavender-haired boy from the interview wasn't wearing his gray uniform, instead wearing the same outfit as his teammates. He spared the gathered gawkers a small smile before he proceeded after the others, walking slowly and carefully as he ventured down the cement steps to the soccer field.

Lights flashed as cameras went off, with reporters scurrying forward to jut their microphones in the boy's face. Ken Ichijouji didn't respond with anything more than a polite smile as he walked past, keeping his pace steady.

In the stands, many girls and even some guys squealed at the sight of their idol walking by, even if technically they were supposed to be cheering for the other team. It seemed that Ken Ichijouji transcended even school loyalty.

In the stands, Mimi had to cover her ears as the shrieks pierced into her. "Wow... With the way everyone is acting, you'd think Ken Ichijouji is the hottest pop idol in Japan!"

Yamato frowned as he watched the purple haired boy walk on to the field, joining his teammates at the sidelines. "No kidding."

"He does commercials, far as I've seen," Takeru said as he crossed his arms. "Besides playing soccer."

The coach for the Odaiba team glanced over to Daisuke before turning his attention back to the opposite team. He was silent for a moment before he proceeded to walk over, making his way towards the other coach.

The other coach looked up to see the man approaching and arched an eyebrow quizzically. It was too far away to tell what the coaches were saying to each other, especially with the screaming crowds, but the Tamachi coach's expression grew frosty enough that the Chosen could feel the cold all the way from the other side of the field.

However, before any of the Chosen Children could really process to the strange reaction, Ken Ichijouji approached the two coaches and began to speak as well. He had an easy-going smile on his face, which seemed to defrost his coach's demeanor somewhat, before he turned to the man from Odaiba. A few more words were exchanged before the purple-haired superstar turned to face the Odaiba team.

Ken Ichijouji walked across the field smoothly, his eyes drifting across the assembled members of the Odaiba soccer team before they settled distinctively on Daisuke. The young man continued to approach, eliminating the distance between them until he was suddenly directly in front of the stupefied boy. Ken continued to smile as he raised his hand, offering it towards the boy. "Daisuke Motomiya, I assume? My name is Ken Ichijouji... it's a pleasure to meet you."

Daisuke instantly felt lightheaded as heat rushed to his face. He stammered, words falling apart on their way from his stunned mind to his mouth. Realizing that he was ruining his first impression, he tried to force _something_ out. " _Hi I'm Ken Ichijouji, you're Daisuke Motomiya! Holy crap, why are you talking to me? You're my biggest fan! It's a million more times my pleasure! This is the most pleasure I've ever felt in my life! My you're hero_!"

The faint pink in Daisuke's cheeks turned into full blown red. "I-I mean _I'm_ Daisuke and _you're_ Ken and you're _my_ biggest fan, er, hero! I meant hero! I'm _your_ biggest fan and you give me lots of pleasure! I-I-I- _I mean nice to meet you I'm Daisuke_!"

Daisuke slapped his hands over his mouth to prevent more mortifying words from stumbling out when he realized he was only making things worse. A muffled, incoherent noise eked out between his fingers as he debated on whether he should just run, or find a hole to bury himself in.

Ken chuckled lightly as he continued to smile. "So your coach has told me. I hope I'll be able to live up to your expectations."

Daisuke felt his mortification grow at hearing Ken laugh, but at least his idol didn't _seem_ offended. Meekly, he nodded, not trusting himself to speak again.

Ken reached forward, this time outright taking one of Daisuke's hands and giving it a gentle shake. "Here's to a good game. Let's do our best, alright?"

Daisuke nodded vigorously, biting his lower lip to keep his mouth shut, as he shook Ken's hand with such force it was as though he was trying to pump water from a well.

"Hey," Takeru said as he approached, placing a hand on Daisuke's shoulder to steady him. "If it's not too much trouble, could Daisuke have an autograph?"

Ken blinked before his smile brightened. "Of course! I'll sign whatever you like."

Daisuke's eyes widened to saucers and he immediately released his mouth. "Y-you will? _Really_? Oh my gosh, I've gotta find something for you to sign!" He patted his pockets, only to remember that they were empty. He scrambled around, looking for something to use, but he left his bag in the locker room as Chibimon and the rest of the Digimon were hiding out in the trees for the game.

 Taichi could see Daisuke rapidly approaching a meltdown and stifled a snicker as he drew in closer. "Hey, why don't you get Ken to sign your shirt?"

Daisuke blinked at Taichi. "Huh?"

Taichi grinned slyly as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder at where Yamato was seated in the bleachers. "Yeah. Yamato has fans asking him to sign their clothes all the time." He leaned in close, dropping his voice into a 'conspiratorial' tone that the others could still overhear. "Especially their underwear."

Daisuke sputtered, turning as red as a tomato. " _You want me to ask Ken Ichijouji to sign my underwear?_!"

Taichi blinked then scratched the back of his head. "Uh, no, actually. I was going to suggest your shirt. I was just teasing Yamato for having bras and panties thrown at him."

Daisuke could only utter a choked squeak, too mortified to manage anything else when he realized just how much he was humiliating himself in front of Ken.

Yamato arched an eyebrow. "You should probably think twice about mentioning other girls' underwear around Sora."

Taichi's eyes bugged out and he whipped around towards the bleachers. "W-wait a second! I didn't mean it like... it was just a..."

Sora made a show of rolling her eyes as she sat on the bleachers.

Ken, for what it was worth, seemed more amused than upset as he chuckled again. "To be honest, it wouldn't be the strangest thing I've been asked to sign." Reaching in to his soccer bag and pulled out a pen - it looked thick like a marker, clearly one meant for autographs. Clicking it open, he turned his attention back to Daisuke. "Where would you like me to sign? On the sleeve, the back, the collar?"

Daisuke snapped back to attention and stared at Ken and the pen before he looked wildly at his clothes for a nice blank spot where the signature would be unobstructed. He held out his shirt by the collar and tried to flatten in out as much as he could. "H-how about on the front? My number's on the back and the stripe on the sleeves will get in the way, but the front is empty, though it's red, but I'm not a pervert who's about to ask you to sign my shorts or underwear or anything like that, so don't worry about that!"

Ken smiled as he reached forward wordlessly. Carefully, he used the pen to write his name on the other boy's uniform. It took several moments but when he stopped, 'Ken Ichijouji' was clearly inscribed on the shirt with excellent penmanship. "There you go. I hope you enjoy it, Daisuke."

Daisuke couldn't stand still as he read Ken's name upside-down, excitement gushing forth. He was smiling so hard that his cheeks hurt. "Th- _thank you_! Thank you so much! I'll never wash this shirt again!"

Takeru imagined that Daisuke's mother would have something to say about that, but he kept the comment to himself. Instead, he smiled at the other Chosen. "Congratulations, Daisuke~!"

Daisuke laughed and flashed his grin at Takeru. "Thanks! Oh man, this is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me!"

Ken smiled brightly at the other boy, tilting his head to the side. "You're very welcome, Daisuke."

Daisuke faltered, as the sound of his name coming out of his idol's mouth was too much for him to take. He fidgeted and fumbled over a response, but words failed him, leaving out random syllables tumbling out haphazardly.

At that moment, a loud voice pierced the air, disrupting the atmosphere. "Ichijouji!"

 Ken paused and glanced back to see his coach waving him over. He nodded, then turned back to Daisuke. "Well, it looks like it's time. I look forward to playing against you. Good luck, Daisuke!" The purple haired boy smiled again before he turned and headed back towards his side of the field. As he walked, he passed by the Odaiba coach as he too returned to his team.

The Odaiba coach had a large grin on his face as he approached Daisuke, hands on his hips. "Well, Daisuke. Shall we show 'em what we're made of?"

"You bet!" Daisuke shouted before pumping his fists, bursting with excitement.

With a final shared smile between Daisuke and Takeru, the two followed their coach to join the rest of their teammates. The Chosen on the bleachers watched as Ken Ichijouji returned to his own team on the far side of the field.

"He seems like a really nice boy, doesn't he?" Sora asked as she placed her hands on her knees, propping herself up.

Iori made a non-committal noise as he sat beside her, then glanced over discreetly at Miyako.

"He's got a pristine reputation," Miyako said brightly. "He's a genius with patents out that have already made him and his family a fortune, yet he donates to charity!"

Yamato let out a low whistle as he crossed his arms, leaning back slightly. "It just feels way too surreal."

"Some people are just amazing like that," Miyako said, watching the opposing team's captain with interest. "They exceed the normal limitations we expect there to be and seem super human as a result, but Ichijouji proves if you work hard and put your mind to it, you can do anything."

Mimi leaned in close to Miyako with a knowing glint in her eye. "So you admire him do you, Miyako?"

A faint trace of heat appeared on Miyako's cheeks, though she tried to school her features and straighten up. "W-well, of course. Who wouldn't? Everyone should try to be like him!"

Mimi giggled behind her hand. "Oh really? That's all there is to it?"

Miyako refused to look at Mimi, though her cheeks warmed. "I have no idea what you're implying."

Mimi let out a cheerful hum. "I wonder~!"

Iori's face was decidedly neutral as he turned his attention back to the field. "They're about to start."

As the players got in to their positions, Daisuke took the front position on the field. It was no surprise to anyone that Ken Ichijouji took the same position on his own team, directly in front of Daisuke. Ken offered the other boy a smile as he took his place, relaxed compared to the tense and trembling Daisuke.

Daisuke could scarcely contain his excitement even as he tried valiantly to get his mind focused on the game. He couldn't get past the fact that he was facing off against the most famous prodigy in all of Japan, the boy who people believed might be able to claim the world cup. It was like a dream and the only way it could be better was if they were playing on the same team.

The referee blew his whistle, marking the start of the game. In that instant, no one was quite sure what had happened. Ken Ichijouji began to move, his foot contacting with the ball before he was gone from Daisuke's very eyes. Moving far faster than his opponent's ability to react, Ken moved swiftly around Daisuke before charging behind him. The other teammates gawked as the boy genius moved past them with great ease, like a cheetah sprinting across the savannah. Only Takeru seemed to have a sense of what was coming, but he couldn't do more than _prepare_ to move before Ken was past him, kicking the ball directly in to the goal while the goalkeeper stared at him with a slack jaw.

As the whistle sounded, Ken stepped back as he surveyed his victory, then turned to smile at his staring opponents.

"The... the hell is this kid...?" Takeru murmured, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

Daisuke was still beaming even though he knew he should've been unhappy that his team was already down behind a point. "That's Ken Ichijouji!"

It might have seemed like a lucky break, a moment of being off guard that wouldn't happen again. However, those familiar with Ken Ichijouji knew better. It wasn't luck or a golden opportunity taken advantage of, it was a prelude to the massacre.

Ken Ichijouji's movements were practically inhuman. At the very least, it as more than what a child should've been capable of. As the boy genius flew across the field, he showed the skill of a professional - though some would argue that even they would have great difficulty keeping up. Like a miniature hurricane, Ken blew across the field as if a force of nature. Whether it single-handedly scoring a goal or swiping the ball with ease, it was as if the players on the Odaiba team were nothing more than blades of grass on the field with no resistance to offer.

The Chosen Children could only gawk as Ken Ichijouji scored again and again, the crowd screaming with glee as the boy genius racked up the points. By the time he scored his tenth goal, most of the players on the Odaiba team had given up and weren't even attempting to stop their opponents.

Takeru scowled as he glanced at his teammates, many simply standing around and chatting. They had surrendered to their rather mortifying defeat at the hands of Ken Ichijouji. He turned to Daisuke, hoping that he wasn't taking the events badly. After all, it was his big moment, and he was losing so horribly that it was a surprise that the coaches didn't simply call and put an end the one-sided game.

Surprisingly, Daisuke's fire had not been extinguished in the slightest. His smile stretched from ear to ear as he relished the opportunity to face off against Ken Ichijouji. He never expected them to win, so being so far behind did nothing to ruin the fun he was having playing his very best.

Takeru felt rather relieved at Daisuke's enthusiasm, but it did little to change the current situation. "He's unbelievable, isn't he? He really _is_ a genius..."

"I know, isn't it great?" Daisuke asked as they jogged back to their positions.

"Yeah, but we're kind of getting slaughtered," Takeru said as he squatted down to stretch, then stood up and eyed their teammates. "Everyone else seems to have given up."

Daisuke's mirth was only briefly tainted by a roll of his eyes. "Forget them. Those guys don't know how to have a good time unless they're winning."

Takeru made a thoughtful noise at that. "True enough. Just playing against him is an experience." The Chosen of Hope paused when he spotted something out of the corner of his eyes. He turned before his eyes widened, focusing on the sight of someone _very_ familiar walking down the steps and attempting to make her way through the crowd - Hikari. "Ah! Hikari's here!"

Daisuke's eyes lit up as he quickly turned to catch sight of his friend. He grinned widely as he watched her take a seat next to Taichi and he felt his heart race as their eyes met. He stood a little more resolved as he returned his focus to the game. "Takeru, I need you near the net on the right for this play."

Takeru blinked before he nodded, his expression becoming serious. "You got it."

A twinkle of mischief appeared in Daisuke's eye as he lowered his voice. "But first, make sure you fake like you're making a play for the ball. He's favoring his right leg, so you'll come from his left. Got it?"

Takeru was startled by the observation, his eyes darting over to Ken Ichijouji. He hadn't noticed it, but he also hadn't been paying as close attention as Daisuke had apparently been. Rather than verbally responding, he flashed Daisuke a grin as he nodded before taking his position on the field.

When the referee blew the whistle, the scene unfolded just like before, with Ken taking charge of the ball almost immediately.

True to Daisuke's plan, Takeru promptly went after the boy genius as fast as he could. He made a specific point to come from Ken's left, and he felt a rush when he noticed precisely what Daisuke had mentioned - Ken was favoring his leg, ever so slightly. The Chosen of Hope couldn't help but feel a bit _proud_ of Daisuke. It was so subtle, and yet the boy had noticed it easily. People really didn't seem to give Daisuke nearly enough credit.

Ken noticed Takeru coming up on him and, as Takeru had hoped, shifted his stance to move the ball out of Takeru's reach. The genius turned his head to look at Takeru, offering him a pleasant smile even as he denied him his opportunity to steal the ball.

That moment of inattention was just what Daisuke had been waiting for. He noticed that tendency Ken had as well - to flash a smile at whoever got in his way. It left only a split second window to get in close before Ken noticed Daisuke coming at him from the right. On any other day, the genius boy could have swerved out of the way, but one leg slowed by weakness bought Daisuke just enough time to slide in with his foot extended and knock the ball away, directly where Takeru was headed.

Takeru felt a surge of satisfaction as the smile disappeared from Ken's face, transforming in to stunned shock. As Daisuke's foot impacted solidly with his own, Ken stumbled forward, losing his balance in a way completely unbefitting a genius. He only managed a step or two before his legs gave out beneath him, sending the great Ken Ichijouji to the ground.

The screams of protest from the crowd meant nothing to Takeru. No referee sounded a whistle, and that was the only sound that mattered. Ignoring the furious fans, he headed to his position, making it to the goal just in time for Daisuke to shoot the ball in his direction.

Ken Ichijouji did little more than sit on the field in shock, staring as Takeru went for the goal. The goalkeeper similarly reacted with surprise and confusion, as if he hadn't had to defend their goal in a _very_ long time. The poor boy was paralyzed with indecision as Takeru kicked the ball in his direction, and it flew right past in to the goal.

The referee blew his whistle, signaling the goal as the crowd launched in to a loud uproar around the field.

Daisuke bolted over to Takeru, wrapping his arms around his friend's midsection and foisting the blond into the air for all of two seconds before his arms gave out, but it did nothing to dampen his glee. "We did it!"

Takeru was similarly overcome with emotion, grinning from ear to ear. "That was _brilliant_ , Daisuke!"

Although the Chosen Children cheered in the stands, the sentiment was not shared by the majority of the crowd. The boos and jeers were almost deafening from Ken's most vocal fans, some even throwing empty cups or snack foods towards the field.

Taichi jumped to his feet, pumping his arms high into the air. "Great job, Daisuke!"

"That was _awesome_ , Takeru!" Yamato yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth to make his voice boom above the rest. Projecting was something he had learned for his band, and it certainly came in handy now.

Taichi opened his mouth to shout something else, when an empty soda can bounced off the back of his head. He yelped and crouched down covering where he was it, as Hikari and Sora immediately went to his sides.

"Oh my gawd, how can you cheer on that creep?" a girl higher up in the bleachers shouted. "Motomiya is the worst! The absolute worst! He attacked Ichijouji! He's the worst!"

Taichi shot a glare behind him at the girl and her friends who echoed her sentiments. "Girls who throw cans at people are worse than the worst!"

The retort was answered by a snack bag smacking into Taichi's face, sending an explosion of potato chips everywhere.

Yamato felt a rush of anger and whirled to face the girl, clenching his fists. "What the hell is _wrong_ with-!?" The words stopped immediately as his eyes settled on the girl, who had suddenly gone completely silent with a pale face. And it wasn't just her, but everyone else around her. All the jeering and snarls immediately stopped as an awkward silence descended, the other occupants of the bleachers looking vastly uncomfortable as they calmed down and slouched down in their seats as if they thought to disappear in to them entirely.

Yamato blinked, then turned his head to follow their eyes. His gaze settled on Iori, who had turned about to stare at the people behind them. Almost immediately, he was stricken by the sharp stare that came from such a quiet boy. It felt as though it was piercing his very soul, the unspoken judgment palpable. The fact that it wasn't even aimed at him didn't matter, the residual effect was enough. Despite the boy being many years his junior, he felt as though he were back in class and his teacher had just caught him misbehaving. Even his own anger quieted down inside of him, completely taken aback.

The group of Ken's fans nervously left their seats and moved to another, more crowded area rather than remain in the path of Iori's intense gaze.

Iori's gaze followed the group as they retreated, completely unyielding. Bystanders seemed to flinch as it passed by them, then relieved as it continued onward after the girls. Once the group had settled down elsewhere, only then did Iori's expression finally ease and he turned his attention back to the field.

Mimi stared at Iori in amazement. "Wow. That was impressive!"

Miyako smirked and placed a hand on Iori's shoulder. "Those eyes of yours should be classified as lethal weapons."

Iori blinked before he turned to Mimi and Miyako, his expression back to its more calm state. "I simply can't stand people behaving shamefully."

Taichi continued to rub the lump on the back of his head as Sora picked potato chips off him. "I'd say those girls were shame _less_."

Jou promptly pulled an ice pack out of his first-aid bag, extending it towards Taichi. "H-here..."

Taichi flashed his friend a grin as he gratefully accepted the icepack. "Thanks, man."

When Daisuke noticed Ken was still on the ground, his elation evaporated by a sense of panic. He bolted over to his idol's side and extended a hand. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Ken seemed to jerk out of the stupor he was in, staring up at Daisuke for a moment. Then, quickly, his smile returned to his face, though it appeared rather sheepish compared to his earlier ones. He reached up to accept Daisuke's hand, allowing the other boy to help him up. "No, no, I'm fine. That's what shin-guards are for, right?" The smile grew relaxed again as Ken was steadily on his feet once more. "I was simply... surprised. That was quite an amazing play, Daisuke."

Daisuke felt heat flood his cheeks, resulting in a goofy smile as he held Ken's hand longer than he needed to. "Th-thanks! You really mean it?"

"Absolutely," Ken said, brightly. "You caught me completely off-guard. I've played against full-grown professionals, and not even they managed that."

The warmth Daisuke felt turned into a roaring flame. He tried to think of an intelligent response, but all he could manage was some embarrassed giggles.

Takeru watched the scene, rather relieved. He was glad to see that Ken didn't harbor any ill-will towards Daisuke for his play, as it was always a good chance that a genius wouldn't appreciate being thwarted even once despite still winning the game by a large margin. "Good for you, Daisuke." he murmured, to himself.

And with the goal, the game ended on a remarkably high note. Despite the final score still showing a severe beat down, neither Daisuke nor Takeru cared. Their one goal was more than enough for them, and even their coach seemed thrilled with the development. The coach grinned from ear to ear as his team gathered around him, the older man focusing his attention on Daisuke and Takeru.

"That was some _fantastic_ teamwork there, boys," the coach said, nodding his approval.

"We still lost," one of the other boys on their team grumbled.

"Who cares?" Daisuke chuckled, energized despite the loss. "We scored against Ichijouji! That's practically _impossible_!"

"You mean _you_ scored because the ref wasn't looking at you attacking Ichijouji."

Daisuke looked around to see who made such an accusation, but he didn't see the one behind it. He faltered for a moment before bringing his smile back. "Hey, that's what shin guards are for, right? Besides, Ichijouji knows that's part of the game and wasn't mad about it. He even said I did great! Better than professionals!"

One of the boys rolled his eyes. "Yeah right."

"It was a legal play," Takeru said, his tone friendly despite a slight edge. "Besides, at least he did _something_ instead of standing around with a stupid look on his face like you all did."

"St-stupid?!" the boy sputtered, indignant.

Takeru turned his attention to the boy, still smiling. " _Unlike the rest of you_ , Daisuke didn't give up and kept trying - and managed to score because of it. For all of the crap talk about Daisuke, he wasn't the one standing around _uselessly_ while Ken Ichijouji scored to his heart's content."

"We're not useless!" another teammate snapped. "You two are just cocky because you got _lucky_ , that's all!"

"You _do_ realize that you were being recorded, right?" Takeru asked, lightly. "It's going to be all over the news."

The boy sputtered, but couldn't come up with a response. Judging by the wide-eyed look on his and others' faces, much of the team had not thought of that until just that moment.

"Alright, alright, there's no reason to squabble," the coach said, assumingly. "You all did your best, and-"

"Excuse me."

The coach stopped and looked up, the rest of the team turning to look behind them. They immediately jerked at the sight of none other than Ken Ichijouji approaching them. He came to a stop at the edge of the field, his expression pleasant.

"I apologize for interrupting, but may I speak with Daisuke?" Ken asked, respectfully.

Daisuke looked around at the others, as though expecting Ken meant another person with his first name. He pointed at himself before realizing how goofy he must have looked and tried to act more confident than he felt as he strode towards Ken. "Y-yeah! Heck yeah! Of course!"

Ken drew closer to Daisuke before he extended his hand, revealing a small card he held. "Here, I'd like you to have this."

Daisuke stared dumbly at the card as he accepted it. For a moment he could only stare in befuddlement until it sunk in that what he was seeing was a business card with a phone number neatly printed on it. "This is...?"

"It's my personal phone number, as well as my email address," Ken said, his voice dropping down low. "Please keep this to yourself, as it's not available to the public."

Daisuke stammered for a moment, blown away by such an amazing gift. "I... really? You want _me_ to have this? Seriously?"

Ken nodded before he offered the other boy a sheepish smile. "Though I'll understand if you don't accept. It _is_ a bit sudden..."

"I-I accept!" Daisuke blurted out, heart racing as he feared Ken might take the card back. "I'll email you every day! Count on it!"

Ken chuckled. "Thank you. I'll look forward to it." He gave the other boy a small wave and a smile to match before he turned and headed back to his team.

Takeru watched Ken leave before he approached Daisuke, lightly elbowing the boy in the side as he grinned. "Congratulations, Daisuke~!"

Daisuke barely noticed, his gaze entirely fixed on the card in his hands. He was practically quaking with excitement. "This... this is amazing!" He whirled around sharply on his heels to grab Takeru's shoulder. "Do you know what this means?! Ken Ichijouji, _the_ Ken Ichijouji likes me! _Me_!"

Takeru nodded as he continued to grin, happy for his friend. "You made a good impression. Looks like your hard work paid off."

Daisuke pumped his fist into the air and let out a crow of triumph. "This is the best day of my _life_!"

The rest of the Chosen Children were quick to join Daisuke and Takeru now that the game was over, offering their congratulations despite the loss. Though the rest of the team dispersed with an air of gloom, it did nothing to dampen the Chosen's spirits.

Taichi grabbed Daisuke in a headlock and delivered a playful noogie. "Nice job you guys!"

Daisuke sputtered and flailed a bit, laughing even as he tried to escape. "Thanks, Senpai!"

"He better stop hurting Daisuke, or I'll bite him again!" Chibimon growled as he watched the Chosen through the abandoned bleachers by the unused field, a distance away from the field Daisuke had just played on. It hadn't been the best place to watch the game from, but it was the only place where he didn't run the risk of being spotted - especially with the crowd thinning around them. No one else had wanted to use them, given the distance, but Digimon eyes were far better than human eyes; they had no trouble keeping an eye on the action.

Patamon gave Chibimon a pat on the head, as he and the rest of the Digimon shared the underside of the unused bleachers as their hiding spot for the game. "Don't worry, Taichi's just being friendly."

Hikari smiled as she approached the two boys. "I'm sorry your team lost, but I saw that goal you two made - it was amazing how you managed to steal the ball like that."

Daisuke turned bright red and rubbed the back of his head with a giggle. "Th-thanks, Hikari-chan!"

"That was pretty incredible," Yamato agreed, then paused and turned his head to watch as the bus holding the Tamachi team pulled away. With it gone, the rest of the crowd dispersed, no longer interested. "...I'm surprised no one tried to mob you, though."

Daisuke blinked at Yamato. "Mob us?"

Taichi jerked a thumb at the rapidly emptying bleachers. "Ichijouji's fans aren't too happy with you two scoring on their idol apparently."

Daisuke's eyes widened with understanding. "Oh! Crap, they would, wouldn't they? I know I'd be angry if anyone else got a goal against him."

Miyako smirked. "And yet you seem pretty happy."

Daisuke eyed Miyako, his cheeks tinting again. "That's different!"

"It's not any of their business, anyway," Takeru said as he eyed the thinning crowd. "Ichijouji was perfectly fine with it."

"Right!" Daisuke said quickly before a grin broke out on his face. "Hikari-chan! Ichijouji gave me his phone number and email!" He thrust the card out so the Chosen of Light could see it. "Isn't that _awesome_?"

Hikari jerked back as the card was suddenly in her face, but smiled all the same. "That's wonderful, Dai-"

"Are you serious?" Miyako blurted out before snatching away the card to gawk at it.

"Hey!" Daisuke shouted, scowling. "Give that back!"

Much to Daisuke's surprise, Miyako did so after looking the card over front to back.

"Wow, Motomiya," Miyako said. "You must've left a real impression on him."

Daisuke felt off-balance by the remark, suspecting some sort of sarcasm within it, only the tone had come off as genuine. "Well... I..."

"Ichijouji _never_ hangs out socially," Miyako said thoughtfully. "He's always way too busy. I guess he must actually see you as a real rival because you two managed to score a goal on him." She glanced over at Takeru. "Did you get one too, Takeshi?"

Takeru shook his head before he offered Miyako a crooked grin. "That's fine, though. Daisuke was the one who got the ball away from him. Without that, I never would've scored."

"True," Miyako said. "That _was_ pretty impressive."

Daisuke eyed Miyako, uncertain. "Why're you being so nice to me all of a sudden, Inoe?"

Miyako blinked at Daisuke. "What do you mean 'all of a sudden'? I've been nothing _but_ nice even when you've been a jerk!"

A scowl marred Daisuke's face. "Hey! You're the one who got upset that my skull wasn't cracked open!"

Miyako stared at Daisuke as though he had suddenly grown a second head. "What? When?"

"When that bucket almost hit me!" Daisuke snapped.

"I was calling you an ambulance!" Miyako shouted as she threw her arms out to her sides.

A sharp whistle interrupted the two, causing both of them to whirl about and stare at the source - Iori. The boy had his fingers in his mouth from generating the piercing sound, which had successfully pierced the conversation. With their attention now on them, Iori lowered his hand as he offered a serene smile to the two. "Regardless, shall we go? Chibimon is quite desperate to congratulate Daisuke as well."

"Oh yeah!" Daisuke said. "I gotta go show Chibimon!" Without another word he raced towards the unoccupied bleachers to show his partner his brand new treasure.

Hikari smiled as she watched Daisuke hurry off then turned to Takeru, dropping her voice to a whisper. "How are you doing?"

Takeru watched Daisuke run off before he let out a soft sigh. He'd need to thank Iori later for stopping the fight, when neither Daisuke nor Miyako were around. Besides, there was something a bit more pressing at the moment. "...I'm fine. No better, no worse. ...How about you?"

Hikari took a moment to consider the question seriously, a trace of sadness coming to her eyes. "I'm sleeping a lot better now... but I'm worried we might be running out of time to save Keiko."

"Huh?" Sora blinked before she furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

Hikari hesitated for a moment as all eyes turned towards her, making her feel suddenly uncertain about her gut instinct. "Well... whenever I see Keiko in my dreams... it's always in this... mirror." She faltered for a moment, knowing how strange she sounded, but pushed herself to keep going. "Last night, the mirror was partially broken."

"Yeah, that's not ominous _at all_ ," Takeru muttered as he crossed his arms. "I wonder, did something happen...?"

"I think I had something to do with this," Hikari said as she held up her Digivice, which displayed the clear image of an egg on its small screen.

Koshiro jerked. "A Digimental?"

Takeru leaned over to stare at the screen, his eyes widening. "It's... I don't recognize it. It's not one of the ones we got earlier... so when...?"

"It's Keiko's Digimental," Hikari said quietly.

The collective outburst from the other Chosen was instant, all of them reacting with varying degrees of shock. They all began talking at once, ranging from repeating what Hikari had said to questioning her about where she had gotten such a thing. Only Takeru remained quiet as he stared at Hikari, before he frowned. He gave a quick glance around them, noting the stares they were getting from the people still lingering about.

"...Let's talk about this somewhere else," Takeru said. "Like Koshiro's house, or Taichi's."

Hikari nodded. "Right."

"Ah, excuse me," Iori said as he glanced at the Chosen. "Please go on ahead and I'll meet you there. I need to make a stop on the way."

Yamato blinked. "A stop?"

"There's an anime store along the way," Iori said, glancing at Miyako out of the corner of his eye. "I'd like to pick up a purchase."

Miyako's cheeks pinked as she suddenly found the clouds absolutely riveting.

"Well, if it's along the way, then why don't we all go together?" Sora asked, with a smile.

"That's a good idea," Mimi said cheerfully. "I've been meaning to pick up the latest Pokémon DVD anyway."

Miyako snapped her head around to stare at Mimi with wide eyes. "You _like_ Pokémon?"

Mimi smiled and nodded. "I think it's a really cute series! It sort of reminds me of us, honestly, but the stuff that happens is more cheerful and all about friendship, and everyone in the world gets to have their own partner."

Koshiro let out a wry chuckle. "I'm not sure everyone in the world having their own Digimon partner would be a very good idea."

"Oh man, can you imagine?" Taichi asked. "World War 3 - my Digimon is better than your Digimon!"

Yamato crossed his arms. "We're having enough trouble with just _one_ tyrant with a Digimon!"

Takeru felt a shiver up his spine, but he tried to dismiss it with a small laugh. "Well, at least we know that's not possible."

"Is that so?" Iori asked, looking at the other Chosen as he began walking off the field. Following his lead, the other Chosen Children made their way off the field to the sidewalk. "How do you know?"

"I suppose in theory it's not _impossible_ for the DigiGods to make more Chosen Children," Koshiro admitted, "But there's only 15 crests so somehow I don't think there will be anymore."

"...I see," Iori said, thoughtfully. "So there is a Crest for each Chosen. Or is it that there's a Chosen for each Crest?"

Mimi blinked. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"No," Iori replied, with a shake of his head. "If there is a Crest for each Chosen, it means a new Crest is created each time a Chosen is... chosen."

Koshiro scratched the back of his head as he considered that. "Given what we've learned about the Crests so far, I doubt that it's possible to make more."

"And considering that mural at the temple, there definitely seems to be some kind of pattern," Takeru said as he crossed his arms. "Three sets of five."

"Four Guard Crests for every God Crest," Koshiro said.

Daisuke caught up with the group with his duffle bag slung over his shoulders. "What's this about the Crests?"

"Oh, it's just a question of which came first," Takeru said as he smiled at Daisuke. "And if there can be more Chosen. All things considered, it looks like fifteen is the magic number."

"I just wonder why they're arranged like that," Sora said as she let out a heavy sigh, crossing her arms. "Does it mean anything? Or was it random?"

"We'll probably have to ask the DigiGods themselves if we want to know the answer," Koshiro said thoughtfully.

Taichi noticed that Jou was lagging behind the group and slowed his pace to match the older boy. "Hey."

Jou lifted his head slightly, his eyes not quite meeting Taichi's. "Yes?"

Taichi flashed Jou a grin despite the other boy's gloom. "Chicken butt."

Jou stopped abruptly at that, his eyes widening as he stared at Taichi. "C-c-c-chicken-!? What!?"

Taichi couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Hah! I knew that'd get a reaction out of you!"

Jou blinked as he reached up to adjust his glasses, looking rather flustered. "H-huh...?"

Taichi delivered a gentle punch to Jou's shoulder and winked. "Come on, since we're heading to get DVDs anyway, I'll treat you to one."A moment later, Taichi's face contorted slightly as he considered his actual funds verses the price of DVDs. "Er, wait, actually that's probably too expensive." He flashed Jou a sheepish smile. "How about I treat you to an ice cream cone?"

Jou flinched lightly at the punch before he stared at Taichi, opening his mouth to respond even as the words failed to come.

Hikari noticed the two boys conversing and wore an innocent expression. "Big Brother, I thought you were saving your allowance for the date you have with Sora this Saturday."

Both Sora's and Taichi's face seemed to turn red at the comment, the two uttering the same protest at the same time, blurting out. "I-it's not a date!" Realizing what they did, the two glanced at each other before quickly looking away, their faces blushing deeply.

Jou glanced at the other Chosen for several minutes before an awkward smile graced his face, just in time for an equally awkward chuckle to escape him. He reached up to push back his glasses so that he could wipe at his eyes, removing any suspicious moisture that might have built up. "Chicken butt... hah..."

Despite being embarrassed, Taichi couldn't help but smile.

The walk to the anime store was relatively quick, time passing quickly as the Chosen talked amongst themselves and enjoyed each other's company. By the time they arrived, they nearly walked right by it when Iori suddenly stopped, drawing their attention back to the store.

"Ah, here we are," Iori said as he looked do the door, then back at the Chosen. "Please excuse me, I'll return shortly."

Takeru watched as Iori headed in to the store, then turned to Miyako. "I wouldn't have expected Iori to like anime."

"Considering how hard he tries to act like a grown up, I would've thought he'd think anime was too childish," Yamato agreed as he looked at the bright posters lining the windows, each advertising different animations in an attempt to lure fans inside.

Miyako fiddled with a collapsible screwdriver from her pocket as she carefully kept her expression casual. "Yeah, well..."

Mimi lightly slapped Yamato's shoulder, though her smile let him know she was being playful. "Anime isn't childish, it's fun!" With that she entered the store while humming the Pokémon theme song.

Miyako watched Mimi disappear inside the store, her poker face dropping due to her intense conflicting emotions.

Yamato watched Mimi go inside, chuckling. "True enough."

The rest of the Chosen loitered about, either inside the store or just outside. Soon enough, Mimi returned to them with a bag, containing a DVD and a plush doll - it looked like a hairless pink cat. As she spent the next several minutes talking to Sora about her new toy, the others awaited Iori's return. Thankfully, it wasn't that much longer until Iori finally left the store himself, a large bag in tow.

Iori smiled to the other Chosen as he carried the bag. "Thank you for waiting."

"What's in the bag?" Takeru asked, looking down at it. It was large and square, barely fitting in the bag itself. Images of girls in sailor uniforms peeked out among the plastic. "Is that..."

"It's the limited edition DVD set of the entire first season of 'Moonlight Magic'," Iori said, lifting up the bag. "It's a live-action magical girl show that was very popular several years ago - and still is. It finally got renewed for a second season, so they released this special edition as a promotion."

"I remember that!" Mimi squealed. "It was so cute and fun!"

Miyako failed to fight away the blush from her cheeks as she looked at Mimi, but words failed to come.

"It's awfully big for a DVD set," Takeru said, eying the box.

"That's because it includes a figurine," Iori said as he reached in to the bag, pulling out the box. "It's of the main character for the first season. She's since left the show due to contract disagreements and was replaced for the second season, but they still made a figure of her."

Hikari's reaction to the image of the figurine was to gasp, her eyes widening. Although the figurine was dressed in a sparkling dress full of color and wearing a smile while brandishing a magic wand, the familiar pale face contrasted with pitch black hair and vivid red eyes was unmistakable. "That's Keiko!"

Taichi blinked and finally paid attention to the conversation, pulling himself away from where he and Daisuke had been discussing soccer. "What? Keiko? Where?"

Takeru's eyes were similarly focused on the figure, his jaw dropping at the sight. Despite the dress and the smile, there was absolutely no question of it - it was the girl from the Dark World. "It is... it _is_ Keiko! That's Keiko!"

Iori blinked, then looked down at the figure. "Ah? You mean... Keiko Makura?"

Miyako looked between Takeru and Hikari, dumbfounded. "Are you serious?"

Koshiro moved in to get a closer look at the figure and the front picture on the DVD where the stars of the show were prominently displayed. "Are you sure this is her?"

"Definitely," Takeru muttered as he stared at the figure, then turned to look at Hikari. "Absolutely."

Hikari nodded, her eyes never straying far from the figure.

"Awesome!" Daisuke cheered. "We found another Chosen Child!"

Koshiro turned to Iori. "How much do you know about her? Do you have any idea what her address is, or...?"

" _I_ wouldn't know, but-" Iori said as he turned to eye Miyako.

"I can look it up!" Miyako blurted out. "I'm sure there's a website about her that has the information. I can have all the info right away!"

Koshiro nodded, an eager light coming to his eyes. "It shouldn't be that hard to get information about her if she's a celebrity. Maybe her family will know something about what happened to her."

"Let's hurry to Taichi's," Takeru said, still looking at Hikari. "We can look up more on Keiko and Hikari can tell us how she got Keiko's Digimental. ...The Digimental of Darkness."

*

As the limo pulled to a stop in front of the apartment complex that housed the Ichijouji residence, the chauffeur hurried out to open the side door for its occupant. Ken slipped out of the luxurious vehicle, sparing his chauffeur the barest of glances before he walked away from the limo, heading towards the building. The chauffeur didn't seem to mind, or even expect any acknowledgement, as he proceeded back in to the limo and drove off just as Ken arrived at his front steps.

Ken's movements were stiff and unnatural, his leg throbbing in a pain that he refused to let dictate his behavior. He ignored the instinct to baby his injured leg, instead using it equally with the other as he made his way up the steps. Blood began to seep in to his soccer socks, very faint against the black so that it appeared as little more than a bit of moisture. The bandages binding his ankle had long since reaching their limit.

Ken opened the front door and entered his apartment, not announcing himself in any way. He continued his stiff walk, even as his ankle screamed at him. He passed by the kitchen and stopped to eye his mother, who was busily washing off the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. He stood there silently for several moments, saying nothing.

Ken's mother hummed as she closed the dishwasher, then turned about. She let out a small squeak as she saw her son standing in the entryway. As the initial shock wore off, she let out a small sigh as she placed her hand over her chest. "Oh, Ken. You startled me!"

Ken said nothing, staring at his mother with an unreadable expression.

"Welcome home," Ken's mother said as she dried her hands on a dishtowel. "It's such a lovely day, isn't it?"

Ken's expression didn't change. "You didn't come to my soccer game."

"Oh? Was that today?" Ken's mother asked, with an air of innocence, before she turned around and began busying herself with wiping down the counters with her dishtowel. "I was so busy, you know how it is. I had shopping to do."

Ken narrowed his eyes before he proceeded past the kitchen, down the hallway.

"Oh, that's right!" Ken's mother said as she peered around the hallway to watch her son retreat to his room. "Everyone's been talking about that big interview you did for the news! Why didn't you tell me? Your father and I would have loved to go and watch!"

"I had shopping to do." Ken replied simply, before he slammed the bedroom door behind him.


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

Miyako prided herself on being excellent at multitasking, which was why she had no problem listening to Hikari like the rest of the Chosen Children while she searched the internet on Koshiro's laptop for information about the mysterious Keiko Makura. One of her findings in particular made her side-eye Iori, who was too focused on Hikari at the moment to notice.

"And it just _appeared_?" Takeru asked, before he frowned. "There definitely wasn't a Digimental there when we visited together. So does that mean it was _placed_ there?"

Hikari nodded, holding her Digivice out so that others could see the small icon of the Digimental on its screen. "Keiko must've had something to do with it being there. I'm sure of it."

"This certainly proves it wasn't just a dream," Sora said, furrowing her brow. "Though it was really dangerous for you to go by yourself."

"I was with her," Tailmon said, with a snap of her tail.

Miyako frowned, as from her angle she was unable to see the Digivice well. Fortunately, she was within arm's reach. "Let me see that."

Hikari jerked the Digivice back before Miyako could snag it, acting without really thinking. When she realized what she had done, Hikari gave the other girl apologetic look. "Sorry, but I... I don't think it's a good idea for me to let go of it."

Miyako frowned and glanced over at Takeru's shoulder before turning her attention back to Hikari. "Because Keiko wanted you to have it, right?"

Hikari nodded. "I think my having the Digimental of Darkness might be key to saving her."

Miyako let out a noncommittal rumble at the back nod her throat before she went back to her fact finding.

The entire story made Taichi's gut churn with unease. "Hikari, I don't think you should go to the Digital World on your own like that again." He paused, noticing the glare Tailmon shot his way. "Er, I mean you _and_ Tailmon. The Digimon Kaiser could've shown up and attacked you again!"

Hikari unthinkingly touched the bandage on her cheek before shaking her head. "I'm not worried about that. I think-"

"Well I sure am!" Taichi shouted. "The guy attacked _you_! With a whip! Who knows what he would've done if he got you alone... ah... with Tailmon distracted by his two goons and who knows how many enslaved Digimon. He beat her up _bad_ before when _she_ was alone, you know."

Tailmon's ears canted back as she stared hard at Taichi. "That was different. Besides, Hikari can gate out if she has to. She's done it before."

Takeru made a noise in the back of his throat. He agreed with Taichi, not liking the idea of Hikari going to the Digital World by herself - even with Tailmon. "Maybe next time, shoot someone an email? I don't care how late it is, and I don't think anyone else would, either."

"That goes for _everyone_ ," Yamato said as he side-eyed his younger brother, who seemed to catch the implication and tensed. "Even if it's late, if something's happening, send an email."

"Yeah!" Daisuke said with enthusiasm despite being just as troubled. "I would've ran over if I had to! Heck, Senpai _lives_ with you, so he could've gone when you did."

Hikari felt embarrassed warmth rush to her cheeks. "Sorry. Keiko was so urgent about me getting there right away that I just acted without thinking."

"Well, she _is_ Taichi's little sister after all," Mimi said lightly, tapping her chin.

Taichi shot Mimi a scowl. "Hey."

Mimi merely giggled and stuck out her tongue at Taichi in response.

"I'm sure she had her reasons," Sora said, glancing at Taichi with a soft smile before returning her attention to Hikari. "It's just that it's better to be careful. Especially since he..." The Chosen of Love trailed off as her eyes went to Hikari's bandage. "...He's already shown that he's not above attacking _us_ too."

"Let's just make it official," Yamato said, glancing around the room. "If _anything_ happens, send out an email. Even if it seems really small. That way, we won't run the risk of someone disappearing in to the night and no one knowing about it."

Hikari resisted the urge to cover her cheek, knowing that wouldn't make anyone forget about her injury. She empathized with Takeru more than ever, though the reminder of his taint and how serious it was made her feel conflicted. Reluctantly, she nodded as the heat of guilt crawled its way up along the back of her neck. "Okay. I'll try not to get caught up like that again."

"And make sure to tell us about these dreams every time you have them," Koshiro said, his expression pensive as he leaned against the back of the sofa. "It's clear now they've got some sort of connection to Keiko and have an effect on reality."

"I wonder," Iori said, thoughtfully. "Is it something Keiko can do because she has a God Crest, or because she's the Chosen of Darkness?"

"Who knows? We really don't know _anything_ about her," Takeru said, with a shake of his head, before he paused. "But now at least we know her last name."

"Are we really going to find anything about her on the _internet_?" Jou asked, as he scratched his head. "Would they really know anything about her at all?"

Miyako tried to stifle a laugh, but it came out as a snort. She tried to pretend nothing happened even as her cheeks felt flushed. "You have _nooooo_ idea, Kido. In fact, I was just about to call your attention to all the stuff I found. But first, we need to verify." She turned the laptop monitor to face the others, particularly Takeru and Hikari. "Is this her?"

Hikari looked at the largest window open, which sported a news article. Her eyes were drawn to the cover photo before she even bothered to look at the text. The picture showed an elegant looking girl with porcelain skin, delicate make up, silky black hair, and a beautifully colored kimono. Across the girl's vest was an embroidered sash with writing covered up by a bouquet she carried. Hikari immediately recognized the girl's face, particularly those vibrant red eyes, but the bright smile seemed almost out of place somehow. Standing behind Keiko was an older woman in a kimono with flowery accents that had a similar pattern to the ones on Keiko's clothing. The woman had her hands on Keiko's shoulders and a look of pure triumph and pride.

"That's her," Hikari said quietly. "That's Keiko."

"There's no doubt about it," Takeru said with a nod, before his eyes focused on the headline. "Little Miss Tokyo?"

"Yup," Miyako said, leaning back against the cushion. "Seems Keiko Makura was pretty famous a few years ago. She was on TV, in commercials, movies, and won one of the most prestigious child beauty contests in all Japan."

Mimi's eyes lit up. "Oh! I _thought_ I recognized her, but I couldn't remember where!"

Takeru blinked slowly. "Wow."

"Believe it or not, this isn't the first result when I came across her name," Miyako said before she went to another webpage as she kept a discreet eye on Iori. "This is."

Hikari stared agog at the headline and the date, which was just one day after the previous article. "'Beauty Queen Missing. Mother Murdered!'? What...?"

Iori stiffened, his jaw tightening slightly.

"Wait, what!?" Yamato moved closer, leaning forward to stare at the screen as he got a better look at the article.

Koshiro immediately snatched up the computer. "Is this for real?"

Miyako nodded grimly. "Yeah. I found it on at least a dozen reputable news sites. It seems the night after the contest, her mom, Kyoko Makura, was stabbed to death in their hotel room. A few eye-witnesses saw a girl covered in blood running down the street a block away with a couple guys chasing after her, and the police think it might've been Keiko and whoever kidnapped her and murdered her mother. She went missing for a few weeks after that. The police suspected that there might've been yakuza involvement."

" _Yakuza_?" Yamato repeated as he turned to Miyako. "Where the hell did they get _that_!?"

Miyako shrugged. "Apparently her family has connections with them, or at least a couple of her older siblings. The only other rumored suspects were the typical stalkers and pedophiles who probably fell for Keiko. They never found out what happened for sure."

Mimi held her hands over her mouth to stifle the horror churning inside her. "How horrible...!"

Taichi peered over Koshiro's shoulder, glimpsing over the articles as the other boy blazed through them faster than he could keep up. "This is unreal..."

"It's like something out of a TV show," Daisuke said. "You _sure_ it's real, Inoe?"

Miyako rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. "If you doubt the internet, I'm sure we could find some newspapers at the library, or maybe news Takeshi and Ishida's parents know something. They work in the news, don't they?"

"Y-yeah," Yamato murmured, his voice a bit dazed.

Takeru stared at the screen for several moments before his eyes widened. "Wait, they said she _disappeared_ for a 'couple weeks'? So she eventually came _back_?"

Koshiro let out a low noise at the back of his throat. "It says here that the family refused to divulge to the public what happened or how they found Keiko."

Takeru leaned forward, his eyes scanning across the article. "No trace of her, despite an active manhunt... the police had no idea where she went... for _weeks_? And the family never offered an explanation?" The Chosen of Hope paused before he leaned back, a sudden thought flickering in his head. "...I bet I know what happened."

"Huh? W-what do you mean?" Jou asked, his expression blank.

"Well, think about it," Takeru said as he crossed his arms. "Where's the _one_ place a Chosen could go, where _no one else_ can? Where _no one_ would ever be able to find her, and she'd _ever_ be able to explain?"

Taichi's eyes widened. "The Digital World!"

Koshiro rubbed his chin. "Remember way back when we first met Ryo? He said one of his friends spent years in the Digital World, and with the time difference it was only around a week in our world's time."

"The family never told the _public_ what happened," Miyako said. "It said in one of the articles that her dad is a detective, so I'm betting he must've told the police _something_ to satisfy them. Especially since the case was apparently closed."

"That makes sense," Koshiro muttered. "Our parents cover for us all the time when it comes to Digimon."

"...It makes me think maybe her mother's death is related to it, too," Takeru said, his voice softening. "A Digimon."

Hikari closed her eyes, grimacing. "Like the fight between Parrotmon and Greymon..."

Taichi's expression turned somber. "Only it ended a lot worse for Keiko than for us at Hikarigaoka."

"Oh, that poor girl," Sora murmured as she clasped her hands together, holding them against her chest.

"A Digimon must've attacked her, got her mother instead, and Keiko tried to escape but ended up being taken to the Digital World," Yamato said, equally somber. He glanced around at the group before he straightened up. "But she somehow managed to get back. So did she get trapped in the Digital World _again_?"

"Seems like it," Miyako said with a shrug. "This incident happened years ago."

"We could try and find a phone number for her family, and try to call-" Jou began before he stopped, the word 'yakuza' flickering through his head. It had been bad enough calling everyone from their yearbooks to see if anyone might've been the eighth child, the very idea of trying to call a number that might belong to someone with _gang_ connections made his blood run cold. "...N-nevermind."

"Considering she's apparently in the Dark World, I'm not sure it'd help anyway. Though it definitely wouldn't hurt to keep looking," Takeru said, before he turned to Hikari. "But more than that, I think there's something _else_ we should look in to."

Hikari turned to Takeru. "What's that?"

"That light you saw, and the golden data," Takeru said. "You mentioned it, remember? When you looked out the gates of the temple. Something was definitely happening, and I think we need to find out _what_. There's no doubt in my mind that it was the Kaiser's doing." The Chosen of Hope turned to Koshiro. "Is there a way for you to check what's out in that area? Like a Digimon town?"

Koshiro switched out of the web browser and opened up the Digital Gate program. "I'll do some scans of the area and see if I can find anything."

As the other Chosen got off the topic of Keiko's mother and began focusing their attention on their new target, it gave Miyako an opportunity to deal with a certain matter on her own. The class representative left her seat to join Iori near the wall. "Hey," she whispered near his ear. "You okay?"

Iori flinched slightly, his expression tight before he forcibly made it neutral. The reaction was unperceivable to the rest of the Chosen, but Miyako noticed it in an instant. "I'm... fine."

Miyako didn't believe that, but she couldn't think of anything she could say that would turn it into the truth. All she could do was squeeze Iori's hand to offer silent support.

*

Ruins - that was the only word that could describe the area. If it had once been a temple, it definitely wasn't anymore. Unlike the previous sites they had encountered that had decayed over time, this devastation was still fresh, all sharp angles, blackened earth, and smoke still wafting lightly into the air. The sour stench of burnt materials made it particularly repellant to the Chosen Digimon, whose noses were far more sensitive than their child partners, but they had long since grown used the scent of battle.

Only half of the Chosen actually opted to venture in to what quite possibly was a danger zone - Hikari, Takeru, Daisuke, Yamato, Taichi, and Mimi. Koshiro and Miyako had opted to stay behind to continue their research in to the identity of the Chosen of Darkness, with Iori staying by Miyako's side. Sora and Jou similarly stayed behind as they had no partners to protect themselves, though that naturally didn't keep Yamato and Taichi from going. In the end, they found no resistance – only desolation.

Tailmon's ears canted back as she surveyed their surroundings, eying the damaged walls and toppled pillars. After a moment, she turned her head to look at Hikari. "This can only be the Kaiser's doing."

Hikari's eyes were heavy with sadness as her gaze swept across signs that there had once been Digimon there - half-eaten food abandoned, a collapsed barracks, and defaced pictures that once hung on some of the walls. "Keiko told us to hurry... This must've been why."

"It must've been some fire, if you could see it all the way from the temple," Takeru said as he came to a stop beside Hikari, crossing his arms. "But why did he do this? Why did he destroy it?"

"Because he's a jerk," Daisuke said, scowling at the destruction.

"...Well, yes, we already knew that," Takeru said with a chuckle. "But everywhere else we've been, he just stuck a Dark Tower in the area. He didn't actually _destroy_ anything. Here, I don't even see a Dark Tower. It's like he just... razed it to the ground and then left."

Taichi typed away at his D-Terminal. "I'll see if Koshiro and Miyako can take time out from looking stuff up about Keiko to scout around for any signs of the Dark Tower from above."

Mimi peered over the lip of a burnt out crater. "I hate to say it... but I hope the Digimon Kaiser captured the Digimon here instead of..." She let the thought hang in the air, unwilling to finish it.

"Hopefully he's not changing his tactics," Yamato grunted as he brushed back his bangs, before his eyes settled on a toppled pillar. After a moment of hesitation, he moved closer to climb up on top of it. It gave him a slightly better vantage point, but the only thing it let him see was how far the destruction went - even the area around the temple was burnt. "...What kind of temple was this supposed to be, anyway?"

"It was the temple dedicated to the Holy Beast of the East, Qinglongmon."

All of the Chosen looked up sharply to see a Digimon standing on the ruined roof above them. He was a humanoid Digimon in silver armor with gold trim, overtop a crimson bodysuit. A purple cloth with matching golden trim draped down his front like a large ornamental loincloth, and a thick purple cape was attached to the shoulder pads of his armor. The Digimon looked down at the Chosen, hints of straight red hair hidden by his purple hood reminiscent of a wizard's hat, with a thick armor circlet around the base. He crossed his arms as he surveyed the gaping children.

"Needless to say," the Digimon, identified as Mystimon by their Digivices, said with a neutral tone. "This temple, like its master, no longer exists."

"'No longer exists'?" Taichi repeated with growing dread.

Hikari thought back to the golden light she saw last night as her insides twisted. "You mean..."

"Last night, Qinglongmon met his end at the hands of the Digimon Kaiser," Mystimon said, turning his head to pointedly look at the charred ruins around him. "And with him, one of the few remaining strongholds against the Digimon Kaiser's army."

Yamato jumped down from the pillar before he walked over to stand beside Takeru, looking up at Mystimon. "Qinglongmon?"

"As I said, he was the Holy Beast of the East, protector of this section of the Digital World," Mystimon replied, then shook his head. "Now, he protects nothing."

Taichi's expression turned grim. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"What happened to the Digimon?" Takeru asked, voicing the question he was certain the others had on their minds.

"Some fled to the remaining strongholds, others were captured before they could escape," Mystimon replied, before his eyes narrowed. "Others still refused to yield, and paid for their loyalty with their lives. It is through their sacrifice alone that any escaped at all."

Mimi covered her mouth and shook her head slightly, not wanting to accept what Mystimon said even if they were the truth.

"That light...," Hikari murmured. "It must've been when Qinglongmon..."

"Damn it," Yamato growled as he clenched his fists. "If only we had known...!"

Hikari gripped her hands together until they shook. "If only I understood what Keiko was trying to tell me sooner..."

"...This attack had been in the making for quite some time," Mystimon said. "It's to be expected, as the Digimon Kaiser will never fully rule our world so long as the Holy Beasts live. The Holy Beasts and those that serve them have been in a constant state of preparation since this war began. We simply... were not prepared for Qinglongmon to _lose_."

"Wait," Daisuke said, blinking. "I thought it was just us protecting the Digital World."

"Gotta admit I've never heard of the Holy Beasts before either," Taichi said.

"Was Qinglongmon really that powerful?" Patamon asked.

"The Holy Beasts are the servants of Huanglongmon, directly tasked by him to protect the Digital World and enforce his will. They are second only to the gods, and thus comparable to gods in their own right," Mystimon replied, with great reverence in his voice. "They are the most powerful Digimon in our world."

Hikari jerked. "Huanglongmon?"

"Yes," Mystimon said, with a sagely nod. "Our golden god of Miracles."

Daisuke blinked. "Huh? Wait, I thought the Digital World was almost destroyed a few times years ago by... I think the name was Apocalysemon or something? Or did Inoe screw up the info in that file of hers?"

Mystimon paused at that. "...That incident did occur, yes."

Taichi frowned. "Yeah, that's a good point. Where were the Holy Beasts when Apocalymon and the Dark Masters and all those other evil Digimon were around if they're supposed to help us protect the Digital World?"

Mystimon stiffened as he went completely silent, staring down at the Chosen. The temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees, as if a cold front had moved in beneath the Digimon's frosty stare. After several long moments of silence, he finally spoke once more. "... _As I said_ , they are the most powerful Digimon in our world. For the Digimon Kaiser to have defeated Qinglongmon, something truly sinister must have happened."

Patamon lowered his voice as he moved closer to Tailmon. "That doesn't answer the question at all."

Tailmon's ear flicked and she glanced at Patamon. "...The overly faithful don't like their faith questioned. Especially if that faith might be dangerously misplaced." She had seen it more than enough times when she had served under Vamdemon. His troops had served him faithfully, completely convinced in his superiority. She could only imagine how they would have reacted to knowing that Vamdemon was just a lackey to the Dark Masters, who themselves served an even higher power.

"So...," Daisuke said slowly. "The Holy Beasts were fighting against Tiny Tower all this time without us?"

Mystimon paused at that, then frowned. "...No, I am not speaking of a tiny tower. I speak of the Digimon Kaiser."

"Er, yeah, nevermind that," Takeru said with an awkward laugh. "Anyway, does that mean you serve the Holy Beasts?"

"Yes," Mystimon said, with great authority in his voice. "I serve the Holy Beast of the North, Xuanwumon. He sent me to investigate, with hopes that I would be able to determine how the Digimon Kaiser was able to defeat Qinglongmon."

"That's what we'd like to know too," Taichi said as he took a look around at the destruction. "Though... it doesn't look like this place can tell us much except that he trashed it good."

"Indeed," Mystimon said, his own eyes drifting about the damage before returning to the Chosen. "Though it seems only Qinglongmon's temple itself was destroyed. The altars of Honesty and Knowledge were unharmed."

"Wait, altars?" Yamato looked up sharply. "Like, for Digimentals?"

"Yes," Mystimon said. The Digimon paused before he straightened up. "There are several altars across our world, with temples housing each one. The God Crest altars are in the temple of Huanglongmon, Knowledge and Honesty are found in the former temple of Qinglongmon, Honor and Tenacity in the temple of Baihumon, Pride and Passion in the temple of Zhuqiaomon, and my own master houses the altar of Purity and Kindness."

"We've already been to two temples, but there wasn't anyone there," Takeru said, thoughtfully. "One with Courage and Friendship, and the other Love and Hope. Who did _they_ belong to?"

"...No one important." Mystimon said, stiffly.

Takeru blinked, then furrowed his brow. He thought a moment, then decided not to press the subject further.

Mimi brightened, latching onto the first real good news they heard yet. "Anyway, this is great! Let's get Jou and Koshiro here right away to get their Digimentals!"

"...Well, at the very least," Mystimon said, slowly. "You can update your Digivices."

Mimi blinked. "Huh?"

"What do you mean 'at least'?" Taichi asked.

Mystimon jumped down from the rooftops, landing in front of the Chosen. He then turned on his heels, heading inside the wreckage of the temple. "You will see."

Takeru frowned, then glanced to Hikari. After a moment of hesitation, he strode forward after the Digimon in to the temple.

Taichi frowned, not satisfied by the answer, but sent an email to the others back in the real world anyway.

It didn't take long for Koshiro and Jou to gate in, and for the Chosen to then follow Mystimon in to the temple itself. While the outside areas were definitely burned beyond recognition, soon enough they came to an ornate shrine that was surprisingly unharmed. Reminiscent of a shinto shrine, there were two altars side by side - one bearing the Crest of Knowledge and the other Honesty. As the Chosen drew closer to the altars, they immediately noticed something amiss - there were no Digimentals on the altars.

"E-eh? What?" Jou adjusted his glasses, as if they were at fault for the missing Digimentals.

Koshiro gawked at the empty altars before he rushed towards the one bearing his crest. "Where's our Digimentals?"

Taichi tensed as a terrible suspicion began to form. "Don't tell me the Digimon Kaiser took them!"

"He would be the most natural suspect," Mystimon said as he stood off to the side, looking at the altars with his arms crossed. "However, that is not the case."

"What do you mean?" Takeru asked, his eyes drifting from the altars to the Digimon.

"These Digimentals have not been here for quite some time," Mystimon said, with a shake of his head. "And the only ones who know why are the avatars of information, Jijimon and Babamon."

Koshiro was rocked by the news, his head snapping around towards Mystimon. "Jijimon and Babamon took them? But why?"

"That is something you will have to ask _them_ ," Mystimon said, simply.

Takeru frowned before he turned his attention back to the altars. "So that's what you meant... but what did you mean by upgrading their Digivices? Don't we need the Digimentals for that?"

"No," Mystimon said with a shake of his head. "You simply need a concentration of your Crest's power. Both the Digimental and the altar can fulfill that function. After all, the altar is what bestows the Digimental with your power."

"The altar?" Koshiro repeated before he turned to look at the pedestals in a new light. "You mean... the altars are recharging stations for our Digimentals?"

Taichi let out a thoughtful hum at the back of his throat. "So what does that mean? We have to bring them back to the temples we got them from to charge them back up if they run out of energy?"

Mystimon nodded. "That is correct. The Digimentals are not an infinite power source - that is why normal evolution is simply a better option. However, given the Dark Towers, evolution through the Digimentals is often your _only_ option. They will serve you well enough, at any rate."

"So they really are like batteries," Takeru said, with a chuckle. "Rechargeable batteries."

Koshiro hummed softly as he lightly ran his hand over the surface of his altar. "So we'll need to keep planning to stop by the temples... This could be bad if the Digimon Kaiser figures this out and sets up traps for us when we come to get a recharge."

"We'll have to be careful anyway, just in case," Yamato said, glancing to Taichi. "We have no idea how much that brat knows. He seemed to know about the main temple, and even knew Jijimon and Babamon."

"...Did he, now?" Mystimon asked, tilting his head.

Hikari looked at her Digivice and the image of the Digimental of Darkness as she considered this new information. "Hey... Mystimon." She turned their eyes to their new companion. "Do you know anything about Keiko or Ryo? Or the Digimon Kaiser and the last missing Chosen Child?"

Mystimon paused before he turned to look at Hikari. "...Yes, I know of the Chosen of Darkness and the Chosen of Miracles. I traveled with them both, long ago."

Hikari's eyes widened. "Then you must know what happened to them, right?"

Mystimon was silent for several long minutes. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned his head to focus his gaze on the altars. "Yes, I do."

"Please tell us!" Hikari said as she stepped towards Mystimon, clutching her Digivice close. "We need to hurry and rescue Keiko!"

Mystimon glanced at Hikari out of the corner of his eyes. "...Rescue her?"

"We've met Keiko," Takeru said as he moved to stand beside Hikari. "In the Dark World."

"She's trapped," Hikari said. "And I'm worried that we're running out of time to save her before something terrible happens."

Mystimon turned to fully face the Chosen, staring at them with wide eyes for several moments before his expression grew thoughtful. "...I see. So that's what happened."

"What happened?" Koshiro asked.

"...The last time I saw the Chosen of Darkness, she was being dragged away by the DigiGod of Darkness, Narakumon," Mystimon said, gravely. "It seems our fears have indeed come true - he truly did drag her in to hell."

Hikari felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

"Narakumon was the one who trapped Keiko there?" Taichi asked.

"I knew it!" Daisuke shouted. "Darkness is _always_ bad news!"

"It is _his_ realm, only _he_ has supreme power there," Mystimon replied, with a slow shake of his head. "The moment she arrived in our world, we feared for her safety. She was burdened with such a terrible Crest, it was only natural this would happen."

"But...," Hikari said, her voice faint. "Babamon and Jijimon said..."

Tailmon moved to tug on Hikari's sleeve, drawing her gaze. The cat Digimon dropped her voice low. "...Remember what _else_ they said."

Hikari stared at her partner for a long moment before her gaze drifted to her Digivice. She clutched the holy item tight, her palm covering the screen, and said nothing more.

Takeru glanced at Hikari before he returned his attention to Mystimon. "...So you think Narakumon is keeping her prisoner?" He kept his tone light, not revealing his thoughts.

"Yes, it is the only thing that makes sense," Mystimon replied. "He is, after all, true evil."

Daisuke folded his arms in front of him. "I'll bet he did it because Keiko didn't want to be the Chosen of evil anymore, so he's locked her up in a tower someplace or something!"

Taichi rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, more like locked her up in the Dark World if she's able to run around and slap Takeru for going there."

"It is unfortunate that Tenraimon did not destroy him when she had the chance," Mystimon said, with a sigh. "But she always insisted on seeing the good in others, regardless of whether or not that good existed."

Tailmon glanced back to Hikari sharply, her ears flicking.

Hikari met Tailmon's gaze and nodded ever so slightly.

"What can you tell us about Ryo?" Takeru asked, fully aware that he was disrupting the current topic. "You called him the Chosen of Miracles."

"It has been... a long time since I've seen the Chosen of Miracles," Mystimon said, crossing his arms. "As the Chosen of Huanglongmon, he naturally fell under my master's domain."

"That's the third DigiGod, right?" Taichi asked.

"Yes," Mystimon replied, with great pride. "He was the DigiGod of the Digital World itself, and everything within it."

"What can you tell us about Huanglongmon?" Koshiro asked, his curiosity piqued.

"...He has, unfortunately, passed away," Mystimon said. "A long time ago."

"Yeah, Jijimon and Babamon said as much." Takeru said, placing his right hand on his hip.

Mystimon paused at that, then frowned. "...I see."

Koshiro scratched his head. "I guess more information of Huanglongmon wouldn't help us now if he's been dead for so long, huh? Can you tell us anything about Ryo or Millenniumon?"

Mystimon's expression darkened considerably. "Millenniumon... yes, I am _very_ familiar with that monster."

"What can you tell us?" Taichi asked.

"He is a narcissistic, _delusional_ creature who fancies himself a god," Mystimon said, with a snort. "And has an _obsession_ with the Chosen of Miracles."

The emphasized word caught Mimi's attention. "An obsession?"

"Yes," Mystimon said, shaking his head. "It is hard to describe without being witness to it. But there are no other words to describe it but _obsession_."

"You mean like they're eternal rivals or something?" Daisuke asked.

"Or do you mean Millenniumon has a crush on Ryo?" Mimi asked thoughtfully.

Daisuke gave Mimi a strange look. "Wha... a _crush_?"

Mimi shrugged. "Whenever I hear about someone obsessed with someone else, they're usually head over heels in love with that person."

Daisuke appeared ill. "That'd be really creepy if an evil fake god wanted to marry one of us." He paused for a second, glancing at Hikari before looking away. "Well, a _boy_ at least."

"...He called the Chosen of Miracles his Beloved," Mystimon said, blandly. "You may take that however you wish."

Daisuke's jaw dropped.

Taichi didn't know whether to laugh or feel sick. "S... seriously?"

"Hah!" Mimi chirped. "I knew it!"

"The feeling was, understandably, not mutual," Mystimon said.

"...Well, that just makes things all the more creepy, doesn't it?" Takeru muttered, crossing his arms.

"Y-yeah," Taichi muttered. "No kidding."

"T-that is... that is _harassment_!" Jou protested, pointing at Mystimon. "It's inexcusable!"

Mimi let out a sigh. "It's what happens to me all the time. At least I'm not the only one who has Digimon crushing on me."

"Regardless, you should not be concerned with Millenniumon. He has not been seen for many years. If he should ever return, he will be dealt with," Mystimon said, his eyes drifting over to the altars. "But for now, I'd advise you to focus on the current threat - the Digimon Kaiser."

Koshiro nodded, uncertain of what to make of Millenniumon's feelings for Ryo, and pulled out his Digivice as he turned to Jou. "Ready to try this out?"

Jou hesitated before he pulled out his own Digivice, uneasily eying the altars. He wasn't sure why he felt so nervous, as it certainly wasn't anything as serious as a test or an approaching battle. And yet, he couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety at the prospect. "I... y-yes. L-let's do this."

After taking a moment to feel a ping of regret that their Digimentals were gone, Koshiro and Jou placed their Digivices upon the altar. In an instant, energy coursed forth, covering their Digivices - purple for Koshiro and silvery gray for Jou. The light was almost too bright to watch, but in the time it took them to blink, the light faded, leaving their Digivices completely changed into their new, updated forms.

Koshiro admired the Digivices in awe, noting that their primary colors matched the light - the color of their crests. Reverently, he took hold of his Digivice so that he could see it better up close. On the screen, he brought up the image of the Digimental of Friendship and grinned at Tentomon, who had been silently with him all this time. "Look, Tentomon!"

"Now we'll be able to open gates as well," Tentomon said as he looked at the Digivice.

Jou looked over at Koshiro and Tentomon, then down at the Digivice in his hands. It was only then that he noticed his hands were shaking, his fingers clutching the holy artifact tightly.

Mimi lightly touched Jou's shoulder, causing him to flinch and jerk his head around to stare at her. She smiled despite the traces of sadness in her eyes. "Gomamon is happy for you, I'm sure of it, and he'll be thrilled to evolve with a Digimental too."

Jou hesitated as he looked at Mimi, then turned his gaze back down to his Digivice. "...T-that's right. He... would be."

"So smile!" Mimi said cheerfully. "We're one step closer to rescuing him!"

"I will do everything that I can to assist," Mystimon said, placing a hand over his chest. "I will beseech the other Holy Beasts in hopes of gaining you an audience. I have no doubt that with our combined forces, the Digimon Kaiser will be defeated once and for all."

"Thanks a lot!" Taichi said with a grin. "We could use all the help we can get against that guy."

"We should head back for now," Takeru said as he looked at the other Chosen. "Before the Digimon Kaiser notices we're here and tries to ambush us. We've got plenty to think about."

"Thanks again for all your help," Koshiro said as he approached Mystimon. "You wouldn't happen to have access to email, would you? I think it'd be a good idea for us to keep in contact."

"Yes, it is something I know how to do," Mystimon replied. "It was one of the ways I kept in contact with the Chosen of Darkness and the Chosen of Miracles."

"That's great!" Koshiro said.

Hikari tilted her head slightly. "Do you think you could give us their email addresses too?"

Daisuke snapped his fingers. "Great idea, Hikari-chan! If we know their emails we won't have to look them up and find them ourselves!"

"Of course," Mystimon said. "I will do whatever I can to help you."

With new information and new Digivices in tow, the Chosen bid farewell to Mystimon before gating back out of the Digital World. The tattered ruins and the pristine shrine disappeared with a flash of light that consumed the Chosen and their Digimon, before their surroundings were replaced with that of Taichi's apartment, with Iori, Miyako, and Sora waiting around them.

"Welcome back," Sora said, with a smile.

Miyako looked up from the laptop she was typing away at. "Don't worry, I was watching the conversation and wrote down all the important stuff that guy told you. I'm working on sending an email to Keiko and Ryo right now."

"I doubt it'll be that easy," Yamato said as he flopped down on the couch. "But it's better than anything else we have."

"Well, at least we now know firsthand why Jijimon and Babamon warned you," Takeru said as he stretched, then turned to Hikari.

Hikari nodded as she looked to her Digivice.

Daisuke blinked. "Warned about what? They told us a lot of stuff."

"About Darkness not being very popular in the Digital World," Takeru said, with a slight smile. "I don't even want to think how he'd react if he knew Keiko had given Hikari her Digimental."

Daisuke made a face. "Come to think of it, is it really a good idea for Hikari-chan to have it? I mean, is it really safe? That Narakumon guy kidnapped Keiko and took her to _hell_ after all."

"According to _him_ , yes," Takeru said.

"Keiko wanted me to have it," Hikari said with certainty. "She must've had a good reason." She looked at the Digimental and remembered how frightening it appeared at first until she looked at it a bit closer. "Besides... I don't think Narakumon is the one responsible."

"It is entirely possible that he is seeing the incident in the worst possible light, much like how he apparently saw Keiko from the very start," Iori said as he looked at the others. "I have no reason to doubt his interpretation, but I also have no reason to doubt Jijimon or Babamon. Until we find evidence to the contrary, I would advise that we keep an open mind and not believe what either group says completely."

Miyako snapped her fingers and pointed at Iori, her eyes still glued to the email she was writing. "What he said."

Daisuke felt uncertain as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess... if _you_ think so, Hikari-chan."

"Something is definitely going on here, we're just scratching the surface. We're obviously only getting half the story," Takeru said, with a heavy sigh. "For now, we should just put our trust in Hikari and what Keiko is telling her directly. Everyone else is just guessing and making assumptions."

" _Including_ us." Sora agreed.

Taichi ran his fingers through his hair and let out a quiet groan. "You know, I'm really, _really_ wishing Gennai were still around. It'd make things a lot easier."

"I know what you mean," Koshiro sighed.

*

Takeru was in relatively good spirits as he headed home, Patamon sitting comfortably on his head. As he wasn't at school, he saw no reason not to let Patamon sit on him. After all, few would dare try and bully him off school property, where they didn't have the school to protect them from retaliation. As he headed up the steps to his apartment building, he glanced up at Patamon. "...Hey, Patamon. What do you think? About all that talk about Darkness."

Patamon had been mulling over the topic for a while, so it didn't take him that long to consider his answer. "With everything we've seen so far... I don't think it's our enemy, at least not now. It may have been in the past, but if there's a Crest for it... I think that means Darkness itself isn't inherently evil."

"The Digimon Kaiser said Narakumon was the one that saved us at Factory Town," Takeru muttered, furrowing his brow. "Not that we have any reason to trust him. But it wouldn't make sense to lie about that. I can't think of any way he'd benefit from lying about who thwarted his abomination."

Patamon nodded. "It's too bad we can't talk to Narakumon directly right now, or Tenraimon."

"That'd solve a lot of our problems, wouldn't it?" Takeru said lightly. "Still, I can't help but wonder if Mystimon and Keiko got along at all."

"Somehow I doubt it," Patamon said.

"Yeah, same here," Takeru chuckled and tilted his head back. "Maybe I'm just seeing things but, I just didn't like the way he talked about her. I really can't put my finger on it, but it bothers me."

"Tailmon and I feel uneasy about him too," Patamon said quietly as he considered Mystimon. "I'm not saying he's our enemy or anything... but I don't know... something feels off. I also get the feeling I get when Babamon and Jijimon aren't telling us everything."

"Right," Takeru muttered. "They're both hiding something."

"I'm sure it's for a good reason," Patamon said lightly, grateful that Takeru couldn't see the worry that furrowed his brow from this position.

Takeru made a noncommittal noise at that. The two proceeded in silence as Takeru made his way to his apartment, up the elevator and along the walkway until he was directly in front of his door. Fishing out his key, he moved to unlock the door only to find it already unlocked. The Chosen of Hope blinked, then furrowed his brow before he opened the door and peered inside. "Mom? Did you forget to lock the door?"

"No, we're expecting a guest," Natsuko said, her voice floating from somewhere in the apartment out of Takeru's sight. "Could you give me a hand with the guest room? We need to get it cleaned up."

Takeru blinked. "A guest?" He hesitated as he tried to imagine who it could be, then shook his head and moved to assist his mother. He found her just outside the guest room, gathering linens, and he accepted the broom and dust pan she offered him before he set to work.

"That's right," Natsuko said as she changed the sheets on the bed. "And when he gets here, we need to have a talk."

Takeru turned to look at his mother, confusion quite evident on his face. "Talk?"

Natsuko nodded. "Patamon, change the pillow cases, will you?"

Patamon blinked before he did as he was told. "Oh, right."

Takeru frowned as he looked at his mother, standing still as he held the broom. Something was going on and he didn't like it, or at least a part of him didn't. His mother was behaving suspiciously, and he knew it had to do with him. He just didn't know _what_.

In the end, Takeru decided to wait and see rather than press his mother. With Patamon's help, he and his mother quickly cleaned up and arranged the guest room, preparing it for the mystery guest. The answer came soon enough when the Chosen of Hope heard the front door open, and a familiar voice calling out to them.

"We're here." The decidedly male voice made Takeru pause before he moved to peer out of the guest room to see his father, Hiroaki, in the doorway. Not only that, but Yamato was there as well, carrying suitcases through the doorway and setting them on the floor.

"...Dad?" Takeru blinked, staring at the sight, before his eyes drifted to the suitcases.

"You have good timing for once," Natsuko said wryly as she approached her ex-husband and oldest son. She smiled with a trace of hesitance when she looked at Yamato. "I'm betting you're the reason why."

Yamato gave his mother a sly grin before he turned his attention to Takeru. At the Chosen of Hope's hard stare at his suitcase, the amusement on his face fell and he grew self-conscious. He could see Takeru slowly working out the situation in his head, or at least coming to a conclusion. Whether or not that conclusion would result in his brother becoming angry, that was anyone's guess. It was really hard to read Takeru with his taint. The brother he knew would've been thrilled, but Yamato didn't see a single hint of joy in his face - only suspicion.

Natsuko brought her hands together in one loud clap that caught everyone's attention. "Alright then, now that we're all here, it's time for something we haven't had in a long time - a family meeting."

Takeru turned to look at his mother, his expression becoming deadpan. It was fairly obvious what was going on, it was far too coincidental to think it had nothing to do with his own current situation. "A family meeting."

Natsuko turned to Takeru, her brow furrowing with concern. "Takeru, Yamato told us what happened to you in that other world, and we want you to know that we'll do whatever it takes to help you through this."

Takeru looked at his mother before he turned his head to stare at Yamato, the accusation quite obvious in his eyes. The fact that Yamato flinched under the stare only served to confirm his suspicions. "I see."

Hiroaki stared at Takeru in silence for several moments, surprise quite visible on his grizzled face.

Natsuko's brow furrowed, but only for a moment. She placed her hand on her youngest son's shoulder and squeezed gently. "I know I'm distracted a lot due to my work, and that you don't get to see your father or Yamato as much as you'd like, but we're going to change that." She glanced at her ex-husband before looking back to Takeru. "From here on out, you and Yamato are going to live together. You two will live two weeks here, and two weeks at Hiroaki's place every month."

Takeru was startled out of his irritation and turned to stare at his mother. "...Permanently?"

Hiroaki looked a bit relieved to see the tension leave Takeru's face and nodded. "You're both close enough that there won't be an issue about going to school."

Natsuko smiled a little. "Truthfully, Hiroaki and I were talking about this possibility for a while now. It's a big part of why I accepted the transfer that moved us here in the first place."

"Now that we don't have to take a train to see each other and we don't have to worry about missing school, we can see each other a lot more," Yamato said. He paused before he looked away, sheepishly scratching at his cheek. "We could... even walk to school together."

"This is great, Takeru!" Patamon said cheerfully, peering down at his Chosen Child. "Now we can spend a lot more time together."

Takeru blinked slowly. While part of him wanted to be overjoyed, as it was everything he had ever wanted just short of their parents remarrying, he couldn't seem to fully embrace the happy feelings. Instead, like a dark cloud hovering over a sunny day, a thought popped in to his head, before he blurted it out almost unthinkingly. "...Would you even be doing this if he hadn't mentioned my shoulder to you?"

Natsuko was surprised for a moment before she smiled wryly. "As I said, Hiroaki and I were discussing it for a while now, and we were going to bring up the possibility to you and Yamato, but then Digimon happened again, and we decided now wasn't the right time to disrupt your lives even more."

"...But things changed," Hiroaki said as he crossed his arms. "So here we are."

Takeru looked from his mother to his father before turning his attention to Yamato. While part of him couldn't fully accept what they were saying and take the situation at face value, he also couldn't deny that it was something he had wanted for a long time. If it _was_ because of his shoulder, as his suspicions whispered, then he imagined this was the only good thing to come out of it. "...Will you be okay for two weeks by yourself?"

Hiroaki blinked before he quirked an eyebrow. "You say that like I might burn the apartment down or something."

Natsuko smiled wryly at Hiroaki. "No, you're just going to leave a huge mess of take out boxes for Takeru to clean up."

Yamato chuckled, feeling a bit relieved. He had feared that Takeru would kick up a bigger fit, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen. As strong as the taint's influence was, his brother wasn't completely at its mercy. He was about to make a teasing comment to his father when his mother's words stopped him in his tracks. He blinked and stared at her before realization dawned on him and he whirled to face Takeru. "Wait...!?"

Hiroaki similarly looked surprised, and a bit embarrassed to his credit. "H-how did you-!?"

Takeru grimaced before he shifted awkwardly, glancing at his mother out of the corner of his eyes as he reached up to rub the back of his head. "Ah... outed..."

Natsuko smiled and reached out to ruffle Takeru's hair as best she could despite Patamon using it as a seat. "That was very sweet of you to do, Takeru. Maybe you can give Yamato some pointers on how to clean up after himself now that you'll be living together. I know your father is a lost cause, but there's still hope for your brother."

"I-I knew it! I _knew_ it! No one breaks in to a house just to clean it!" Yamato sputtered before he pointed at Takeru. "It was _you_!"

Takeru did his best to look innocent as he stared at Yamato. "If you knew it, why didn't you ask me?"

Patamon stifled a snicker behind his paw. "Takeru has you there, Yamato."

Yamato paused at that, then grimaced and reached up to rub the back of his head.

*

Daisuke giggled like a maniac as he looked over his signed soccer jersey for what must have been the hundredth time. He lay stretched out on his bed beside Chibimon, dressed in his pajamas. Even though he should have been asleep half an hour ago, he was still as energized as when he was playing earlier that day. "This is the best day of my life!"

Chibimon was laying on his stomach, his legs stretched out from tip to tip as his tail wagged behind him. "Congratulations, Daisuke~! I knew Ken Ichijouji'd like you, because you're the best~!"

Daisuke set the jersey down so that he could hug Chibimon close as laughter bubbled out of him. "I still can't believe it! I stole the ball from _the_ Ken Ichijouji and impressed the heck outta him!"

"Of course you did!" Chibimon said, matter-of-factly, as he hugged his Chosen back. "You're so smart and fast, even a genius would think you're cool!"

Daisuke held Chibimon up high over his head, grinning ear to ear. "Me? _Cool_? You really think so, Chibimon?"

"Of course!" Chibimon said, waving his paws about. "You're my Chosen, so I know better than anyone!"

"So you think maybe Ichijouji and I could be friends?" Daisuke asked.

"Yes!" Chibimon said firmly as he raised his paws high. "He gave you his card, so you're already friends! I heard Inoe say it, he _never_ gives that out but he gave it to _you_!"

Daisuke sat up, placing Chibimon in his lap. "You're right! Maybe I should call him up right now and..." Thoughts of Jun and the last time he talked to a friend over the phone dampened his enthusiasm. "No, wait, bad idea. I better stick with emails."

Chibimon scowled, his ears canting back. "Yeah, Jun would try to ruin things like she always does! We don't want her chasing Ken Ichijouji away, like she tries to scare Hikari away!"

Daisuke huffed. "Or any other friend I've ever had. Hikari-chan is _amazing_ for putting up with everything Jun did to her."

"That's because she sees how amazing _you_ are," Chibimon said with a sage nod before he smiled brightly. "And Takeru likes you too~! He totally was gonna beat up those boys who were talking bad about you and Hikari! He didn't believe them at all!"

Daisuke felt warm inside. "Y-yeah. I've got more than just Hikari-chan as a friend now, don't I? I have a whole group of them!"

"And you have me~!" Chibimon said, brightly. "I'll _always_ be your friend, Daisuke~!"

"Yeah!" Daisuke said before he hugged Chibimon close. "You're the best friend anyone could ask for, Chibimon!"

Chibimon giggled as he hugged his Chosen back, his tail wagging vigorously behind him. "I love you, Daaaisuke~!"

Daisuke was so happy he couldn't stop giggling. "I love you too, Chibimon!"

The familiar chime of the D-Terminal served as an unwanted interruption. However, Daisuke's good mood could not be diminished. "Oh, hey, speaking of our friends..." He flipped open the D-Terminal. "Huh? It's from Koshiro."

"What is it, what is it?" Chibimon asked as he hurried across the bed to sit besides Daisuke, peering at the D-Terminal's screen.

Daisuke leaned back against his headboard as his eyes scanned the email. "It says we're going to meet tomorrow afternoon to talk about finding the rest of the Chosen Children."

"Like Keiko and Ryo?" Chibimon asked and he blinked. "Isn't Keiko in that weird world?"

"Yeah, the Dark World," Daisuke said. "There's supposed to be fifteen so..." He paused, his gaze going distant as his fingers moved to help him keep count. "I guess there's only one more we need to find since those two and the Digimon Kaiser, plus all of us make fourteen."

"So there's only one left," Chibimon said, tilting his head. "How are we supposed to do find them? Does Koshiro have an idea?"

Daisuke turned his attention back to the D-Terminal. "Huh. Some online friends of his think it's first-come-first-serve because of the way Iori and Inoe got in and so now they all want to try too, so we're supposed to meet and talk about how to pick the last one without hurting anyone's feelings." Seconds ticked by as the weight of the email sunk in. "Wait, _what_?"

"First-come-first-serve?" Chibimon repeated slowly, then furrowed his brow. "What does _that_ mean?"

Daisuke jerked upright. "It means whoever goes to the Digital World with us next will be the last Chosen Child! We can't let that be another jerk like Inoe! We'd be screwed!"

Chibimon's eyes widened as he looked aghast. "Is that how it works!?" He paused before his jaw dropped. "Inoe tricked us!"

Daisuke scowled, the very idea making anger churn in his belly. "She _did_ drag in Iori. She must've guessed that's how it'd work and pulled in her best friend! Good thing he can actually _do_ stuff, unlike her, but still..."

"Iori saved Daisuke from that bucket, so he's okay," Chibimon said as he crossed his arms. "But these other people... what if they're like Inoe too?! They could be even _worse_... like _Jun_!"

Daisuke clenched his fist until it shook, his thoughts towards Inoe taking a dark turn, until a burst of inspiration caused his eyes to light up. "Ichijouji! It's gotta be Ichijouji!"

"Huh?" Chibimon turned to stare at his Chosen.

Daisuke scrambled for the card Ken had given him earlier, which rested neatly on his desk. "If anyone would help us against the Digimon Kaiser, it's Ken Ichijouji!" He waved the card around in front of Chibimon. "Think about it! The guy is a super genius strategist! With him on our team, Tiny Tower doesn't stand a chance!"

Chibimon's eyes widened before he flailed his arms about. "Plus! Plus, plus! If he's a Chosen, that means you can go on adventures with him! You can see him every day and do _Chosen_ things and be totally cool together!"

The thought of going on grand adventures with his idol was almost too much for Daisuke to take. He could just imagine him and Ken battling the Digimon Kaiser, humiliating the bratty dictator and giving each other victory high fives afterward. "Well what are we waiting for? I've gotta email him!"

*

The monochrome world was still. After countless dreams full of whispering voices, static, and waves, Hikari couldn't help but be unnerved by their absence. The resort village seemed ordinary enough at the moment, a ghost town with no sign of life whatsoever, but she couldn't help but wonder how long that would last and what surprises the Dark World had in store for her now.

There was no sign of the fun house, but Hikari was undeterred. Perhaps now with the Digimental of Darkness, she would find that something else had changed. She hoped that perhaps it would, at the very least, allow her and Keiko to communicate. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, she hardly knew where to start.

Hikari abruptly stopped in her tracks when she noticed something else that had been a staple of this world - there was no feline shadow following her this time.

A soft noise caught Hikari's attention. She had no sooner turned her head to look for the source when the answer came to her. Leaping down from the building, a black cat Digimon landed directly in front of the Chosen of Light, her movements graceful. The feline Digimon paused before she straightened up, turning to look at Hikari with piercing blue eyes. The eyes alone made Hikari think of Tailmon, but beyond that, the similarities were more subtle. The cat was lithe and scruffy-looking, compared to her own partner's plump and cuddly body, and she wore silver gauntlets around her front paws with sharp, metal-like claws. Her tail was fluffy and had no holy ring in sight as it held perfectly still behind her, and three small golden stripes under both eyes and larger ones on her sides. Around her neck was a pendant, dangling against her chest as it was jostled by the landing. Overall, it was a Digimon that Hikari had never seen before, in the Digital World or in her dreams, and the Digimon looked directly at her with an unreadable expression.

Hikari jerked back instinctively from the strange new Digimon, surprised but not afraid. What caught her attention the most about the feline was that, unlike other Digimon she encountered in this place, the one standing before her had some actual color. "Who are...?"

The feline looked at Hikari before she opened her mouth to speak. However, instead of words, only static came out of the Digimon's mouth. The sound seemed to startle the Digimon, who paused as her ears perked up before canting back slightly. A look of visible irritation flashed across her deadpan face before she clamped her mouth shut, returning her attention to Hikari.

The sound caught Hikari by surprise as well. Every other time she stopped to converse with a Digimon in this world she had been able to hear them talk. Their ramblings might not have made much sense, but at least they could speak. It reminded her of Keiko trapped in the mirror, and all the little details she had noticed seemed to click into place. "Are you... Keiko's partner?"

The feline Digimon nodded sharply, her eyes focusing on Hikari's face.

Hikari felt a rush of elation at the news. "Does this mean that Keiko isn't trapped in the mirror anymore?"

The Digimon blinked before she quirked an eyebrow, eying Hikari quizzically.

Hikari wasn't sure what to make of the reaction. "You don't know?"

The Digimon opened her mouth to speak before she thought better of it. A scowl crossed her face as she appeared to be thinking before her eyes widened. Looking at Hikari, she carefully mouthed a word, taking great pains to emphasize it - 'mirror'. She then tilted her head questioningly.

"You... don't know Keiko is trapped in the mirror?" Hikari guessed haltingly.

The Digimon stared at Hikari, her brow raising upwards. After a moment of confusion, understanding dawned on the feline's face and she shook her head. She made a sweeping gesture around them, pointing at the buildings, the ground, and the sky before, then pointed a gauntlet claw at Hikari's head. She slowly mouthed a word. "Dream."

Hikari took a moment to take in their surroundings. "Oh... right." She turned back to the Digimon. "This is a dream... When Takeru met Keiko in reality, she was by the ocean of the Dark World, not in a mirror."

The Digimon nodded sagely as she crossed her arms.

Hikari shook her head, inwardly chiding herself for forgetting that important fact. "So then... if you and Keiko are trying to contact me in my dreams... why was she trapped in a mirror, and why were you a shadow before?"

The Digimon hesitated as she appeared to consider the question, or perhaps more how to answer it when words were not an option. She tapped her foot as she thought before she looked at Hikari and mouthed another word. "Blocked."

"Something is blocking the two of you from speaking to me?" Hikari asked, the question sounding obvious the moment the words left her. "But who? The Digimon Kaiser?"

The Digimon firmly shook her head before she pointed at Hikari.

Hikari couldn't help but mimic the gesture, placing her finger against her chest. "Me? _I'm_ the one blocking you?"

The feline nodded before she pointed at Hikari again with great emphasis, before she reached for the pendant resting against her chest. It was then that Hikari realized that it wasn't a pendant at all - it was a tag. The Digimon purposely held the tag up for Hikari, so that she could see the black crest of Darkness sitting comfortably inside it.

Hikari's eyes widened. "The Crest of Darkness!"

Keiko's partner nodded, a fang peeking out of her mouth due to the sly smile on her face.

Hikari furrowed her brow. "But... I don't understand. Why would I be blocking you two? Darkness and Light are two sides of the same coin, aren't they?"

The Digimon opened her mouth to speak and was startled by the static, then looked rather annoyed as she clamped her mouth shut. Her tail lashed behind her as she stared at Hikari, then glanced about before her eyes focused on the wall closest to them. Her eyes bore in to the wall before she hurried over to it, lifting her claws. Before Hikari's eyes, the Digimon dug the razor-sharp weapons in to the wall with a surprising amount of precision. Rather than destroying the wall, the Chosen of Light realized that Keiko's partner was scratching something in to the surface.

Hikari found it surreal watching metal carved in front of her without any sort of sound to accompany it. She brushed off the feeling, however, and focused on what the Chosen Digimon of Darkness was etching into the metal siding of the building.

The Digimon focused on her task before she finally stepped back, revealing the results of her efforts. She had actually drawn three symbols on the wall, crude but still recognizable - a crescent moon, a crown, and a star. They were arranged in the shape of a triangle, with the crescent moon being the left point, the star opposite it on the right, and the crown serving as the top point high above. After regarding her work, Keiko's partner turned to look at Hikari.

It didn't take long for Hikari to figure out what the symbols meant. "Those are the God Crests, right?"

The Digimon nodded before she pointed at the star, then glanced over her shoulder at Hikari.

"Light," Hikari said.

The feline nodded before she dug her claw in to the wall, drawing an arrow towards the crescent moon.

Hikari let out a quiet hum as she considered what the arrow might signify. "Light leads to Darkness?"

The Digimon shook her head. She then made a punching gesture, striking the air.

"Light... _attacks_ Darkness?" Hikari guessed.

Keiko's partner nodded at that, then returned her attention to the drawing. She tapped at the crescent moon before she drew another arrow, this one leading upwards to the crown. She glanced back to Hikari and made another punching gesture.

Hikari couldn't help but think of the mural she had seen on the temple floor and some of the lines drawn in it. She recalled how it seemed as though everything went in a clockwise direction, much like the arrows were suggesting here. "Light attacks Darkness and Darkness attacks Miracles?"

The feline Digimon nodded eagerly before she pointed at the crown, then proceeded to draw another arrow. Unfortunately, in her excitement at being understood, her claw went astray and the arrow ended up curving outwards, not pointing at the star at all. The Digimon paused and stared at her mistake, her tail puffing up as her ears canted back. She glanced back at Hikari, who thought she saw the barest hint of a blush under the black fur, before Keiko's partner returned her attention to the wall and quickly drew another arrow, this time reaching the star.

Hikari tried to stifle a giggle behind her hand, but was only partially successful. "And Miracles attacks Light, right?"

The Digimon nodded, a faint sulk in her expression.

Hikari regarded the diagram before her. "So... the God Crests are like a big game of rock-paper-scissors, right? Paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beat paper. Only here it's Light beats Darkness, Darkness beats Miracles, and Miracles beats Light." She turned her gaze back to the embarrassed feline. "Is that right?"

Keiko's partner nodded, her sulk disappearing as she looked thoroughly pleased.

Hikari's thoughts drifted back to the adventure that had taken place in 1999 and the things she had experienced regarding her crest. "I guess I'm still a little confused how Miracles fits into all this when Darkness and Light are supposed to be two sides of the same coin... but if Light is stronger than Darkness..." She paused then shook her head. "No, wait, I mean, Light isn't stronger than Darkness, it's strong _against_ Darkness, right? So..." She trailed off and ran her hand across her face. "I guess there's really so much about the Digital World I don't know about even after Tenraimon tried explaining it to me..."

The Digimon tilted her head as she crossed her arms, thinking, before she nodded her head. Going to another area of the wall, she drew a large circle with her claw. Then, to one side, she drew the crescent moon again and a star on the opposite side with the original circle at the center. Glancing back at Hikari, Keiko's partner confirmed the Chosen was watching her before she returned to her drawing and drew an arrow around the circle, connecting the star and moon at the top and the bottom so that they engulfed the center symbol.

Hikari felt her confusion grow, as this diagram showed one arrow pointing from Light to Darkness while the other pointed from Darkness to Light. "A... circle? A cycle?"

The feline Digimon nodded vigorously. She pointed at the moon, then pantomimed a rather morbid gesture - a slice against her throat. As she did it, she dropped her head to the side as she stick out her tongue and rolled her eyes.

Hikari cringed back with a grimace. "Darkness... died?"

The Digimon shook her head, then pointed at herself before repeating the original pantomime. This time, she collapsed to the ground and threw her hands up, in a dispersing gesture.

Hikari scratched her head, feeling even more at a loss. "Darkness has something to do with death...?"

The Digimon scrambled to her feet and nodded vigorously, clapping her claws together. While Hikari had expected some sort of clanging sound from the gauntlets, none came. Keiko's partner turned and pointed at Light, glancing at Hikari before she collapsed to the ground again. She laid there for a moment before she pantomimed as if she were stretching. She slowly got to her feet, feigning a yawn before she rubbed at her eyes and stretched. She proceeded to dust herself off, then placed both of her claws on her hips and posed, with a triumphant grin.

Hikari considered the pantomime as she lightly touched her chin. "Light... waking up..." She turned back to the diagram when realization hit her like a bolt from the blue. "Darkness represents death and Light represents life!" She turned back to Keiko's Digimon. "Is that right?"

The Digimon nodded, clapping her claws together again. She looked thoroughly pleased, her tail wagging about behind her.

Hikari felt thrilled at her guess being correct and looked back at the drawings. "So then Miracles..." She thought back to the stained glass window positioned behind the symbol for Miracles back in the temple, and placed her hand on the circle in the second drawing. "Miracles must be for the Digital World itself."

The Digimon nodded as she crossed her arms.

The new facts spun in Hikari's head as she considered their significance. "So... because Digimon are reborn after they die... Light is stronger than Darkness." She drew her finger from Light to Darkness. "But Darkness, or death, can take a Digimon out of the Digital World, so Darkness is stronger than Miracles." She ran her finger to the crown, then frowned. "So... living in the Digital World... is stronger than life?"

The Digimon wobbled her head back and forth before she raised her paw and wiggled it. She pointed the claw to the crown before she twirled around on her feet. When she came to a stop, the Digimon puffed her chest up, lifting her arms up to flex her muscles as she put on a fierce expression on her face.

"Miracles means getting... stronger?" Hikari guessed, uncertain, before her eyes drifted to the tag and crest the Digimon wore. "Oh! Evolution!"

The Digimon gave a sharp nod, placing her paws on her hips.

"I think I understand now," Hikari said slowly. "If Light can defeat Darkness... that means my power is stronger than Keiko's, her power is stronger than Ryo's, and he's stronger than me? And that has something to do with you and Keiko not being able to talk to me directly?"

The feline nodded again. She lifted a claw to point at the crest around her neck, then pointed at Hikari's chest.

Hikari looked down at herself then back up at Keiko's Digimon. "If my crest is blocking her... how do I _un_ block her? And you? I want to help you both escape the Dark World!"

The Digimon looked at Hikari, holding her gaze before she mouthed a single word. "Practice."

*

A digital chime signaled the arrival of an email, the icon of an envelope appearing on the screen of the white D-Terminal resting on the bathroom counter. It drew the attention of its owner, and Ken Ichijouji turned off the faucet, stopping the water from spilling in to the tub. Wearing only a towel around his waist, the boy genius headed over to the device. He reached over, his gloveless hands exposed to show the strange discoloration that marred his otherwise pale skin. His right hand was stained gray up to his wrists in a solid formation, while his left hand was blotched with irregular patterns, mostly centered around his palms before trickling through his fingers like spilled water.

Ken lifted up the D-Terminal before he quirked an eyebrow, a sly grin appearing on his face. "It seems Motomiya wasted no time in emailing me."

"That's great, Ken-chan!" a cheerful, young voice said from the bath. "Daisuke really seemed to like you and probably wants to make friends!"

"I'm sure he does. That was the _intent_ ," Ken said as he opened the email. He scanned it over before his sly grin turned in to a smirk. "He wants to meet me tomorrow for breakfast."

At the edge of the tub, a small green Digimon the size of a cat but shaped more like a plush caterpillar with long floppy antennae was pouring special salts into the bath with his pink pointed limbs, turning the water slightly green. He smiled with his big blue eyes, as his jagged sideways mouth was incapable of showing such an expression. "Are you going to go, Ken-chan?"

"Of course," Ken said as he typed at his D-Terminal. "All my hard work is paying off. He'll be so completely dazzled, he won't know what to do with himself."

"It'll probably be lots of fun too," Wormmon said. "Daisuke seemed like a very nice boy."

Ken paused before he rolled his eyes, hitting send on his email before he set the D-Terminal down. "He seems like an _idiot_. A _gullible_ idiot."

"Maybe you two could trade soccer tips," Wormmon suggested as he hopped off the edge of the tub. "Or you can play a game together."

Ken sighed heavily as he glanced at Wormmon. "We _are_ talking about the same Motomiya who had his Digimon _bite_ me, right?"

Wormmon's cheer dropped along with his gaze as his eyes went to the bandage wrapped around Ken's leg. "V-mon did that himself without Daisuke telling him. I'd have bitten him right back if I had been there and made him sorry he hurt you."

"He certainly didn't complain about it," Ken grumbled as he discarded his towel, then carefully slipped in to the water. He turned to drop his arms against the side of the tub. Even with the bandage getting wet, it provided protection against the water. "They're such _children_."

Wormmon watched Ken get into the bath, taking care to ensure his Chosen Child didn't slip or otherwise get hurt before he climbed in to the tub as well. "That's true... They don't know anything about what's really going on in the Digital World."

"And just what is Jiji and Baba thinking?" Ken huffed, glowering at the far wall. "Taking them to the temple... what happened to being neutral!?"

"Maybe they're trying to help the others understand what's going on without telling them about..." Wormmon trailed off, his antennae drooping.

Ken's expression darkened before he pushed himself back away from the edge of the tub, extending his arms. "...Well, whatever the reason, it's moot now. Once I finish 'befriending' Daisuke, I'll be able to keep a better eye on their movements."

Wormmon looked curiously at Ken. "Does that mean you're going to tell Daisuke you're a Chosen Child too?"

"Absolutely not!" Ken said, firmly, before he got a sly grin. "I'll just pretend to be oblivious, and make him incredibly nervous as he tries to hide his identity." The genius boy leaned back as he cackled, reaching up in the air as if to squeeze it. "And while his partner's pretending to be a toy or something stupid like that, I'll 'innocently' pick him up and _squeeze_ him, seeing how much I can get away with until he makes a noise!"

Wormmon grimaced, but couldn't feel too bad for V-mon whenever he looked at his partner's injury. "But if Daisuke is trying to hide Digimon from you, how are you going to use him as a spy?"

"He'll _tell_ me, naturally," Ken said, matter-of-factly. "I could ask him whatever I wanted and I imagine he'd just _blab_ it, unable to help himself. You heard him at the game, he couldn't control his mouth at all."

Wormmon nodded slowly, though he still felt uncertain. "Daisuke seems to like you very, very much. I think he'll probably do just about anything you ask him to."

Ken giggled, grinning. "I know, isn't it great? He's practically begging for it."

Wormmon felt both elated to see Ken laugh and troubled by the reason why. "I'll bet you both could have so much fun together hanging out and playing games and talking about all the stuff you like here in the real world."

Ken paused and turned to eye Wormmon before he let out another heavy sigh. "Honestly, Wormmon. It's like we're having two separate conversations, sometimes."

Wormmon moved closer to Ken, lightly placing his digits on the boy's hand. "I worry about you, Ken-chan. You haven't been spending enough time relaxing and having fun here in the real world. Playing soccer used to make you feel really happy, but it's not making you smile as much as you used to. Everything has been going according to schedule, so why not take some time to enjoy yourself a little?"

Ken looked down at Wormmon's digit, then to Wormmon. "...You're just too kind, Wormmon. Too kind for such a rotten world."

Wormmon gently stroked Ken's hand, his eyes sad. "You're kind too, Ken-chan."

Ken paused at that before he shook his head. "I grew up." The boy genius then smiled down at his partner. "But that's fine. Only one of us needed to grow up. So you can be as kind as you want. I'll protect you."

Wormmon nuzzled against Ken's hand, his voice going quiet. "I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to be the one to protect you, Ken-chan."

Ken grimaced and was about to respond when a chime from his D-Terminal interrupted him, signaling he had just received an email. Glancing across the bathroom to his D-Terminal, a sly smirk spread across his face, replacing the pained expression. "Hmhm. An answer already? It looks like tomorrow's going to be a _very_ busy day."

Wormmon sighed and closed his eyes as he stayed close to Ken. It was all he could do.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

On a normal Sunday morning, Daisuke would be sleep in late to make up for having to get up early on school days. However, despite being too excited to get much sleep, he still managed to be up before his alarm went off, getting ready in his best clothes and fighting to get his wild bush of a hair into somewhat of a more tamed shape.

Chibimon sat on Daisuke's bed, sleepily watching his Chosen prepare. He had stayed up with his Chosen, but unlike Daisuke, wasn't able to wake up as immediately. The dragon Digimon yawned before he drooped. "Ken Ichijouji gets up _early_ , doesn't he?"

Daisuke grunted as his comb got caught on a particularly annoying tangle. "He's a busy guy. He does more in a day than most people do in a year!"

Chibimon blinked before his eyes widened. "Wow... he's so busy, and he's still making time for you!" The Digimon giggled, covering his mouth with his tiny paws. "I knew he'd like you, Daisuke~!"

Daisuke laughed along with Chibimon. "I know, right? It's a dream come true!" He flung his arms up in the air in his excitement and accidentally let the comb slip from his hand, sending it flying across the room to bounce off the wall and then his bed.

Chibimon blinked as he watched the comb take its flight before landing beside him, then hopped on to his feet and picked the cleaning utensil up to hold out to Daisuke. "We gotta get ready, especially if we're gonna make him a Chosen Child too!"

"Thanks, Chibimon," Daisuke said as he accepted the comb to attack the tangles again. "Right. We gotta get Ichijouji to come with us to the meeting later today, no matter what!"

A knock on the door made Daisuke jerk until he heard his mother's voice. "Daisuke? It's time for breakfast."

Daisuke looked at Chibimon and frantically gestured to the duffle bag. "I'm not having breakfast here today, Mom. I'm going out!"

Chibimon quickly rushed in to the bag, ducking inside so that his Chosen could zip him up and conceal him inside.

Daisuke finished getting ready in a hurry, scooping up and closing the duffle bag before unlocking his bedroom door. "Later, Mom!"

Junko cocked her head to the side and waved after Daisuke. "Okay, Daisuke. Say hi to Hikari-chan for me."

Daisuke was about to answer as he hurried down the hall when Jun's bedroom door flew open and slammed into his face. The Chosen jerked back and fumbled up to cover his nose and verify it wasn't broken, eyes squinting in pain. "Hey!"

"Mom!" Jun shouted without even acknowledging she hit Daisuke, rushing towards the balcony. "Mom! Look outside! There's a _limo_ out front!"

Junko gasped and hurried to the balcony to join her daughter. "Oh! Maybe it's a celebrity!"

"Daisuke!" Chibimon hissed from the duffle bag, curled up in a tight ball. "That's gotta be Ken!"

Daisuke nodded as he eyed the two on the balcony, then darted out the front door as quietly as he could to not catch Jun's attention. He shuddered to think of what might happen if his sister found out and decided to use him to get to Ken.

Once Daisuke hurried through the apartment complex and made it to the ground floor, he immediately saw the limo in question. A black limo was parked just in front of the steps, a man in uniform dutifully waiting at the door. When he saw Daisuke, the man turned and opened the back right door and held it open, stepping back as he did so.

For a moment, Daisuke could only stare dumbly at the silent invitation. Such treatment for someone like him seemed unthinkable, but after feeling a subtle nudge in his side from his duffle bag, he snapped out of his daze and hurried over to the limo.

Just as Daisuke was about to look inside the limo, the familiar shriek of Jun drew his eyes up to the balcony outside his living room where his mother and sister stood, shocked. He couldn't help but grin from ear-to-ear and he waved at the two ladies before he darted inside the limousine.

Now safe from Jun's interference, Daisuke was again caught agog by the limo, as the spacious, ivory-colored plush interior with many modern touches like a miniature television, matching fridge, and state of the art sound system left him nearly speechless. "Whoa..."

A soft chuckle caught Daisuke's attention, drawing him to the other occupant of the limo - Ken Ichijouji. The genius boy sat comfortably on the plush seats, wearing his school uniform and a smile on his face. "Good morning, Daisuke. You're in good spirits today."

Daisuke was a little startled to see Ken in uniform, but quickly brushed it off as just another way that the genius was far more mature than he was. "G-good morning, Ichijouji!" He fumbled for a moment before he sat down beside Ken. "Thanks for inviting me here. I really appreciate it!"

Ken chuckled again. "Please, don't mention it. I was quite happy to get your email last night. I was worried that I might have imposed myself on you when I gave you that card."

Daisuke shook his head vigorously. "It was no trouble!" He jumped with a small yelp as the driver closed the door, but tried to cover it up with a smile. "No trouble at all."

"Good," Ken said as he relaxed in his chair, leaning back as he folded his hands and placed them in his lap. "Well, then. Shall we go get breakfast?"

"Yeah!" Daisuke cheered.

*

Despite the presence of a limo, Daisuke was expecting the restaurant to be cozy, not a spectacular bistro atop a skyscraper with a gorgeous view of downtown and a live orchestra. He couldn't help but gawk at the expensive decor, the well-dressed people that practically radiated class and riches. Their clothes made his best outfit look like rags in comparison. The entire experience was all nearly overwhelming and made him feel woefully out of place.

And yet, despite being in his school uniform, Ken walked in to the room with an air of confidence. He didn't appear even mildly fazed by the stares he got, some questioning their appearance while others immediately recognizing him for who he was. Instead, he walked straight up to the reception staff. "Reservation for Ichijouji, please."

The staff wasted no time in seating Ken and Daisuke in a cozy little private area sectioned off with a velvet rope. Upon sitting in front of the pristine white tablecloth and gleaming silverware, Daisuke felt a pang of guilt that he couldn't bring Chibimon in to share what promised to be a spectacular meal. He silently vowed to bring as much as he could in a doggie bag, provided such an upscale establishment would even allow it.

Ken smiled as he took his seat opposite of Daisuke. "Please order whatever you like. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

Daisuke nodded as he picked up a menu, momentarily at a loss for words until he saw the prices. "Holy crap! Did you _see_ how much this stuff costs?!"

Ken chuckled as he picked up his own menu. "I had the same reaction my first time here, too. But it's really quite good. Just make sure you ask me to translate anything in a different language, or there's a good chance you'll end up with something... interesting."

"Um..." Daisuke grimaced as he spotted not only English, but at least three other languages he couldn't recognize. "Yeah, will do."

Ken looked over his own menu, allowing Daisuke to decide at his pace. When a waiter came by, he ordered some juice for their table, which the waiter was quick to deliver. The boy genius watched as the waiter poured them each a glass, then turned to smile at Daisuke. "So, does anything catch your eye?"

Daisuke squinted one eye as he looked over one of the items again. "This has gotta be a typo. This makes it sound like there's actual gold and diamonds _in_ the food. Not even rich people would _eat_ gold, right? That'd be stupid!"

Ken smiled as he tilted his head. "I don't see a point to it, myself. It has no flavor, and all claims of nutritional value are... dubious at best. I wouldn't recommend it."

Daisuke outright gawked at Ken. "You mean rich people really _do_ eat gold?"

Ken's smile became wry. "Yes, they do. As a novelty ingredient."

Daisuke could only stare at Ken, completely at a loss for words.

Ken chuckled before he turned his attention to the menu. "It might be best to stick with something somewhat familiar. Perhaps an omelette? It has lobster meat and caviar."

"S-sure," Daisuke muttered as he focused on the floral centerpiece on the table rather than look Ken in the eye. His face and neck felt warm as he was aware more than ever that this was not a place where he belonged at all.

But he hadn’t come there to eat – though naturally he'd make the most of it. He had a goal – and a plan. As Ken ordered for the two of them, Daisuke focused instead on something more important than eating gold - making Ichijouji a Chosen Child.

Daisuke knew after such a magnificent invitation, he had to somehow impress Ken. Unfortunately, there were no soccer balls to steal this time, and he doubted that anyone in this establishment would appreciate it if he tried, if the occasional stink eye he got from other patrons who overheard his remarks about the food were any indication. This place made it absolutely clear that Ken came from a far different world than Daisuke, and the goggle boy had to bring his 'A' game if he was going to get Ken interested in joining a group of heroes out to save two worlds.

The obviousness of the answer slapped Daisuke in the face so hard he initially missed the fact that Ken was trying to get his attention.

"Daisuke?" Ken repeated the goggle boy's name, tilting his head. When Daisuke finally realized he had been spoken to and turned to face Ken, the boy genius smiled. "Oh, good. It looks like you spaced out for a moment, there."

Daisuke's cheeks exploded in heat that spread all the way to his ears, as the remark sent all his thoughts flying out of his head.. "H-huh? O-oh, I, er, I..." He stammered and wrung a cloth napkin in his hands as he tried to remember what he had planned to say.

" Is something on your mind?" Ken asked, curiously.

"It's ah... uh...," Daisuke muttered, fumbling with his thoughts. "I just... uh... I was wondering if you'd like to meet my friends! Yeah, that's it."

"Hm?" Ken blinked before his smile returned. "Of course, I'd greatly like that."

Daisuke blinked, not quite believing Ken agreed so easily. When it sunk in that he had indeed heard correctly, he beamed, practically bursting with excitement. "Great! We can see them after we eat, okay?"

"That sounds wonderful," Ken said, cheerfully. "Perhaps we can bring something back for your friends to enjoy, as well."

Daisuke's eyes lit up. "You mean like a doggy bag? Perfect! I was feeling kinda guilty about Chi... er, ah, I mean, my friends not getting to try some of this amazing food."

"Yes, something like that," Ken said, with a nod. "You're really considerate, Daisuke."

Daisuke giggled a little at the praise, feeling pleasantly warm. "You really think so?"

"Yes," Ken said. "Your friends are very fortunate to know you." The boy genius paused before he smiled. "As am I."

"R-really?" Daisuke asked, his eyes so wide they were ready to pop out of his head. "You think _you_ are lucky to know _me_?"

"Of course," Ken said, brightly. "I can already tell that we'll be good friends."

Daisuke's heart raced from excitement as he grinned until his cheeks hurt. "Yeah! We'll be the best friends ever!"

"I hope so," Ken said. "Nothing would make me happier."

"Me too!" Daisuke chirped. He couldn't stop giggling until the waiter returned with their order.

The food was beyond anything Daisuke had ever experienced before. The richness of the flavors presented to him left him in awe, and despite how much Ken had ordered, he didn't decimate even half of it before his belly was ready to burst.

"It looks like we'll be bringing some leftovers to go, anyway," Ken said with a laugh as he surveyed the remains of their meal, before he flagged down a waiter.

The mention of leftovers reminded Daisuke of Chibimon and the meeting with the rest of the Chosen Children. He knew now was the time to bring it up, while the mood was great and before something happened to ruin everything.

Daisuke cleared his throat. "So, uh, have you ever heard of Digimon?"

Ken had been in the middle of drinking the rest of his juice when Daisuke spoke. At the very mention of 'Digimon', the boy genius choked, spit-taking the liquid before he could manage to clasp his hand over his mouth to stifle the reaction. Ken froze as he stared at Daisuke with wide, disbelieving eyes as he kept his hand firmly over his mouth, awkwardly still holding the glass in the other.

Daisuke yelped and threw up his arms to block the juice spraying in his face. He then focused on Ken with wide eyes. "Oh my gosh, you _do_! You _do_ know about Digimon! That's _great_!"

Ken choked before he swiftly grabbed a napkin, wiping off not only his hand but his mouth as panic and confusion played across his typically docile face. "I-I-you-did you-what-"

"You must've seen Omegamon on the internet, right?" Daisuke asked, excitedly. "Or maybe you're like me and got kidnapped by that Vamdemon jerk?" He giggled to himself before Ken could respond. "I'll bet a genius like you already figured out _everything_ about the Digital World!"

Ken outright gawked at Daisuke, struggling to comprehend what he was hearing. All the scenarios he had played out in his head, all night long, and not a single one of them involved Daisuke _outright asking him_ about Digimon. "Y-you... I... what..."

It left him completely at a loss, struggling to answer.

*

Meanwhile, back at the limo, Chibimon yawned, struggling to stay awake. He had been left behind in Daisuke's duffle bag, sitting on the floor. There really wasn't much point in remaining hidden, though he didn't feel a need to leave the bag either. Daisuke and Ken were in the restaurant, and while the driver was sitting at the front of the limo, he was separated from the back compartment by tinted glass. Chibimon was safe for the time being.

The dragon Digimon curled up in the duffle bag, closing his eyes. While he had been tempted to get comfortable on the plush seats, there was also a risk of him dozing off and not waking up in time to avoid being seen by Ken. It was very important to Daisuke that Ken become a Chosen, so he wasn't about to risk it by being seen by the boy genius and potentially scaring him away.

Just as Chibimon was about to drift away, a strange scent caught his nose. It was the smell of food, sweet and sugary like a snack. The Digimon paused before he opened his eyes and gave a tentative sniff. Tired as he was, the scent of food reminded him that while Daisuke was having breakfast, he had not yet eaten that morning. The young Digimon frowned before he tentatively unzipped the duffle bag enough to peer out.

The Digimon didn't see Ken or Daisuke, which confirmed that he was still alone in the limo. Chibimon blinked, then furrowed his brow and gave another sniff. "...Ken must have a snack stash!" Apparently even geniuses had to hide their food, just like Daisuke.

Chibimon was filled with a temptation to find the treat, his stomach agreeing to the suggestion. However, the Digimon instead gave a small shake of his head before he huffed. "No, _no_! I'm not gonna steal Ken Ichijouji's snacks! I'll wait for Daisuke, because I'm a good Digimon!"

With a huff, Chibimon flopped back in to the bag and curled up once more, doing his best to ignore his rumbling stomach.

A quiet click made Chibimon's ear twitch, but before he could wonder where it came from, the sound of faint, soothing music filled the air.

Chibimon paused at that, his ears twitching. He hadn't heard Ken or Daisuke return, or the driver open any of the doors. Just the same, he was careful when he peered out of the bag to confirm if someone was around. To his surprise, he didn't see anyone. "...Huh?"

Curiously, Chibimon searched around for the source of the music. He almost expected it to be coming from the front - perhaps the driver turned on the radio - but he found it was coming from the back of the car.

The dragon Digimon blinked before he carefully climbed out of Daisuke's bag. Glancing about, he trotted back towards the end of the limo, following the music. Much to his confusion, he found the music loudest directly from the backseat. Chibimon stared at the seat before he tried to peer behind the cushions. "...No speakers..."

As Chibimon searched the seats from top to bottom, his foot accidentally flicked a switch he hadn't noticed that caused the entire row to start moving. He squeaked and scrambled back, crouching on the floor with wide eyes as he watched the seats practically transform from a cushioned bench to a pair of reclining easy chairs. After the initial shock wore off, he realized the music had actually grown _louder_.

Cautiously, he crept towards the seats, following the music underneath one of the now raised footrests. There, against the flat backing near the edge of the carpet, he found a small latch that, when opened, allowed a hidden panel to slide to the side, revealing a secret compartment.

A room had been hidden beneath the seat, too small for a person, but just right for a pet-sized Digimon. Dozens of tiny lights installed along the ceiling and upper areas of the wall bathed the room in a gentle glow, revealing the soft carpeting and small pile of plush pillows Wormmon used as a bed. Thanks to the swelling of instruments composing a classical concert from his CD player, he failed to notice that his sanctuary had been compromised. Instead, he focused on turning the page in the novel his was reading before he reached into an insulated box for another taiyaki.

Chibimon's eyes locked on the Digimon in front of him, the dragon gaping as he struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. As it finally dawned on him, a swelling of joy and excitement chased away all lingering tiredness inside him. "You're... you're a _Digimon_!"

Wormmon yelped at the sudden voice, dropping his partially eaten taiyaki on his book. Quickly, he picked up the sweet cake before it stained the pages and turned to stare at Chibimon, his blue eyes wide with fear. "Eep."

"Y-you're Ken's partner, aren't you!?" Chibimon gushed as he hurried in to the room, then hopped around in circles without waiting for an answer and let out a whooping cheer. "Ken's _already_ a Chosen! Daisuke doesn't have to do 'first-come-first-serve'!"

Wormmon blinked slowly at the hyperactive dragon. "First-come-first-serve? What?"

Chibimon giggled as he clasped his paws over his mouth, squirming in place happily before he leaned forward. "Hi! My name is Chibimon! I'm Daisuke's partner!"

Wormmon fidgeted with the taiyaki, his eyes dropping down as a wave of guilt washed over him. "I... I'm Wormmon."

"Hi, Wormmon!" Chibimon said excitedly as he moved closer. "This is _great_! Daisuke was going to try and make Ken a Chosen so we could go on adventures together, but he's _already_ a Chosen! Now no one can steal his spot!"

"He... what?" Wormmon asked, staring at Chibimon.

"That's what Inoe did," Chibimon said, with a huff. "She tried to gate in to see if she was a Chosen, and brought Iori too. They apparently thought it might make _any_ child a Chosen that tried to gate in. And she and Iori both gated in, so we thought it was true, so Daisuke was gonna try that with Ken!"

"Ohhh dear...," Wormmon muttered. Ken was not going to like this at all.

*

Daisuke bounced in his seat, practically standing despite the discomfort he felt from his overly full stomach. "Oh my gosh, wait until everyone finds out! They're not going to believe this!"

Ken quivered in his seat, struggling to come up with a response. Daisuke wasn't giving him a chance to recover, to _think_ of what to say to make the situation go back in his favor. He was at the risk of being completely exposed, and everything ruined. As his mind failed to process, the boy genius glanced around quickly, part of him debating just fleeing the restaurant right then. Unfortunately, instead he saw faces staring at them as Daisuke was drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Ken leaned forward and brought up his hand, waving it vigorously in front of his face while he hissed at the other boy. "S-sshhhh! People are _listening_!"

To his credit, Daisuke froze and instantly went silent. He looked around quickly to see that they were being watched before leaning in closer to Ken, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Sorry, sorry! We better talk 'bout this someplace private."

Ken nodded, feeling both relief and dread at the same time. As much as he didn't look forward to the future conversation, it gave him an opportunity to come up with a solution to the situation he found himself in. "W-we can discuss this back in the limo."

"Right," Daisuke whispered, his voice still overflowing with enthusiasm despite his low volume.

Ken leaned back as he let out a soft sigh, trying to sooth his nerves. He had little time to recover, and he couldn't do it while panicking. He needed to give his brain a chance to _recover_ so that it could actually _work_. He _never_ would've imagined that Daisuke would do something so stupid as to _outright_ talk about Digimon. It was just inconceivable.

And yet, in hindsight, it's exactly something Daisuke would - and _did_ \- do.

Still, _knowing_ about Digimon in and of itself wasn't proof of anything. It certainly didn't link him to the Digimon Kaiser, and it was fairly obvious that thought hadn't yet crossed Daisuke's mind.

"Omegamon," Ken thought as he looked down at his plate, trying to will color to come back to his pale face. "I'll tell him I saw the Omegamon fight - which is technically true. He already mentioned it, so he won't press me on that. I'll just say that I witnessed the fight and nothing more. That's perfectly believable."

The boy genius glanced up to see Daisuke still grinning like an idiot and his insides clenched. He didn't know why Daisuke had asked so suddenly, especially if the boy clearly didn't suspect him, but he'd pass off his knowledge as limited. That should be enough to satisfy the goggle boy - and give Ken the advantage back.

When the waiter came back to box up the leftovers and hand Ken his bill, the boy genius took his time looking over the bill before signing it. He wanted to delay the conversation as long as possible, in order to fully recover and prepare himself for what was obviously going to be an intense conversation.

Damn that Daisuke, he always seemed to know how to ruin Ken's plans, even when he wasn't trying to!

After everything was boxed up and paid for, Daisuke all but ran back towards the limo, with Ken following him slowly. The boy genius kept his footsteps even as he tried to appear that he wasn't delaying so much as simply wasn't in a rush, but the goggle boy's eagerness was palpable.

"Everyone is going to _freak out_ when they find out!" Daisuke giggled, trying desperately to keep his voice down in spite of his enthusiasm. "They're going to be so thrilled I can't even!"

"Well," Ken said slowly as he glanced to the driver, watching the man as he left the driver's seat to open the door for them. "I'm sure it's not nearly as impressive as you-"

No sooner had the driver open the door to the limo when suddenly Chibimon jumped out, lunging to grab Daisuke's chest. " _Daisuke_!"

"Chibimon?" Daisuke yelped as he caught Chibimon. He looked at the driver then quickly turned to hide the dragon Digimon from the adult's sight, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I told you, you need to hide when we're outside!"

"Daisuke!" Chibimon said as he tugged at his Chosen's shirt. "Ken is a _Chosen_! He has a _Digimon_!"

Daisuke's eyes widened to saucers. " _Seriously_!?"

Ken jerked as he stared at Chibimon and Daisuke, then turned his attention to the limo. Just inside the doorway was Wormmon, slouching as he looked up guiltily at the boy genius. Ken stared at Wormmon as his mind once again reeled, all of his plans completely unraveling in front of him and leaving him speechless. "...Ah."

*

"...So Keiko's partner agreed to train me."

Though not everyone was present yet, the meeting of the Chosen Children and Digimon had gotten well underway, as Hikari couldn't wait to tell them about what happened in her dream. The other Chosen were all gathered at Taichi's house, listening as Hikari described her dream to them in detail from start to finish. When the Chosen of Light had reached the end, with the revelation that Keiko's partner had agreed to train her, the other Chosen glanced at each other with expressions ranging from surprise and confusion to unease.

Takeru crossed his arms as he tilted his head, letting out a thoughtful hum. "I wonder what that means... is your power really that out of control?" The Chosen of Hope paused as he remembered the giant egg in the sky, images of it flashing through his head. "Or maybe that you just don't know how to control it in the first place?"

"I've never known how it works," Hikari said with a sigh. "Things just... happened when they needed to happen, I guess."

"Then it's a good thing, isn't it?" Sora asked as she looked at the other Chosen. "I can't think of anything bad about Hikari learning how to use her powers."

"Even if it's _Darkness_ teaching her?" Yamato grumbled as he leaned against the wall.

Sora paused at that before she shook her head. "A _Chosen_. Darkness or not, she's a Chosen and that means she's still a friend."

"Even though she's _Darkness_?" Yamato repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

Sora turned to look at Yamato directly in the eyes. "She didn't choose her crest - _none of us_ did."

Yamato paused at that as he stared at Sora. Images of her own behavior in the previous adventure, and her doubts about her own crest came to mind. They were the same doubts he felt about _his_ crest, though not to the severity that she had. The Chosen of Friendship fidgeted before he let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, you're right."

Sora nodded before she placed her hand over her chest, turning to Hikari. "The fact that Keiko's partner is coming to talk to you, wants to help you... even when _she's_ the one that needs help... I can't think she's a bad person. She even gave you her Digimental. Darkness or not, Keiko is on our side."

Hikari nodded as she held her Digivice to her chest. "I think so too. Maybe when I can control my powers, her partner can tell me how we can help her."

"She already helped me, so we can't forget _that_ ," Takeru said as he glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eye. He then returned his attention to Hikari. "Maybe you'll learn something that'll help us fight the Kaiser."

"Or maybe convince him to stop fighting," Hikari murmured.

"Yeeeeah," Miyako said as she angled her head slightly. "I don't think that's going to happen. Not with how much of a sadist he is."

"He clearly enjoys all the suffering he inflicts," Takeru said, darkly.

Sora grimaced, her eyes drifting over to Palmon, before she returned her attention to Koshiro and Miyako. It was better not to dwell on what was possibly happening to her own partner, as it'd only make her feel all the more helpless. "...By the way, what happened with the emails to Keiko or Ryo? Did you hear back from them? It'd be nice to talk to her directly instead of through dreams, especially if Hikari's accidentally blocking her."

Koshiro sighed wearily at the memory, his shoulders slumping a little. "We tried, but I'm afraid the results weren't all that encouraging."

Taichi blinked. "What do you mean?"

"The responses we got were... less than conclusive," Koshiro said. "We at least verified that Keiko was the one who sent the strange emails that crashed our D-Terminals since we tried emailing her with both of our D-Terminals and a couple spares we made in reserve."

"What did she say?" Hikari asked, her heart swelling with anticipation.

"Well, the first email was just asking if Keiko was there and if she could respond," Koshiro said, rubbing the back of his head. "I nearly dropped the D-Terminal when the first response we got was an email where letters were appearing on the screen as I was reading it."

Takeru's eyes widened. "Like they were being cut in to the screen, right?" He immediately recalled both times his D-Terminal crashed, once when he got the Digimental of Hope and again when he had been sent back from the Dark World. "So that was Keiko... when she told me how to use the Digimentals! That was her!"

"The same thing happened to me," Hikari said. "But for me, the letters kept disappearing as they were being written, and my D-Terminal didn't crash."

Koshiro frowned. "Maybe you've got a better chance of corresponding with Keiko even outside of dreams, at least without the need to wipe and reinstall everything on the D-Terminals each time."

"What did she say?" Hikari asked.

"Well, the first one said 'I'm here'," Koshiro said, "which makes sense given what we asked."

"That's when I backed up my stuff before asking if she was Keiko Makura," Miyako said. "When she wrote back 'Keiko Ryuzaki', Koshiro thought we were wrong about who she was until I pointed out that apparently her siblings and dad all transferred to the Ryuzaki family register." She grinned as she readjusted her glasses. "I studied up."

Koshiro's face flushed a bit with embarrassment. "Yes, well, the next thing we asked was where she was, how to get there, and how we could help her. She said we couldn't."

Miyako's smile disappeared, her mouth stretching into a thin line. "All her answers were pretty short. We tried asking her a lot of questions to figure out what's going on with her, but she just said, and I quote, 'You can't help me.'"

Takeru frowned. "We _can't_? What does _that_  mean?" The Chosen of Hope then paused before his expression turned thoughtful. "Maybe _that's_ what she means by being blocked?"

Hikari felt her insides churn with guilt. Though she knew she wasn't purposefully blocking Keiko, she felt responsible all the same. "If this is because of me... then I _have_ to master my powers so we can save her."

Sora reached over to touch Hikari's shoulder. "It's not your fault, and I'm sure Keiko knows that. It must be why Nyamon came to you. She wants to help you just as much as you want to help her."

Hikari smiled wanly and nodded.

"As for Ryo...," Koshiro said haltingly. "Well, we _might_ have found him or someone else?"

"Someone else?" Taichi repeated, feeling a growing sense of unease.

"It was killer spam and gibberish," Miyako said.

Koshiro nodded. "It was like when we were getting flooded with emails during the fight with Diablomon, only these emails were _huge_ and didn't make any sense. It was like someone went on a bunch of rambling tangents between mashing their keyboard and kept changing to different fonts and languages. I had to block the address before my D-Terminal got flooded."

"...Well, _that's_ definitely weird," Yamato said as he crossed his arms. "Are you sure it was the right address?"

"Unless Mystimon gave us the wrong one, yeah," Koshiro said. "I tried different variations of spellings just in case, but those all bounced back with no receiver."

"So it had to be the right one," Sora murmured before she furrowed her brow. "But what does it _mean_? Why would he send back garbled _nonsense_?"

"Have you tried emailing Jijimon and Babamon?" Yamato asked. "See what they have to say?"

"We still have to ask them about the missing Digimentals," Takeru said as he glanced at his brother. "Assuming Mystimon was telling the truth."

Koshiro sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Nope. I've been sending emails every day, but they haven't answered yet."

"...Are they _avoiding_  us?" Takeru asked, furrowing his brow. A rather dark part of him whispered that perhaps it was proof of Mystimon's claims. After all, Jijimon and Babamon had certainly been evasive so far.

Yamato shot his brother a glance before he straightened up. He could immediately tell where Takeru's thoughts were going, judging by the darkness in his eyes. Even if he agreed with the assessment, he didn't want his brother dwelling on it. "...They may just be busy. Let's give 'em a few more days before we assume anything."

Takeru paused before he regarded his brother. Yamato dismissed the thought a bit too quickly, but he didn't feel like arguing the point. "...True enough."

"We can just focus on what we know _now_ , and worry about the other things as the time comes," Sora agreed, glancing between Yamato and Takeru. "We do what we can, like saving more areas of the Digital World."

Takeru nodded before he paused. The Chosen of Hope glanced around the room before he looked up at the clock, noting the time. It was over half an hour past when they were supposed to meet up, and one face was still conspicuously absent. "Daisuke's pretty late, isn't he?"

Taichi looked at the clock as well. "Hey, yeah. Usually he's one of the first ones here." He turned to his sister. "Did he call to say he'd be running late?"

Hikari shook her head. "I didn't get any email from him either."

Takeru frowned before he pulled out his D-Terminal, opening it up. "I'm emailing him, just to make sure he's okay."

Before Takeru could type out the first word, the door suddenly burst open, hitting the wall with a bang.

"Guys!" Daisuke shouted from the doorway. "Guys! You'll never believe who I brought here!"

While most present started from the sudden entrance, Miyako's attention was wholly on Daisuke's words. " _Brought_?"

Daisuke flashed a wide grin as he stepped away from the door and gestured to the hallway. "Let me introduce..." He paused when he noticed that no one was there. "Huh?"

Takeru craned his head, peering through the door as he made a quizzical noise. "What's going on?"

Daisuke raised a finger. "Hang on just a sec." He dashed out as quickly as he came in.

Takeru blinked before he turned to look at Hikari, quirking an eyebrow wordlessly.

Before anyone could think of something to say, someone appeared in the doorway - and it wasn't Daisuke. Instead, Ken Ichijouji appeared in view, though he didn't look happy about it. His legs were locked so that his feet skidded across the floor as Daisuke pushed him from behind, the goggle boy's hands firmly planted on the resisting boy genius' back. In his arms, he held Wormmon tightly to his chest as if he were a plush animal.

"Tada!" Daisuke trumpeted.

" _Motomiya_!" Miyako snapped as she sat up sharply, nearly dropping her laptop to the floor. "What's the big idea?"

Ken froze as he felt all eyes on him, then shift directly to Wormmon, who looked at the other Chosen before giving them a tentative wave. The boy genius quivered before he bowed. "I-I apologize for intruding!" He then swiftly turned on his heels and scurried towards the door, trying to get past Daisuke.

"Wait, is that a-!?" Yamato began as he got up with a start.

"A _Digimon_!" Takeru finished his brother's sentence as he scrambled up from the sofa.

Daisuke was quick to plant himself in Ken's path, bracing his arms against the doorframe. "Aw, that's just Inoe. She's all bark."

"Whoa!" Taichi gasped. "That means-"

"He's the last Chosen Child!" Koshiro blurted out.

"That's right, that’s right!" Chibimon cheered as he hopped up and down in front of Ken, waving his little arms. "Ken is the last Chosen Child!"

Ken grimaced and looked helplessly at Daisuke as he blocked the door, then fidgeted before he held Wormmon tighter against his chest, squeezing him to hide his trembling arms. He had no choice but to face the other Chosen, his options completely spent. "...T-thank you for having me..."

Wormmon waved again to the children and Digimon, as Tailmon and the others ventured out of their hiding places to stare at him. "Hello, my name is Wormmon, and this is my Chosen Child, Ken Ichijouji. Please excuse Ken-chan, he's just really shy."

Taichi blinked. " _Shy_? But you're a big-shot genius celebrity!"

"That's different," Wormmon said.

"That's, ah... more of a...," Ken's voice grew increasingly quiet before he looked down at the back of Wormmon's head. He felt increasingly self-conscious, and his every instinct screamed at him to flee, but he was completely trapped in the horrible situation. "...Performance..."

Hikari smiled gently at Ken. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Hikari Yagami."

Ken glanced over to Hikari before he returned his attention to the rest of the room. The other Chosen proceeded to introduce themselves to Ken, their enthusiasm and wonder barely restrained. It did little to soothe Ken's nerves, as it was the exact opposite of what he wanted. He was completely disoriented and unable to think of a proper solution, getting dragged along by Daisuke with no chance to regain his footing. By the time it was over, he was completely exposed to his enemies, and there was nothing he could do to stop it except bow and mutter anxious platitudes. "I... I am Ken Ichijouji. It's a... a pleasure to meet you."

Miyako looked from Ken to Daisuke and slowly arched an eyebrow. "Let me guess - you were late because you were busy taking a quick trip to the Digital World with Ichijouji before we could discuss potential candidates."

Daisuke felt a faint flush of guilt, as the thought had crossed through his mind once or twice despite his plans to pitch Ken as a Chosen Child to the others first. "Nope! Chibimon and me figured it out that Ichijouji was already a Chosen!"

"Daisuke and Ken went to breakfast!" Chibimon agreed, waving his paws as he hopped up and down. "And I found Wormmon in Ken's limo, in a hidden room under the seats!"

"Ken-chan had it made for me so we could go everywhere together," Wormmon said brightly.

Ken wanted to kick himself. When Daisuke had brought his duffle bag, it never occurred to him that he had his partner in it. He thought nothing of Daisuke keeping the bag in the limo, and that alone lead to his downfall. It was entirely his own fault. "I... yes. I've had Wormmon for... for years now."

" _Years_?" Koshiro asked, startled.

Ken nodded, hesitantly. "Ever since he was an egg."

"When did you go to the Digital World?" Taichi asked.

Ken's expression went blank, even as his insides flailed around in a panic. It was one of several questions he had been dreading, but at the very least he had managed to prepare a response for it. "...the Digital... World? You mean... the Internet?"

"Not exactly," Koshiro said. "It's an entire world that's parallel to ours where all Digimon live."

"It's a pretty strange place," Taichi said as he rubbed the back of his head. "If you went there, you wouldn't forget it."

"...I-I see," Ken said slowly, doing his best to keep his voice even. "I'm... sorry to say I've never been to a... different world before. As... as strange as that is to say." The boy genius shifted his weight as he glanced at the other staring Chosen. "Wormmon's egg... it appeared out of my computer screen one day. I really didn't understand it at all, but I took care of the egg and..." His eyes drifted down to Wormmon.

Hikari and Taichi shared a look before turning back to Ken. "The same thing happened to us," Hikari said. "Koromon's egg came through the computer."

"It's how most of us became Chosen," Taichi said before looking uncertain. "Er, we think." At the very least, the incident at Hikarigaoka was all they had to go off of. And yet with more Chosen being added to their group that had nothing to do with the fight, it was becoming less and less clear.

Ken turned to stare at Hikari, taken aback. He had come up with a likely scenario on his own. To find out that it had actually happened was a bit off-putting - yet also a bit of a relief, as it saved him the trouble of arguing. "R-really?" He paused before he glanced around. "So you all... got your Digimon the same way? This was normal?"

"We got our partners after we fell in to the Digital World," Yamato said as he crossed his arms.

Ken blinked. "...Fell?"

"From the sky!" Mimi said as she threw her arms up into the air. "It was the most terrifying thing that ever happened to me!" She paused for a moment, brow furrowing. "Well... until we met some evil Digimon, I mean."

Ken stared at the other Chosen as he felt a strong sense of déjà vu. It brought back images of his own entrance in to the Digital World, the sensation of falling, and how terrifying it had been. It was only because of Ryo-

The boy genius stopped short and gave his head a small shake before he looked away. "I-I suppose I should be thankful... it wasn't nearly so _exciting_ for me."

"Well, it's about to get a lot more exciting for you," Miyako said with a wry grin. "Welcome to the team." She turned to Koshiro. "We better break it to the chat the slots are filled up already."

Koshiro cringed, not looking forward to that conversation after the way they reacted to Miyako and Iori. "I guess we should get that over with sooner instead of later..."

"Wait, so does this actually confirm the theory or disprove it?" Jou asked as he scratched the back of his head. "Or does it not even matter at this point?"

"It doesn't matter," Yamato said as he shook his head. "We found the last Chosen, that's all that matters. And once again, it's pure coincidence. It's like we're _drawn_ to each other."

Takeru tilted his head. "...Yeah. It does seem that way, doesn't it? We were pretty much all brought together by what just feels like a series of coincidences... and almost of them have something to do with Digimon." He paused before he turned to look at Ken. "Did you, by any chance, ever live in Hikarigaoka?"

Ken shook his head. "N-no. I've only ever lived in Tamachi."

"How about getting kidnapped by a vampire?" Yamato asked.

Ken paused at that before he stared at Yamato. It brought to mind something Daisuke had said at breakfast, though he had been too panicked to press. " _What_?"

"Ken saw the Omegamon fight!" Daisuke said with a grin. "If he had been kidnapped by Vamdemon like me, I bet we would've met up and gave those Bakemon losers something to think about, right?"

Ken glanced between Daisuke and Takeru, helplessly. He really wasn't sure what they were talking about, which left him at a disadvantage. Admittedly, he had been occupied with his own adventures while they were apparently running around fighting _vampires_ , but that fact did little to soothe his nerves. "R-right..."

"And there it is," Yamato said as he crossed his arms. "A Digimon connection. I bet the Kaiser has one too."

Ken felt a chill run up his spine though he did his best to not shiver. Instead, he turned his forcibly blank look to Yamato. "Kaiser?"

"I guess we better get you up to speed," Takeru said, with a chuckle.

Daisuke closed the front door and leaned back against it as he folded his arms over his chest. "The Digimon Kaiser is the biggest jerk in the Digital World. He's a bratty kid who thinks it's okay to torture Digimon!"

Ken turned to stare at Daisuke, eyes wide. "T- _torture_?"

"He's kidnapped most of our Digimon," Taichi growled.

"He's been using mind-control on them, to make them fight us," Yamato said with a scowl.

Koshiro looked up from his laptop with a sigh. "He's taken control of most of the Digimon _and_ the Digital World."

Ken opened his mouth before he snapped it shut with an audible click, able to little more than gawk at the Chosen around him. While he had expected them to talk about him, it was entirely different matter to have it actually _happen_. He truly felt like a noose was falling around his neck.

"Okay, okay, hold up," Sora said as she raised her hands, stepping forward to stand beside Ken. "You're scaring him."

Ken jerked and turned to stare at Sora with wide eyes, his arms tightening around Wormmon.

"I'm sure we all know what it feels like to be blindsided by all of this," Sora said as she glanced at the other Chosen, still holding her hands up as if warding off further comments. "So let's keep that in mind before we frighten him away, okay?"

Mimi moved forward as well, smiling brightly. "Don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. We've rescued half of our partners already, like Palmon here!" She picked up her partner to give Palmon a hug.

Ken glanced between Sora and Mimi before he held Wormmon closer, lifting the Digimon up until his partner partially obstructed his face. "I-I see..."

Wormmon lightly patted Ken's hand as he looked back sympathetically at the slightly pale boy. "It's okay, Ken-chan," he murmured. "I'm right here."

Ken nodded wordlessly, resting his chin against the top of Wormmon's head.

Hikari walked over to Ken and lightly placed her hand on his. "Don't worry. You don't need to do anything if you're not up for it." She smiled gently and led their newest member to the sofa. "We're just happy we found you both."

Ken obediently followed Hikari, his head spinning. He was being assaulted from all sides in a constant barrage. It was a sensation he hadn't felt since he first fell in to the Digital World, and he wasn't happy to experience it again. As he sat on the sofa, Ken rested Wormmon on his lap, though he kept his arms still firmly around the Digimon. Once there, he turned to look at Hikari and offer her a weak smile in response.

However, before he could say anything, Daisuke suddenly sat down on the sofa next to him, making the boy genius jump as he was suddenly boxed in from both sides - though clearly that wasn't the intent, as both Hikari and Daisuke looked friendly, not antagonistic.

"I know we've given you a lot to think about," Sora said as she walked over to Ken, smiling down at him. "Especially since we've kind of thrown it all at you. Take your time."

"I... yes," Ken murmured. "T-thank you."

Daisuke wrapped his arm around Ken's shoulders and gave the other boy a squeeze. "There's nothing to worry about now that you're here. You're a genius and you've got tons of friends on your side to help you. This'll be a piece of cake!"

Ken squeaked before he turned to stare at Daisuke, his face tinting lightly. "I-I... I'll certainly try my best."

"What's your email?" Miyako asked as she leaned over Ken. "I need to send you the debriefing file so you'll have an easier time catching up."

Ken paused and turned to stare at Miyako, with wide eyes. "M-my... email?"

"Give him some space, Inoe!" Daisuke snapped, glaring daggers at Miyako. "I'll send him the file. _Later_."

Miyako straightened up and gave Daisuke a side-eyed look. "I updated the file since I last sent it out, and I'm going to need to update it again to include Ichijouji here, so it's just easier for me to email it to everyone all at once."

"I'll forward it," Daisuke said, his expression challenging.

Ken glanced between Miyako and Daisuke, his eyes still wide. The tension was palpable, and he found himself suddenly in the middle of it. "A-ah, I..."

"Or you can let Ichijouji speak for himself," Miyako said, rolling her eyes to the ceiling before she focused on Ken. "Besides, we need to exchange our email addresses in case of an emergency or if _someone_ is going to be late to meetings." She turned her gaze pointedly back to Daisuke.

"Hey, I was busy finding the last Chosen Child," Daisuke said with a smirk. "What did _you_ do today?"

Hikari placed her hand on Ken's shoulder, wincing a little as he jerked at the touch. "Don't worry," she whispered. "They're always like that. You can take your time to decide whatever feels right to you. I know finding out you two aren't alone anymore must be pretty shocking."

Ken turned to Hikari, rather thankful for the interruption. He swallowed hard before he nodded numbly. "I... am admittedly completely... _unprepared_ for all of this. I never would have imagined... _all of this_." It was the absolute truth. In no scenario he had prepared for had he _ever_ considered that Daisuke might outright ask him about Digimon, and certainly not _recruit_ him.

Hikari's smile was warm and gentle despite how Miyako and Daisuke continued to bicker within arm's reach. "We're all trying to figure things out, but we're making progress. Together."

Ken returned the smile as best he could, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Despite years of putting on a persona and performing for the media and everyone else around him, it always required preparation and composure, and he currently lacked both. He had his plans completely destroyed and was dragged to the meeting place of the very people thwarting his every move. At that very moment, none of them seemed to suspect who he was, and it was a small blessing for an otherwise terrible situation.

As he sat on the couch in the Yamagi residence, only one thing kept repeating in his head, like an endless litany - it was a _total disaster_.

And it was all Daisuke's fault.


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

With the weekend over, it was time to go back to school. Sora was actually in a good mood for once, a rarity since Piyomon had been kidnapped. While her partner's fate still hung over her head, they were making _some_ progress. Half of the initial kidnapped Digimon had been recovered, though there was still the issue of Miyako's egg being taken and Iori's still not appearing. However, with the discovery of the final Chosen and the identity of the Chosen of Darkness, it was hard not to feel like something significant had been accomplished.

"With summer break around the corner, we'll have plenty of opportunities to go to the Digital World," Sora thought with a hum, swinging the case with her tennis racket from side to side. Of course, so would the Digimon Kaiser, but she wasn't going to let such a thought spoil her mood. Their numbers were growing larger, and with Hikari training under Keiko's partner in her dreams, good things were bound to happen. "But I can't believe we've been fighting the Kaiser for so long..." She paused before she ticked off her fingers, counting. "About... four months now?"

None of them had been prepared for their battles to last so long, and especially not the captivity of most of their partners. Even Mimi had planned to simply stay in Japan, spending the night at Sora's, until the matter was resolved. But as time went on, the Chosen of Purity was forced to start returning home by gating to the Digital World before opening a gate back to America. As dangerous as the gate hopping was with the Kaiser able to track them, it was their only options – and even if he could see the logs of their gating attempts, he hadn't actually _interfered_ with any of them. It was fortunate for them, as the only other option was for Mimi to head home by plane and that would severely limit her ability to assist the Chosen.

As it was, the Chosen needed all the help they could get in freeing every captured area and, in some cases, going back to free the area _again_ after the Digimon Kaiser moved his forces back in to undo what the Chosen had done. It made the battles tedious at best, and victory was often hard-earned and even harder to _keep_. Even more, aside from the initial lucky breaks, the Digimon Kaiser had gotten a lot more careful about where and when he sent their partners. It was fairly obvious that his confidence in keeping control over them was waning.

In the end, they spent most of their time rescuing areas from under his control, demolishing the Dark Towers and helping the Digimon to escape. They had been jumping in for constant skirmishes every day, simply demolishing any towers they found and hoping the Kaiser couldn't rebuild them all before they moved on. But with more people on their team, they could cause much wider destruction to the corrupt Chosen's empire.

"Ken Ichijouji," Sora murmured as she stopped and glanced skyward, her expression thoughtful. "Hopefully we didn't scare him away when we bombarded him the other day. He seems like such a nice boy. I'm sure Koshiro would appreciate the help of a genius."

The Chosen of Love paused before she closed her eyes. Somehow, the mere fact that it had been four months felt like heavy revelation. Her partner had been in the Kaiser's grip for four months, with who knows what happening to her – undoubtedly the same things that had been done to Palmon. At that very moment, her partner was being tortured and Sora was helpless to stop it.

In an instant, Sora's good mood was gone. She'd have to be strong for Piyomon's sake, and for everyone else too. She wasn't the only one that was suffering, after all. And the heartache she felt was nothing compared to what Piyomon must have been feeling, even if she wasn't entirely coherent to recognize it thanks to the Evil Ring. However, those thoughts did little to ease the vice that clamped on her heart, squeezing it painfully. "...Piyomon..."

Sora's thoughts were completely disrupted when she suddenly felt something forcibly slam in to her back, shoving her forward. The Chosen of Love gasped as she stumbled, catching herself before she fell, and whirled around in confusion. "What-?"

Rie feigned surprise as she looked down her nose at Sora, swinging a heavy tennis bag at her side, which was what undoubtedly struck the red-haired girl. "Watch where you're going. _Some_ people are trying not to be late to tennis club."

Sora frowned as she reached about to rub her back, eying the bag before turning her attention to Rie. She had been tempted to say something, then thought better of it. Instead, she turned on her heels and resumed walking to the club herself. As unpleasant as Rie was, she just needed to get through club and then she was done for the day - with the club and with Rie.

Unfortunately, Rie kept pace with Sora. "I swear, you're such a flake like _all the time,_ Sora. It's no wonder you're so bad at sports."

Oddly, Sora felt a surge of irritation inside of her, rather than her usual discomfort. Given everything that they had been through, she really wasn't in the mood to deal with the girl. "I suppose."

Rie failed to hide a laugh behind her hand. "You even admit it! You should quit the team now. It's what you're good at, after all."

Sora made a noncommittal humming sound as she focused on heading to the club rather than Rie, despite the girl matching her stride step for step. Rie was really in top form that day, trying to needle her rather viciously. Honestly, Sora would've quit the club long before then, if she hadn't been concerned about how her mother would react to it. Still, there wasn't anything she could do about it except go forward and suffer through it.

"No one would blame you," Rie said. "After all, you're pretty terrible at tennis. _How_ many matches have you actually won again? I can't think of a single one."

"About the same as you," Sora said, absently. "Probably because you're so worried about what _I'm_ doing that you're not paying attention." As soon as she finished speaking, the Chosen of Love realized what she had said. She blinked before she furrowed her brow. She should've been alarmed, and even ashamed, of what she had just said. Instead, she felt _tired_.

It had been four months - four months of the Kaiser, four months of Rie, four months without Piyomon. While part of her felt it was a bit much to compare the Kaiser torturing Digimon to Rie sniping at her, but the more she thought about it, the more similar they seemed. They were both behaving like brats, and didn't care who they hurt.

But the similarities ended there. The Kaiser wasn't someone she could ignore. He had kidnapped their friends, attacked Hikari, and enslaved a world of innocents. He was someone that Sora _truly_ had to deal with, someone Sora _couldn't_ run away from. When compared to the Kaiser, Rie was just a minor nuisance – just like the tennis club in general.

Piyomon was suffering that very moment, the Digimon _in general_ were suffering, and her _friends_ were suffering. Not just mentally, but physically as well. Images of the Digimon Kaiser lashing out to whip Hikari in the face played out in Sora's mind. Even though the injury had healed quickly, _surprisingly_ quickly, the image of the initial wound and the seeping blood sent a dark, hot feeling deep in to Sora's stomach. It wasn't merely concern, but a surprising amount of _anger_ as well. It was a terrible sensation, burning inside of her, and it didn't help her already ruined mood in the least.

All things considered, she just didn't have the energy to care about Rie anymore. She didn't care what her reasons were, she didn't care why she was being such an immature brat. She doubted the soccer game she kept harping about even _mattered_ , it was just a convenient jab that she knew upset Sora. None of Rie's reasons mattered, it all boiled down to just wanting to hurt Sora. For whatever reason, Rie hated her.

And Sora was done caring.

Rie's eyes widened and her nostrils flared as she rounded on Sora, cutting the redhead off while the momentum swung her bag harshly into Sora again. "What did you say?!"

Sora stopped, meeting Rie's angry glare with a cool stare of her own. "Enough. I'm done with this."

Rie blinked then scowled. "Hey! You can't just say crap like that and say you're done!" She let out a disgusted snort. "Ugh. This is just like soccer all over again. You're such a diva!"

Sora rolled her eyes as she sighed. " _Honestly_. Grow up already." Without waiting for a response, the Chosen of Love moved past Rie, resuming her trek to the club.

Rie gawked at Sora, stunned by the uncharacteristic retort.

The other girl's stunned response gave Sora the chance to get to the club before her, finding the other girls in the process of setting up. Sora let out a heavy sigh before she went to join them, passing by the coach as she went. "Oh well..."

The stomping of feet heralded Rie catching up with Sora. "Hey! You can't just say that and run off!"

Sora set her bag down, unzipping it to take out her racket before she joined the other members of her club by the sidelines. She didn't even look at Rie, leaning back against the chain link fence.

Rie was not so easily deterred and was soon right beside Sora. "What crawled up your skirt today?"

"That's really none of your business," Sora said, keeping her tone even.

"Geez," Rie huffed. "Is this how you talk to _all_ your friends or what? No wonder you're always alone."

"Considering my _friends_ don't hit me in the back with their tennis bags," Sora said, simply. "I would say 'no'."

Rie gawked at Sora and placed a hand over her chest. "Are _you_ accusing _me_ of attacking _you_?"

Sora rolled her eyes. She knew Rie wouldn't have admitted to it, even when they both knew what happened. "Rie, enough."

"Honestly, Sora," Rie snapped. "You act like such a martyr! Not everything in the world revolves around _you_ and how much everyone should feel sorry for you."

Sora paused at that before she giggled, in spite of her bad mood. The very idea was just so silly, she couldn't help herself. "There's nothing to feel sorry over. I'm actually very blessed. I have wonderful friends, a loving family... I've never once considered myself someone who _needed_ pity."

Even the situation with the Kaiser, she didn't deserve anyone's pity. Piyomon was suffering far more than she was, as were the other Digimon. More than that, she and the rest of the Chosen were going to rescue all the Digimon and finally defeat the Kaiser. It was going to take a lot of work and a lot of effort, but they would do it together. They've fought worse odds before, and came out victorious. This time, they weren't _trapped_ in a foreign world and had the support of their families – and _four_ new Chosen. Their numbers had grown, new friendships had been created. There was nothing to pity about any of that - she was really blessed, with truly courageous and loyal friends.

"Are you _laughing_ at me?" Rie asked snidely.

"...It's really such a silly thought," Sora said as she looked skyward again, leaning back against the chain link fence. "You're completely wrong."

Rie rolled her eyes and made a gagging sound. "You're _such_ a freak."

"I suppose so." Sora said, lightly.

"Enough chatting over there!" the coach barked, his voice cutting over the hostile conversation. Sora looked up to see the teacher scowling at them, with the other girls watching them with hushed whispers. "Pay attention! Sora, you're up!"

Sora paused before she straightened up, stepping on to the field. She imagined she should have felt embarrassed, but she didn't. Instead, she felt _indifferent_. It was actually a very liberating feeling. "Yes, coach."

Rie's cheeks pinked and she shot Sora a glare the Chosen of Love could feel bore into the back of her head.

Normally, Sora would have flinched or become uncomfortable. Instead, she simply brushed it aside, focusing instead on her tennis game, swinging the racket at the ball as it came her way. To her surprise, the Chosen of Love found it was a bit easier to keep up and hit the ball when she wasn't worried about people watching her, criticizing her. She moved about easily, gliding across the field and returning the ball smoothly - something that even her opponent noticed, if the other girl's surprised expression was anything to go by.

She still didn't particularly like tennis - that much hadn't changed. She still missed playing soccer. She missed running across the fields, kicking the ball in to the opponent's goal. Tennis only barely touched upon it, they were still two entirely different sports. The only thing that had changed was the revelation that she _didn't care_ if she was bad at it - or that Rie and the other girls thought she was bad at it. She wasn't a failure because she couldn't be the star player anymore, that she wasn't someone they could depend on. It wasn't what she _wanted_ to do, but it no longer felt like a death sentence she faced every day after school. Instead, it felt like nothing at all.

Sora was tired of worrying about it, about Rie. She had more important things to focus her energy on. The Digital World, the Digimon Kaiser, rescuing Piyomon and the rest of their partners - there were so many more important things to worry about. And neither Rie and her grudge nor a stupid tennis club were a part of it.

*

FlaWizarmon leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, as he watched the Digimon Kaiser pace the room. The fallen Chosen Child fumed, his long cape flapping about behind him with each sharp turn as he stormed about in front of the numerous monitors that lined the wall.

Witchmon leaned back on her broom and sighed. "K-chan, you're going to wear away a moat in front of your throne if you keep that up."

The Digimon Kaiser made a frustrated noise as he lashed his whip out, striking the ground. "You don't _get_ it! This is a total _disaster_!"

" _If_ they knew who you were, I'd agree," FlaWizarmon said with a shrug. "But they don't."

"That's right," Witchmon said. "They don't have any reason to connect the dots unless you do something silly like, I don't know, say who you are."

"That's not the point!" Ken said as he whipped about to face the wizard Digimon, clenching his whip tight in his hands. "All my plans were _ruined_!"

"How?" FlaWizarmon asked, tilting his head. "You wanted a way to spy on 'em, and this gives you that. Instead of tryin' to get Goggles to spill the beans every time, you can just see what they're doin' with yer own eyes."

"That means being _with_ them all the time!" the Digimon Kaiser snapped. "They're going to be calling me, expecting me to come running! I can't run my empire _and_ spy on them at the same time!"

"That's why you delegate," Witchmon giggled as she delicately placed a hand over her mouth. "We can handle things here while you're off spying, and you can always send us an email if you need us to do anything new."

"Besides, it'd be a good idea for you to lie low a little," FlaWizarmon said. When Ken whirled to glare at him, the Digimon simply smiled. "We can't do much of anything right now _anyway_ , except build up the troops. Ever since we killed Qinglongmon, Xuanwumon's put his entire base in lockdown. No one's getting in _or_ out."

Ken snorted as he stopped pacing, straightening up. "He always _was_ a coward."

"No one knows what Zhuqiaomon is up to, locked up in _his_ base," FlaWizarmon continued. "But we can assume that, unlike our turtle _friend_ , he's not spending his time quaking in his shell - he's preparing his army, same as us."

Witchmon leaned back and examined the monitors that showed various parts of the Digital World, some that had yet to be conquered. "Killing Qinglongmon did cause quite a stir all over."

The Digimon Kaiser turned his head to scowl at the monitors. "They thought they were invincible. Now they know better."

"Until we can find a way in to their bases, that just leaves Baihumon," FlaWizarmon said, with a crack of his neck. "And for that, we _need_ Omegamon."

"Don't remind me," Ken grumbled as he clenched his whip tightly. " _That's_ been a big failure, all on its own."

"We're sure you'll crack it eventually, K-chan," Witchmon said. "You could always try to trick his partners into doing it somehow."

"And interacting with them would probably give you a good idea for how to do it," FlaWizarmon said as he waved his left pointer finger. "See? It works out."

Ken grimaced, his mouth tightening in to a line. "But..."

Wormmon finally chose this moment to pipe in from his position on the cushion beside the throne. "And if you make friends with them, maybe you can help them see how evil the Holy Beasts are and they'll _want_ to help us!"

Ken paused before he sighed, with FlaWizarmon and Witchmon sharing a glance. "...Anyway, there's no way I can avoid them without drawing suspicion. They practically _ambushed_ me."

"They were very friendly," Wormmon said brightly. "They really like Ken-chan already!"

"Well," Witchmon practically purred, "That's _perfect_ , isn't it?"

Ken made a noise deep in his throat before he cast a glowering look at the Digimon. "You're really not going to let me win this, are you?"

"Nope!" FlaWizarmon said cheerfully, with a bright grin. "You can feel sorry for yourself later, _after_ we've won."

Wormmon felt chastised by Ken's scowl and tapped his digits together as his eyes dropped to the floor. "We all just think this is really, really good for you, Ken-chan."

Ken hesitated before he moved over to his Digimon, picking up the insect before he held him in his arms. "...I'll tolerate it as long as I have to, I obviously have no choice. But they're _going_ to lose."

Wormmon felt relief wash over him as he nuzzled Ken. "It'll be okay, Ken-chan, you'll see! We'll make friends with them and get them to help us, and even if we don't, we can keep them from getting hurt."

Ken sighed heavily as he held his partner close. "...If you say so, Wormmon."

*

The last place the Chosen expected to find a city was right in the middle of the ocean. And yet, that's precisely what they found. Build upon a platform like an off-shore mining rig, an industrial city stood out among the endless blue. Rolling waves drifted around and underneath the platform, with numerous thick pedestals holding up the city.

Jou stared about, the Chosen having appeared in the central courtyard for the enormous structure, then glanced over to Koshiro. "A-are you _certain_ Gomamon was spotted _here_?"

Koshiro smiled indulgently despite the fact that Jou had asked if he was sure at least a dozen times already. "You saw the screenshot yourself. He's here, and we'll get him back."

Jou reached up to grip the strap on his satchel, holding it tightly to hide his trembling hands. "R-right... Gomamon."

Mimi patted Jou on the back. "Don't worry, we'll free Gomamon today for sure!"

"It'd make sense that Gomamon's here," Takeru said as he scanned the area, then turned to Hikari. "I mean, it's surrounded by _water_."

Hikari nodded as she cast an uneasy gaze towards the ocean. Although the water was blue, and her dreams were no longer as threatening as before, months of nightmares about the Dark Ocean had taken its toll on her. It left her unusually anxious every time she saw the water.

As Miyako, Iori, Sora, Taichi, and Yamato remained behind, Jou had ventured in with the other Chosen who had their partners. And among them, much to Daisuke's delight, was Ken Ichijouji.

Having answered the call, the boy genius rather dutifully showed up to their meeting before gating in. With the reassurance of the other Chosen, Ken took his supposed first step in to the Digital World and was currently holding Wormmon in his arms as he glanced about the sea city.

"It... really does look like a facility you'd find in the human world," Ken said slowly, his eyes drifting across the courtyard. "But... is it supposed to be this empty?"

Koshiro blinked and took a good luck around at the city, frowning as he saw nothing but empty streets - no controlled Digimon and no Dark Tower. "No... it shouldn't be. The screenshot showed a lot of controlled Digimon working here."

"...Yeah, that's suspicious," Takeru said as he crossed his arms. "I know the Kaiser said he can find out where we've gated and when, but would he have had enough time to pull out?"

"I have a bad feeling...," Hikari muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

"Maybe it's a trap?" Daisuke asked, his expression contorting uneasily as he thought back to Factory Town.

"A-a trap?" Jou repeated, turning to stare at Daisuke before he quickly turned his attention to Koshiro. "But what about Gomamon? You saw Gomamon, didn't you?"

Koshiro nodded as he raised his Digivice. "We better evolve our Digimon and spread out. If this really is a trap, then we need to get Gomamon and get out quickly before the Digimon Kaiser realizes we walked in to it."

"...Perhaps we might get a better view of the area if we went to higher ground," Ken said as he glanced towards a stairwell attached to a building off to the side. He hesitated a moment before hurrying over. He proceeded to scale the stairs, each step ringing out a metallic clang as he moved higher upwards.

"Great idea!" Daisuke said enthusiastically as he drew out his Digivice. "You and Wormmon can tell us if you see anything coming while we're looking around down here."

Takeru watched as the genius headed to the rooftops, then turned to Daisuke with a lopsided grin. "You must be pretty happy."

"How could I not be?" Daisuke asked, beaming. "We have _Ken Ichijouji_ on our side!"

Takeru's smile widened and he was about to retort when a low, strange sound echoed through the air. It was haunting, like a melancholy melody. "...What was that?"

Daisuke looked around, puzzled. "What the heck?"

Mimi felt the prickling of familiarity at the back of her mind before her eyes widened. "Oh! I know what that is! It's a whale song!"

Koshiro turned towards the ocean. "Then that must mean-"

Whatever Koshiro had been about to say was cut off by a loud shout from Ken Ichijouji, his voice carrying through the area like the tolling of a bell. " _Tidal wave_!"

The warning came too late, as a wall of water seemingly materialized out of nowhere, crashing into the oil rig - and all the children and Digimon in the plaza.

Seawater rushed forward, flinging the unlucky Chosen and their partners off their feet and carrying them helplessly along as the wave invaded the oil rig. And just as quickly as attacking liquid moved in, it pulled back out again. The flowing water slipped back out to sea, taking its victims along for a part of the ride. Thankfully, a sturdy metal railing lined the edges of the oil rig. As the water slipped through the railing, the Chosen hit against it and found their passage blocked - somewhat painfully, but still fortunate.

Takeru braced himself against the railing as he waited for the water to finish passing, allowing him to once again get on his feet. He was drenched from head to toe, his skin feeling slimy due to the salty water. "D-damn..."

Jou coughed as he sat on the ground before he swiftly reached up to verify he hadn't lost his glasses. Specks of salt and water clouded his vision, though he could still see well enough to look around him. "W-what... what was that!?"

Mimi coughed up salt water as she clung to the railing, looking around wildly for her partner. "P-Palmon? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm okay," Palmon said as she stood up, then gave a shake of her pedals. "Just _wet_ and _sticky_."

Tailmon was by Hikari's side, helping the Chosen of Light to her feet. Her fur was horribly ruffled and she felt miserable, but she did her best not to show it. "Hikari, are you okay?"

Hikari nodded in lieu of saying any response as she retched the revolting water over the edge of the rig.

"Is everyone alright?" Ken's voice came from above the Chosen as he peered down over the side of the building where he stood safely out of reach.

"We're fine!" Daisuke shouted, though he was still dazed from the wave crashing into him. "What about you two?"

"We're both fine," Ken called down, his brow furrowed with concern. "No one was injured?"

Takeru shook his head before he brushed back his bangs. "Just a little waterlogged."

"G-good," Ken said, with obvious relief. "Maybe we should leave before-"

The sound of a whale song drifted through the air again, cutting off whatever Ken had been about to say. Daisuke and V-mon looked at each other and nodded. The goggle boy raised his Digivice as V-mon crouched before the light of evolution transformed the small dragon into the impressive Fladramon.

Wasting no time, Fladramon whirled to fling Jou unceremoniously over his shoulder, before hooking his arms around Daisuke and Takeru. The armored evolution barely glanced back at the others as he rushed the building with surprising speed, with Jou letting out a startled scream as he clung to the dragon Digimon.

"W-w-what-what- _what_!?" Jou yelped as he held on for dear life.

"Tailmon!" Fladramon barked as he moved, leaping up the building.

Tailmon jerked at her name and saw Fladramon moving. Immediately realizing the intent, she turned to scoop up her Chosen in her arms and rushed to follow. "Hurry! To higher ground!"

Palmon turned to extend the tendrils of her fingers, using them to grab both Mimi and Koshiro so that she could quickly reach upwards and place them on the roof. Once there, she released them and grabbed the edge herself, the plant Digimon barely making it to the roof before another surge of water slammed in to the oil rig.

Mimi whipped out her Digivice. "You better evolve too, Palmon!"

"You got it!" Palmon said as she climbed over the railing. She planted her feet on the roof just in time for her body to begin to glow, and the plant Digimon evolved in to Shutumon. The flying bird Digimon quickly took to the air, soaring high above the others. "I'll see if I can spot him from above!"

"Patamon, you too!" Takeru said as he pulled out his own Digivice, turning to his partner.

"Right!" Palmon shouted before evolving to Pegasmon. He looked over to Shutumon once he finished the transformation before nodding his head to the side. "You search in that direction, and I'll look over there."

"Koshiro, we should evolve as well-" Tentomon began as he hovered over his partner.

"No!" Ken said sharply, startling the assembled Chosen so that they turned to stare at him. The genius hesitated, then shook his head. "Your evolution is _electricity based_ , and we're surrounded by _seawater_."

Koshiro's blood ran cold at the very thought. "He's right, Tentomon. Water is a strong conductor of electricity, and so is the metal we're standing on. I'm afraid you're going to have to sit this one out."

"Oh man," Daisuke breathed. "Good job, Ken! You saved our butts from frying like bacon!"

Takeru blinked as he stared at Ken, then furrowed his brow. Just as he was about to ask Ken how he knew about Tentomon's evolution, he stopped as the answer came to him as if it had been obvious. "Oh, right, Miyako's notes." He'd need to ask her to see the document at some point, he was a bit curious to see what all was in them.

Ken paused at that before he blushed lightly. "Y-yes, I-I researched the notes quite thoroughly and... it just seemed logical to me." The boy genius paused before he regarded Fladramon. "You won't fair as well in seawater, either. Perhaps you should-"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Fladramon said firmly before he crossed his arms. "I won't let a bunch of seawater beat me! It'll protect you and Daisuke, no matter what!"

"Yeah!" Daisuke cheered. "Fladramon can handle it!"

Ken hesitated before he frowned, unhappy with the response but not pursuing it further. "...If you say so, Daisuke."

Shutumon took high to the sky as she flew around the oil rig, searching for any sign of their attacker. The answer soon came as she saw a massive Digimon rise up from the water, a whale-like Digimon that was far too familiar. "It's Whamon!"

"Oh no," Mimi moaned as she peered over the edge of the building into the churning sea. "He must be under the control of an Evil Ring too."

"We'll have to find it," Takeru said as he gripped the railing that lined the building top as well. "There's probably a Dark Tower around here, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's deep underwater. Without any swimming Digimon, we'll never be able to reach it!"

Jou flinched, as if the words had struck him. He glanced at Takeru, who wasn't even looking in his direction, before he averted his eyes and began to shiver due to his clammy skin. "...Gomamon..."

Mimi placed her hand on Jou's shoulder, but found herself faltering as the whale song echoed eerily in the air.

"He's surfacing again!" Pegasmon shouted as he circled back to the rig to warn the children. "Brace yourselves!"

Whamon moved swiftly despite his massive size, heading straight for the oil rig. The Digimon's enormous body moved the water around him, forcing it to the sides and in front of him as he plowed onward. As the controlled Digimon came close, he suddenly swerved away, missing ramming the oil rig. The water he had been pushing slammed in to the oil rig instead, revealing itself to be the source of the tidal wave. Seawater rushed over the railing and through every crevice and crack it could find, with only the tops of the buildings safe from the deluge.

Takeru looked down the water gushed around them, then watched as Whamon disappeared again under the water. "We're going to have to stop him from diving!"

"But how?" Mimi asked, clinging to the railing as the giant wave shook the rig. "He's too big and heavy for Shutumon or the others to pick up!"

Hikari stared hard at Whamon, trying to spot blackness amidst the glimpses they got of his body. "We need to figure out where the Evil Ring is."

Koshiro's mind raced as he considered different possibilities. "If we could just figure out a way to fight on equal footing..."

Shutumon glanced around, searching for sign of their opponent, before she sent out a blast of wind against the ocean surface. While it kicked up the water, swirling it about, it did nothing to the Digimon that lurked beneath the surface. "He'll dodge our attacks the second he dives!"

The sight of the sizable waterspout struck Koshiro with a bolt of inspiration. "That's it! Shutumon, try and make a waterspout with your wind attack! The air pressure might be able to pull Whamon out of the water enough to find and destroy the Evil Ring!"

"But he'll just dodge it again," Mimi said, brow furrowing with worry.

"Not if we keep him busy," Daisuke said with a grin as he turned to Fladramon. "Right?"

"You got it, Daisuke!" Fladramon said as he clenched his fists. "He'll never see it coming!"

"It's our only option," Takeru agreed before he looked up at Pegasmon. "Pegasmon! Keep an eye out for an opening, alright?"

Pegasmon nodded. "Right."

Ken frowned as he watched the other Chosen, furrowing his brow. "Is this... really okay? You're going to _fight_  him?"

"We really don't have a choice," Takeru said as he glanced to the newest Chosen. "Don't worry, we'll do our best not to hurt him."

Ken continued to frown, unconvinced. "Is that really the only choices? Couldn't we simply-"

"Here he comes again!" Shutumon shouted out from above, her voice piercing Ken's protests. As she cried out, the whale song rumbled through the air as Whamon emerged from the depths, using his body to forcibly push the water in front of him like a bulldozer.

"I'm going for it, Daisuke!" Fladramon said as he jumped down from the building, landing on to the platform.

Alarm flooded Ken's features as he stared down at Fladramon. "W-wait, the seawater-!"

"That's the plan!" Fladramon said as he lunged forward, leaping over the railing to meet Whamon halfway. " _Fire Rocket_!"

As the flame dragon Digimon rushed forward, his entire body was engulfed in flame. Despite suddenly placing nothing but ocean beneath him, Fladramon continued onward in to danger in order to strike the wall of water before it could go much further. As soon as he made contact, the water violently evaporated in to a cloud of mist. A flash of light signaled Fladramon's de-evolution, but no one could see the results due to the thick fog Daisuke's partner had created.

His efforts hadn't been in vain. The sudden attack plus the mist had startled Whamon enough that he couldn't tell where the oil rig was. Rather than risk diving under and possibly ramming the structure, he instead began to turn to put distance between himself and his target.

The moment of hesitance was all Shutumon needed. Swooping in, she sent a powerful blast of wind downwards at the whale Digimon, striking the water around him. Whamon felt the attack and attempted to dive, but it was already too late - the wind sucked up the water in to a violent spiral, and with it the whale Digimon.

As Whamon was pulled upwards by the ever-growing tornado of water, V-mon appeared along the edge of the oil rig. He clutched at the side and coughed up water, looking rather soggy. "B-blech..."

Tailmon jumped down from the rooftops and hurried over to V-mon's side, grabbing the dragon Digimon and pulling him on to the oil rig. She spared the ever-growing waterspout a glance before she hefted V-mon up and quickly darted back to the rooftop. Once there, she placed him down beside Daisuke. "That was pretty dangerous, you know."

V-mon flashed the cat Digimon a grin, despite how weary and worn he looked from his dunk in the ocean. "I'm fine~! Not even _water_ can stop me from protecting Daisuke!"

Tailmon flicked her ears but said nothing. She knew how V-mon felt. She was currently not in a position to help, and it was driving her crazy. She couldn't evolve, not with the Dark Tower loitering somewhere within the depths, and the only Digimental Hikari had was the Digimental of Darkness. Her mobility – and her usefulness - was severely limited.

"Pegasmon!" Takeru called out as he gripped the railing, looking upwards as he craned his neck to see his partner. "Do you see anything?"

Pegasmon circled just outside the worst of the wind until finally he spotted a band of black on Whamon's flailing tail. "I see it!" Immediately, he dove down into the storm, keeping his wings close so that the wind wouldn't catch him until the last possible moment when he unleashed a rain of falling stars upon the Evil Ring.

The Evil Ring shattered like glass, the bits sucked up in to the vortex. Within moments, the water began to turn gray, the deep blue disappearing as it became stained. Shutumon quickly ceased her attack, allowing the water spout to dissipate as the whale Digimon plummeted back in to the water with a heavy _splash_.

The Chosen waited tensely, watching for Whamon to surface. After several long moments, Whamon finally appeared directly in front of the oil rig. He let out a burst of water from his spout, then pulled up to the railing.

"Chosen Children," Whamon said, his deep voice rumbling. "Are you injured?"

Mimi sagged in relief before she flashed Whamon a winning smile. "A little soaked, but otherwise fine!"

Hikari kept her gaze riveted to the tainted water, her hand clutching the railing tight. She could only relax her hold when the gray streaks eventually were swallowed up by endless blue, foam and bits of data rising up to disappear into the ether shortly above the churning waters. Soon, the sea was calm and whole once more.

"That is good," Whamon said. "I apologize, I couldn't stop myself from attacking you."

"That's alright," Takeru said as he shook his head, before he glanced up at Pegasmon. He thought back to when Patamon had attacked him, when the whole ordeal first began. He knew better than anyone that Patamon would never have done it, if he had a choice.

"We already know what those rings are capable of," Tailmon said as she hopped down from the building to approach the whale Digimon. "We know it's not your fault."

Jou watched as the other Chosen headed to the steps, making their way down to join Tailmon before Whamon. Only Ken lingered behind, looking at the giant Digimon with an uncertain expression on his face as he held his partner close. The Chosen of Honesty adjusted his glasses before he glanced about, furrowing his brow. While the other Chosen were focused on the water Digimon in front of them, he was far more concerned about the one that he _didn't_  see - the one thing he had _wanted_  to see. "G-Gomamon?"

" _Your end has come_!"

The shout was all the warning Ken and Jou got before a blade suddenly came down between them, striking the roof and shattering the part it struck like glass. Bits of broken material was sent flying before disintegrating in to data as an enormous hole was left where the two Chosen had been standing moments before.

Ken stood as still as a statue as he gaped at the monstrous hole, holding Wormmon tightly in his arms as his face went completely pale. Nearby, Jou looked similarly distressed, though he at least had the presence of mind to look around for the source, frantically.

"W-w-w-what-!?" Jou asked, his voice breaking as his glasses slid down his nose as he began to sweat.

Gladimon stood on the railing as stoically as a ball of armor with huge eyes and noodle arms could manage as he pointed one of his swords at the nearest Chosen Child, which so happened to be Jou. "So the coward with the sword dares not show his face before me so that we may partake in our righteous duel to see who is the _true_ victor. No matter, since you have come in his stead, you shall be my opponent. Have at thee!"

Jou barely had time to process Gladimon's long winded speech before the Adult Digimon lunged at him with swords at the ready to cleave him to pieces. He screamed and fell backwards as he brought his arms up over his face in a vain effort to shield himself from what would be the fatal blow.

The swords never reached Jou. Instead he heard a terrible crunch of metal followed by a choked gurgle. When he dared to peek past his arms, he saw Witchmon's back as she stood between him and the psychotic Gladimon.

Gladimon twitched as he hung suspended in the air from Witchmon's massive hand sunken in to his now collapsed chest to the point the tips of her sharp fingers protruded out his back. His hands still clutched his crossed swords in a death grip even though the blades had been caught in the many surprisingly sharp teeth of Witchmon's cat that smiled at him with a too-wide grin. "Th...the vengeance... of Heaven-!"

Witchmon's hand clenched in to a fist with a scream of metal being pulverized to pulp before Gladimon burst into data that slipped through her fingers and away from the Evil Ring she casually held. "Some Digimon," she sighed, "don't deserve the extra chances they get."

Jou gaped at the Digimon in front of him as he trembled, struggling to grasp what had just happened. "T-that... was..."

"Jou! Are you alright!?" Takeru demanded as he raced to his senpai's side, having climbed back up the steps as quickly as he could. It hadn't been fast enough, and he arrived just in time to see Gladimon explode in to data - a fact that wasn't lost on him.

"I-I..." Jou stammered, gripping his bag tightly to his chest. "Gomamon...!"

Ken stared as the data disintegrated in front of him, his arms going limp as Wormmon slid from his grip. Wormmon thankfully landed safely on the ground, and turned just in time to see Ken's hands shoot for his mouth, stifling a gag. All the color drained from Ken's face only to be replaced by a sick green color, and he raced to the side of the building, bending over the railing before he lost the contents of his stomach with a pained gag.

Tailmon joined Takeru on the roof and moved to stand in front of Jou, her tail lashing behind her as she glared at Witchmon. Her eyes shifted to focus on the disintegrating data as it drifted upwards, disappearing in to the overcast skies. Her ears canting back, the cat Digimon returned her attention to the Digimon in front of them.

Mimi came to a stop at the top of the stairs and stared at Witchmon, aghast. "You..." Tears began to well up in her eyes. "You killed him! How could you?! If you didn't want to use him to do evil things anymore, you could've just removed that Evil Ring in the first place!"

Witchmon sighed and shook her head. "Oh, you sweet summer child." She flicked the Evil Ring upward from her finger and caught it in her palm. "You still haven't figured out how these Evil Rings work, have you?"

"What's to figure out?" Takeru demanded, narrowing his eyes. "You control Digimon with them, and make them do things against their will."

"If only this _was_ against Gladimon's will," Witchmon said with a shrug. "That's the entire problem, I'm afraid. I guess we need to do better, now won't we?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Koshiro asked, brow furrowed.

Daisuke crouched slightly, bringing up his fist. "I get it! You want to fight us yourself!"

Witchmon blinked at Daisuke before bursting out laughing.

Daisuke felt his face turn hot. "H-hey! What's so funny?"

Witchmon smiled widely with overly sharp teeth. "Oh, you children are so _adorable_. And far too innocent for this world. You really, really should never have been dragged into our mess." Her eyes drifted over to Ken, who was still emptying out the contents of his stomach by the railing. Hikari stood by his side, holding his hair back to help him through it, as Wormmon frantically fussed over his Chosen. "Children should never be used to fight a war."

Daisuke stomped forward a step, shaking his fist at Witchmon. "We're not just children! We're the _Chosen_ Children, and we're going to save the Digital World whether you and Tiny Tower like it or not!"

For a moment, Witchmon merely looked at those gathered, taking in the angry gazes of the Chosen Digimon and the mixed yet somber expressions the Chosen Children wore. Her ghost cat curled up around her hat and let out a mournful howl as sadness weighed down the corners of her eyes even as her lips curled upward in a smile. "You've already seen far too much, children, and there's far worse you have yet to see. Please, stay in your world, before your eyes grow any older."

There was no chance for anyone to respond, as Witchmon's cloak wrapped around her, swallowing her up in darkness that was gone a second later, leaving behind only the lamenting cry of her cat behind.

"W-wait, what about Goma-!?" Jou began, his hand reaching out. However, it was far too late and he was left reaching outwards to empty space. The Chosen of Honesty hesitated before he dropped his hand heavily, staring at where Witchmon had just been.

"...She must've been a distraction," Takeru said, his voice stiff. "I'll bet they've already taken Gomamon elsewhere."

Jou trembled before he lowered his head, his entire body sagging. An overwhelming sense of disappointment weighed down on him, crushing what lingering hope he had felt. He had gotten so anxious, so hopeful that his partner was so close. It made sense, after all - it fit Gomamon's element perfectly. And yet, it seemed that his partner had slipped through his grasps. "H-he's not... here...?"

Mimi did her best to swallow her tears over Gladimon and knelt beside Jou, hugging his side. "It'll be okay, Jou. We'll save Gomamon..."

Jou trembled as he lowered his head, shaking it slightly. "You don't... know that..."

Takeru grimaced. It was clear that Jou was losing heart - _quickly_. It was hard to really know what to say, especially since he had rescued his partner before the sheer pressure of being separated could even _begin_ to settle in. The Chosen of Hope reached up to rub the back of his head, with a helpless expression.

"We got half of them back already," Mimi said softly. "We just have to keep trying..."

"This is bad," Koshiro muttered, his eyes fixed on the spot where Witchmon used to be. "If they kill Digimon who are on their side without a second thought, then it's not just our partners being tortured that we have to worry about. The Digimon Kaiser nearly killed Tailmon with our partners because he couldn't control her, so that means he might do it to any of them if he can't use them."

Jou flinched as if he had been struck, then whirled to stare at Koshiro with wide eyes. "W-w-what-!?"

"Koshiro!" Mimi snapped.

Koshiro cringed under Mimi's harsh glare at Jou's terrified gaze. "W-well... I... uh..."

"We won't let that happen!" Daisuke snapped, stomping the metal floor beneath him with a resounding clang. "We'll kick that Tiny Tower in his tiny tower if he even tries!"

Jou trembled as he stared at Koshiro. He was silent for several moments as images of Gomamon disappearing like data played through his mind, his partner dying at Witchmon's hands as she smirked and twirled the only remaining part of him - the Evil Ring he had worn - on her pointer finger. The image was too much for the Chosen of Honesty. He was already worn thin, especially with death having stared him in the face minutes ago, and the very thought of his partner's death destroyed what little strength he had left. Tears appeared in Jou's eyes, his glasses fogging up, before he slumped forward on to his hands and knees with a heavy sob.

"Jou...," Mimi whispered, her heart going out to her agonized friend.

Hikari looked over her shoulder at Jou, still watching over Ken who was slowly recovering from throwing up. Her eye strayed to Tailmon, and she remembered the agony she felt when deep down in her soul she knew her partner's life was in danger. It left her at a loss, as she wanted to comfort Jou, but didn't know of anything she could say that would soften the very real danger all the Digimon under the Digimon Kaiser's control were in.

Shakily, Ken turned to face the other Chosen. While his cheeks were still green, the rest of his face was pale as he stared at Jou. The genius stood in silence for several moments, Wormmon dutifully hovering around him as he recovered, before he moved down to pick up his partner. Ken held the insect Digimon close, his face positively stricken as he could only stare as the Chosen of Honesty sobbed pitifully in front of him.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

The Chosen's morale had never been lower. After the situation at the oil rig, the Chosen had gated back to their world in low spirits. The fact that they had saved Whamon and freed another area did little to console them after the revelation of how far the Digimon Kaiser was willing to go. Up until that point, none of them had even considered that their partners might die under the Digimon Kaiser's control. With Gladimon's death, it was all they - and Jou in particular - could think about.

Sora sighed as she walked along the sidewalk, heading to Taichi's apartment. Getting through school had been difficult, but thankfully she didn't have club that day. She doubted she could have handled Rie with her current mood - the girl took far more patience than Sora had to give at the moment.

"It was a total disaster," Sora said, with another soft sigh. Eventually Jou had stopped crying, though she imagined it was simply because he had no more tears to give. She completely sympathized, as her own partner was in the same situation. The idea that the Digimon Kaiser could kill Piyomon for not performing to his standards chilled her to the bone, and had given her nightmares all night.

Even worse, Ken was similarly stricken by the event, exceedingly quiet after they returned and leaving with very few words. She couldn't blame him, as he no doubt had never experienced a life or death situation before. And as much as they didn't want to admit it, Gladimon had come dangerously close with his attack. The Chosen of Love couldn't blame Ken for being shaken by that.

"If we didn't scare him away before, this definitely might have," Sora murmured.

It was hard to keep spirits up when things kept happening. Sora's good mood from the day before had been completely destroyed, and everything felt that much more dire. While everyone was experiencing the pressure, it fell down hardest on those still without their partners; they didn't have the luxury or comfort of knowing that, at the end of the day, their partner was safe.

Sora grimaced as she held her briefcase to her chest. Taichi and Yamato seemed to be holding up well enough, which was to be expected. When things usually got bad, they got angry. They didn't fall apart like Jou did, or like Sora _wanted_ to do. She found some comfort in their strength, but it seemed that Jou was reaching his limits.

"We have to find them," Sora said quietly to herself as she stopped and glanced skyward, placing her hand over her heart. "Before..." She couldn't even bring herself to say the words; the thought just too awful.

Sora was silent for a good while before she gave her head a firm shake. She needed to get going, and not keep the other Chosen waiting. They all needed to keep going forward in spite of what happened; it was the only way they would be able to rescue their partners.

Steeling herself, Sora strode forward along the sidewalk once again towards the Yamagi apartment complex. As she approached, she spotted someone sitting on a bench just outside the entrance, slumped forward. The scene alone was enough to make her pause, causing her to slow her steps before she recognized the pathetic figure before her.

It was Jou. Still in his school uniform, his body bowed forward, his head hanging low so that his hair hung in a blue curtain around his face. His bag rested propped against his hip, partially open with the edges of papers from school fluttering in the breeze with the silent threat that they might blow away at any moment. He didn't seem to care that he might lose his work. He didn’t move a muscle save for his heavy breathing, acknowledging no one else around him as strangers eyed him as they walked by, with one woman even holding her child closer as if the miserable man were a drunk or other degenerate.

Sora's eyebrows shot straight up as she stared at Jou, then rushed over to his side. "Jou?"

Jou gave no response; he didn’t even twitch. He remained in his sagging position even as the Chosen of Love approached and moved to sit beside him on the bench.

Sora looked at Jou with open concern. She waited for a few seconds before she drew closer. "Jou? Why are you out here? I'm sure everyone's waiting for you-"

"What does it matter?" Jou asked, his defeated, cracking voice hitting Sora hard enough to make her mouth snap shut. The Chosen of Honestly slowly shook his head. "They still haven't found Gomamon."

Sora felt her heart twinge, both for Jou and Gomamon but for herself and Piyomon, Yamato and Gabumon, and Taichi and Agumon. They were all suffering. "It'll take time,” she said softly. “but I'm sure Koshiro is doing his best.”

Jou slowly shook his head. “Without Gomamon, I can't do anything.”

"That's not true," Sora said, her voice becoming more firm as she straightened up. "You helped Tailmon and Palmon-"

"They didn't need it!" Jou snapped, his voice sharp as it cut Sora off. "All they had to do was evolve, and they were better! Everything I did was pointless!"

Sora blinked before she reached over to touch the other boy's arm. "That's not true. You helped them, you took care of them. The fact that we eventually found a better way to do it doesn't make what you did any less important. "

Jou went quiet at that before he finally lifted his head, looking at Sora with weary eyes tinged red from the tears that soaked his cheeks. "Sora-"

"Who's this, Sora?"

The familiar voice was like the scraping of tinfoil against a chalkboard for Sora, sending her teeth on edge. She refused to turn around, knowing that Rie was standing there right behind her, likely with an arrogant smirk or a snide sneer.

"Oh my gosh," Rie half-laughed. "Don't tell me this guy is your _boyfriend_. That's really pathetic when a ‘guy’ starts crying in public, you know. But then, I doubt you could do better, could you."

Sora felt something hot and painful spark inside of her, singing her insides and causing her muscles to tense. Normally, she would've felt uncomfortable with Rie jabbing at her, but it was different this time. Rie was targeting Jou, making fun of him while he was suffering. That knowledge alone made something dark form in the pit of her stomach, and when she felt Jou flinch beside her, that fledgling darkness exploded like wildfire, spreading lightning quick from her heart to her arms and legs. Before she even realized what was happening, she lept off bench and rounded on Rie.

"Does Taichi know-?" Rie began, before she was abruptly silenced by the harsh smack of a palm striking her cheek. She staggered back from the blow, barely registering that Sora had just charged her and slapped her across the face.

Sora stood before Rie, her face a mask of barely restrained anger as her eyes blazed with the darkness inside of her. Her hand was still raised from where it had come to rest after striking the other girl, not just as a reminder of what she had done, but also a silent threat that she was more than willing to do it again in a heartbeat.

"Don't you ever talk about my friends that way again,” Sora said in a low, dangerous tone. “Do you understand?" Her voice was hard like steel, and while it surprised her, it wasn't enough to stop what had been set into motion.

Rie staggered back another step, one hand covering the pink outline of a hand on her cheek that was slowly darkening. Her mouth hung open in a small O of surprise, her eyes wide like a stunned deer. It took her a moment to get over the simple fact that Sora had slapped her, but when she did, her cheeks turned red from anger more than the attack. "H-hey! You can't just slap me like that!"

Sora's eyes narrowed as she raised her hand further up in an obvious threat. The timid, anxious Sora that Rie had gotten to know so well the past few weeks was gone, and in its place was someone the bratty girl didn't know - a warrior on the offensive and ready to attack any threat against those she cared about. "Do you understand!?"

Rie scrambled backward to escape Sora's reach. "You... you're such a... a _bitch_!" She turned and raced off before the Chosen of Love could retaliate, not wanting to be on the receiving end of another blow.

Sora glared as she watched Rie flee. She didn't bother to point out that the other girl was the one that had chosen to follow her with the express purpose to cause a fight, or that Rie was the one that targeted someone who was clearly suffering specifically to upset Sora. Instead, she simply watched in silently stewing anger as the girl fled.

"Sora?"

Sora paused, as the tentative call of her name brought her attention back to Jou. He was staring at her with wide eyes, having witnessed the entire exchange. At his confused and anxious expression, the darkness Sora felt in her heart suddenly broke apart, losing the momentum it had gained.

The Chosen of Love forced a smile on her face, one that she hoped would put Jou at ease. "Let's go inside, okay? I'm sure everyone's wondering where we are."

Jou reached up to fidget with his glasses before he let out a small nod.

 

* * *

 

Inside the Yamagi apartment, the other Chosen were already gathered. Oblivious to what had transpired outside, they were instead focused on their own bout of drama in the form of Daisuke pacing the room, anxiously looking at his D-Terminal.

Takeru watched Daisuke pace for a moment, then looked around at the others. "So Ken can't make it, huh? No surprise there. I guess he needs more time to process what happened."

"I apologize," Iori said, his expression fierce. "He went there looking for me. I should have been there to protect you."

A thin whine escaped Daisuke before he flopped down onto the sofa with melodramatic flare. "Man... Ken still hasn't answered any of my emails. I totally _blew_ it yesterday."

" _You_ blew it?" Taichi said slowly, giving the boy who just collapsed beside him an odd look.

"Now Ken won't want to be a Chosen Child anymore, or hang out with us!" Daisuke moaned as he covered his face with his D-Terminal.

"It'll be okay, Daisuke," Hikari said with a wan smile. "I'm sure Ken just needs a little more time to recover after what happened the other day. This is all pretty new to him, so..."

"Which is why it was so important for me to make sure he got to be a hero!" Daisuke said, thrusting his fists into the air. "Now he's going to have second thoughts about all of us!"

Miyako slapped her hands down on the kitchen table after accidentally breaking the tip of her pencil, which she had been using to jot down thoughts in her notebook. "Ugh! Give it a rest, Motomiya! No one wants to hear about you whining over Ichijouji like a lovesick puppy. Either he'll handle it or he won't. Stop making this all about you."

Misery immediately gave way to anger, and Daisuke flipped around to glare over the back of the sofa at Miyako. "You didn't even _want_ Ken to be a Chosen, so don't go getting any ideas you can replace him with another one of your friends!"

Miyako slapped her hand over her face, only to cringe as she accidentally mashed her glasses against herself painfully. Grumbling, she removed her glasses and set to work wiping away the prints smeared on the lenses. "Congratulations, Motomiya, you’ve officially outdone yourself. That was so stupid, it physically hurt. You constantly _astound_ me with your logic or lack thereof."

Before the conversation could go any further, the front door opened with a bang. It swung forward, opening with far more force than necessary, as Sora suddenly strode into the apartment with a bright smile forcibly planted on her face. "Please excuse us! Sorry we're late!"

All eyes, human and Digimon alike, turned to Sora, startled by her abrupt entrance and clatter. Seemingly ignoring the stares, the Chosen of Love continued onward into the apartment without waiting for a response. She moved to sit beside Yamato, plopping down heavily.

The Chosen of Friendship furrowed his brow and stared at her face. "...Sora, are you-"

"I'm fine~!" Sora said, brightly. "Just a little late, that's all!"

Yamato blinked, then turned his head to look back to the hallway outside the apartment, where the Chosen of Honesty still loitered anxiously.

Jou stood awkwardly in the doorway, holding his bag to his chest. Seeing Yamato's stare, Jou looked at Sora before turning back the other Chosen, then tentatively bowed. "S-sorry..."

Taichi looked between Sora and Jou, brow furrowed. After a moment he focused on Jou. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

Jou paused and turned to Taichi. He could feel the other Chosen trying to figure out what had transpired between him and Sora, causing beads of sweat to form on his brow. While his initial instinct was to deny that anything was wrong, the words failed to form. Instead, he simply averted his gaze to the floor, hanging his head. He was a failure as a leader, as an upperclassman, and even at his very crest - no one could rely or depend on him at all.

Taichi grimaced. The silence was answer enough even to someone who could be as obtuse at times as him.

Koshiro sat in front of his laptop at the dining table near Miyako, his discomfort on full display with the way his mouth twisted, though he tried to pretend otherwise. "S-so, since we're all here, let's get this meeting start-"

A sudden chime from his D-Terminal made Koshiro jerk slightly before he quickly went to answer it.

Daisuke turned his undivided attention to Koshiro. "Did Ken send you an email?"

Koshiro furrowed his brow. as his eyes quickly scanned the message. "No... I don't recognize the address... oh! It's from Mystimon! He says he has some information and wants to meet with us right away!"

"Mystimon?" Takeru repeated, furrowing his brow. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes. "...Did he say _why_?"

"Does it matter?" Yamato asked as he stood up. "It's better than sitting around, trying to figure out what to do next."

"Or pining over Ken," Miyako muttered out of the side of her mouth.

"Let's do it," Taichi said, rising from his seat, as the others quickly followed suit.

 

* * *

 

The Chosen followed the coordinates Mystimon had sent Koshiro in his email, and soon found themselves gating into the middle of a massive wasteland. There was nothing but sand and twisted trees for miles in all directions, save for a small ruin that looked as though it had seen far better days. Beaten and battered by the passage of time, eroded pillars stood tall as best they could as they lined the stone circular floor. At the very center of the ruins stood Mystimon, like a vigilant statue.

When the Chosen drew closer, only then did the Digimon lift his head to meet them. "Greetings, Chosen Children. I'm pleased that you were able to come so quickly."

"What did you want to tell us, Mystimon?" Koshiro asked, trying not to sound too anxious. They could really use some good news about now.

"I've found the whereabouts of one of my old allies, who was a traveling companion of the Chosen of Miracles and Darkness," Mystimon said. "He was the last Digimon to see the Chosen of Miracles, and there is a very good chance that he will know the identity of the Digimon Kaiser."

"You found one of Keiko and Ryo's friends?" Hikari asked, perking up at the mention of the two absent Chosen Children.

"Where is he?" Taichi asked.

"There is a research facility of the Digimon Kaiser nearby, hidden beneath the sands," Mystimon said. "The Digimon in question, Neemon, is a prisoner there."

"More prisoners," Takeru said, with a grimace. "But if the Digimon Kaiser knows Ryo and Keiko, that means he knew Neemon too, doesn't it?"

Mystimon turned his stoic gaze to Takeru. "It would stand to reason, yes."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Taichi asked as he punched his right fist into his left palm. "Let's rescue the Digimon and smash that brat's research!"

"We should gate out," Sora said as she turned to Taichi, noting his grimace as she spoke. "We'll provide backup as best we can."

"Be careful," Yamato said as he turned to Takeru. "We have no idea who'll be waiting for us. And after Gladimon..."

Takeru tensed, but tried not to let it show in his expression as he raised his Digivice, his eyes fixed on the small screen instead of his brother. "I know." He tried to ignore the how Yamato’s warning felt more like his brother was gleefully grinding a wad of steel wool into his face. He knew full well what they were getting into; there was no reason to warn him as if he were an idiot - or a child. "Should we even bother sneaking in? It hasn't exactly worked out for us lately."

Daisuke pumped his fist into the air. "Let's charge right on in! If we hit him hard and fast enough, Tiny Tower won't know what hit him!"

"Let's evolve out here, then go for it." Takeru agreed.

"I will go as well," Iori said as he gripped his bokken.

"Ah? But your partner-" Sora began, only to be cut off by a pointed stare from the younger Chosen Child.

"I'll be fine," Iori said, stiffly. "I must make amends for my failure."

Daisuke blinked at Iori, his expression blank. "Failure? What failure?"

There was a tense moment of silence before Iori looked away from Daisuke. "It's nothing. We must go before the Digimon Kaiser notices us."

Daisuke frowned. "But-"

"Shut it, Motomiya," Miyako said. "Let's just do your plan and do this quick before things have a chance to go south again."

Takeru blinked and glanced to Iori and Miyako. The serious young man was still looking away, avoiding eye-contact with everyone. Miyako looked similarly guarded, though she kept her focus on the group rather than away from them. The Chosen of Hope furrowed his brow before he turned to Hikari, seeing his thoughts mirrored in the concern on her face. In the end, he opted not to say anything and instead held his Digivice up. "Patamon, let's do it!"

"Got it, Takeru!" Patamon said.

Prompted by Takeru, the other Chosen Children pulled out their own Digivices while those without partners swiftly disappeared back to the safety of the real world. Within short order, V-mon, Palmon, Tentomon, and Patamon had evolved into their armored forms. Joining Tailmon, the Digimon took the front line as the Chosen followed Mystimon to the entrance to the secret laboratory of the Digimon Kaiser.

The entrance itself was found buried within the sand, marked only with two pillars - one to either side of the hidden staircase. With a burst of wind, Shutumon sent the sand flying to expose the entrance before the Chosen Children.

Mimi shielded her face as the sand flew away from them, then furrowed her brow. "But how does he get in under all that sand? Does he move it every time?"

"He probably doesn't even use it," Takeru said as he straightened up and glared down the steps. "He probably gate hops, like you do."

Mimi frowned a little at the idea that she and the Digimon Kaiser had anything in common, but she couldn’t fault Takeru’s logic. “I guess so…”

"No more talking, let’s go, go, go!" Daisuke shouted before racing down the steps with Fladramon right at his heels. "Chaaaaaarge!"

"Daisuke!" Hikari yelped, alarmed.

"Wait!" Koshiro yelped as he futilely reached out for Daisuke, who already disappeared from sight. "We can't just charge in _blind_!"

The only response the Chosen got was the sound of Fladramon's voice, punctuated by the squeal of a startled Digimon. " _Fire Rocket_!"

Mystimon quirked an eyebrow as he stood back, resting his hands on the hilt of his sword. "... _This_ brings back memories."

Although Hikari wanted to ask about that comment, she was too worried about Daisuke and Fladramon already entering combat. She shared a look with Tailmon before they both raced down the stairs. "Come on! We've got to help them!"

The rest of the Chosen hurried after Hikari, blindly invading the underground laboratory. They were promptly greeted by a well lit large metal hallway filled with startled Bakemon, most sporting an Evil Ring around their waists. The ones that didn't were in the process of fleeing in a panic as bits and pieces of the enslavement accessories melted away on the floor.

Fladramon was in the thick of the Bakemon, striking at them relentlessly while the Bakemon struggled to figure out what was happening. The armored Digimon slammed his fist into the Evil Rings - and by extension, the Bakemon's stomachs - as he moved with lightning fast speed. " _That_ , and _that_ , and _that_!"

The rest of the Chosen Digimon descended into the fray alongside their comrade, destroying Evil Rings as fast as possible to keep up the advantage of surprise as the group pressed on deeper into the laboratory.

The Bakemon were utterly unprepared for the assault. Between the powerful Chosen Digimon, Iori's powerful bokken strikes, and the remaining Chosen Children shouting out strategic instructions, the controlled Digimon were never given a chance _to_ prepare a counter-offensive. The fighting was very one-sided, despite the larger numbers of controlled to Chosen, and soon enough the last Bakemon fled as its Evil Ring shattered, staining the metal floor a bleak shade of gray before disappearing entirely.

Takeru watched as the ghost Digimon disappeared into the darkness, his expression grim. Once it was out of sight, he scanned the area for any more attackers who meant to try and ambush them. Seeing no one, the Chosen of Hope tentatively strode forward through the hallway, with Pegasmon trotting behind him. While his partner couldn't fly in such a restrictive space, the hallway was still large enough to give the Armor Digimon room to kick and headbutt his opponents. The close quarters had worked far more to their advantage in the chaos, at any rate.

"That appears to be the last of them," Iori said, though he kept his grip firm on his bokken. "It seems that this location was not fortified to repel invaders."

"It's probably because it was so well hidden," Koshiro mused as he looked around, blinking. "Hey, where's Mystimon?"

Mimi looked behind them down the hall back the way they came. "I don't know... Maybe he's waiting outside?"

Koshiro frowned. "I guess we're on our own to find Neemon."

Takeru glared back the way they came, his lip twisting in a sneer. "So much for being able to help us, both _him_ and his _master_.” A snort escaped him as he faced front again and strode boldly forward. "I'll bet they need _us_ far more than we need _them_."

“Probably,” Daisuke mused as he rubbed his nose. “I mean, we _are_ the chosen ones meant to save the world from the forces of evil and all that. Heroes always have to do most of the work while the people in charge just sit back, give orders and cryptic prophecies or get captured and need to get rescued.”

Barely half a minute passed before Daisuke’s D-Terminal chimed, and he nearly fell on his face in his mad scramble to answer it. “It must be Ken!”

Daisuke’s face fell after he opened the email and saw it was from Miyako.

 

_The hero’s journey narrative isn’t exactly a good excuse for being lazy in real life, you know. There’s probably a legitimate reason why they can’t get involved that they don’t want to share with us because it’d make them seem weak and/or ineffectual._

 

“False alarm,” Daisuke grumbled as he flipped his D-Terminal shut and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. “Hey, I don’t make the rules, Inoe - we just follow them, and that means not replacing Ken with another one of your friends.”

Another chime came from Daisuke’s D-Terminal, but this time he simply checked who the email was from this time rather than open it right away. At seeing that it was a response from Miyako, he shoved the D-Terminal into his pocket and resumed walking, ignoring the odd looks the other Chosen shot his way.

“I’m sure Miyako isn’t planning on replacing Ken,” Mimi said.

“I don’t think any of us _can_ be replaced,” Koshiro added.

Daisuke didn’t hide his dubiousness from his expression, but he decided to let the subject drop.

With no controlled Digimon to fight, the Chosen were left with no other option but to blindly search the countless identical hallways and unmarked doors all around them. After a moment of looking at each other with varying uncertain expressions, they shook off their lingering hesitance and began to explore.

Before Hikari could even open the door she approached, she noticed a flutter of a shadow at her side, which she realized came from the Digivice in her hand. The screen, which showed the image of the Digimental of Darkness, kept flickering out as darkness overtook the screen,  consuming the light around the edges. Her heartbeat quickened, as she knew this must represent something significant. "Keiko's Digimental is reacting!"

Tailmon's ears flicked as she turned to stare at the Digivice, then turned her attention to the door Hikari had been about to open. She heard nothing from the room beyond to indicate a trap, and the laboratory had been so sterilized that there was no hint of any suspicious smells. There was no telling what awaited them behind that door. "Be ready."

Takeru glanced at Tailmon, then towards the door in question. He hesitated a moment before he strode forward, reaching for the wall button beside the door. His fingers lingered just over it as he glanced to see that the other Chosen were ready before he pressed it hard, and the doors opened with a _swish_.

The room was dimly lit in an eerie ephemeral ruby red glow that came from dozens of large cylindrical containers lining the walls, each ranging from the size of a doorway to a fish tank fit for an aquarium. There were some odd machines and panels set beside the tubes, but the poor lighting made it a challenge to make out any details.

However, it wasn’t the machinery or the tubes that commanded the most attention, but what each of the tubes contained.

Strange, black masses floated within the red liquid. In some, they were barely specks with no recognizable shape. In others, they were smooth black eggs, disembodied limbs, or malformed masses of various body parts mashed together. The most disturbing thing was that there was a definite trend, as from left to right, each dark object was larger than the last and more recognizable. Along the righthand wall were the shades of Child and Adult Digimon in monochrome, suspended as though sleeping in the crimson liquid. They seemed barely more substantial than ghosts, their bodies made of jelly far more fragile than a Baby’s that seemed to barely hold together.

Despite their fragility, the most defined of these dark Digimon still managed to turn their gloppy heads to stare at the Chosen Children with glistening golden eyes. Even those less defined with heads barely formed seemed to gaze out with tiny flecks of gold twinkling from hollow eye sockets or completely blackened pits where the eyes might eventually form.

Hikari's breath caught at the sight of the creatures staring at them and she froze completely, her grip tightening on her Digivice until it was painful. Although she didn’t move an inch, she was no longer in the laboratory, but back in the Dark World standing at the edge of the shore and watching as unspeakable things clawed their way through the waves, reaching out for her, as their screams mingled with the sounds of the waves crashing against the sand ever closer to her feet.

Before Hikari could process that she was having a flashback to her nightmares, Keiko’s partner appeared in her vision. The black cat Digimon stood on the beach between her and the ocean, her fierce gaze staring back at the creatures. Before Hikari’s very eyes, the unspeakable things withdrew and disappeared beneath the waves, and the Chosen of Light suddenly found herself mentally back in the room of tubes, her Digivice blazing with light and pouring out dark showers.

Hikari staggered for a moment, confused, before her gaze drifted down to her Digivice, which was engulfed in darkness broken up by twinkling strands of light. Such a sight would have frightened her if she didn't know that Darkness was on their side. She clutched her Digivice close to her chest and tried not to look too closely at the tubes again.

"W-what are those things-?" Takeru demanded as his eyes darted from container to container, before his eyes widened. "Wait, aren't they... the same things from Factory Town!?"

"They look like what Miyako described," Koshiro murmured before a chime drew his attention to his D-Terminal. "Yes, Miyako just confirmed it."

"S-so are they going to try and fuse, and become that giant thing again?!" Fladramon demanded before he raised his fists. "I won't let them!"

Mimi shuddered at the idea and moved closer to Shutumon.

"They're not... moving," Tailmon said, her eyes darting warily from tube to tube. "They're just... staring at us."

"Can they not get out?" Iori asked, then frowned. "Though I can't imagine how glass would be able to contain such creatures."

"Don't get too close," Koshiro said, "just in case. We don't want to have to deal with these things again..."

Tailmon cautiously ventured further into the room, her eyes scouring the tubes and the creatures in them. It was then that her eyes settled on the tops of the tubes, making the feline Digimon pause. Wrapped around the tops of all the containers was a thin band of black with gold writing. It reminded her of her Holy Ring, and she glanced back at her tail to verify the similarities before returning her attention to the strange writing. "Hikari, look." She lifted her claw to point at the top of the nearest tube for emphasis, drawing the Chosen's eyes to it. "That band at the top... it's like my Holy Ring. And all the tubes have one."

Emboldened by her partner's presence, as well as the darkness flowing from her Digivice, Hikari chanced to move closer to the tubes, standing beside Tailmon. She looked back and forth between the black ring - which at first she almost mistook for an Evil Ring - and Tailmon's own Holy Ring. "I wonder what it is..."

"Koshiro, can you read what it says?" Takeru asked as he came to stand beside Hikari. "What's the text mean?"

Swallowing a knot of trepidation in his throat, Koshiro slowly circled the nearest tube with Blade Kuwagamon by his side, shuddering as the malformed creature inside never took its eyes off him. With his partner's light and presence, he was able to read the black band in spite of feeling all eyes of the experiments settling on him. It was as if drawing closer to them made them even more restless; he could practically feel the wrongness of them crawling across his skin. "I-it says, 'Darkness binds, Chaos obeys.'"

Daisuke folded his arms, his brow furrowing. "What does that mean?"

Tailmon's ears flicked as she turned to look at Hikari.

Takeru cautiously watched the creatures in the tubes as Koshiro rejoined his friends back by the doorway. "What should we do?"

Hikari looked down at her Digivice, which pulsed rhythmically with Darkness from the Digimental inside. She couldn't help the fear she felt for the abominations, but at the same time, her instincts told her what they needed to be dealt with. "I think we should-"

No sooner had Hikari held up her Digivice to illustrate her point than the Darkness overflowed from inside it. It lashed out lightning fast to arch at the black rings, snuffing out the gold writing. The light dimmed from the tubes until they disappeared altogether, leaving only glowing golden eyes peering out from the darkness.

Then came the screaming, horrific and wrenching as each glowing eye winked out of existence in rapid succession. The horrible noise lasted for only a few seconds, but the sound echoed long after the dim lighting of the room flickered back on in all the now empty tubes.

Takeru froze as he gripped the doorway, his eyes widen. He swallowed hard as his eyes darted around, searching for any sign of the creatures. In a show of very poor timing, his shoulder began to throb and it took everything he had not to clutch at it, instead focusing on the room and his friends. "What... what just happened!?"

Hikari stared at her Digivice, which had gone back to normal. "I think... I think Keiko might've somehow used the Digimental of Darkness through my Digivice."

"That was... just like what happened at Factory Town," Takeru murmured as he straightened up.

Iori nodded, his mouth going dry. "That massive creature... the exact same thing happened then, too."

"That... was... awesome!" Daisuke shouted before pumping his fist in the air. "You took them all out in one hit and you didn't even need to evolve Tailmon to do it, Hikari-chan!"

"Actually, that was a little creepy," Mimi muttered as she rubbed her arms, feeling a slight chill in the air.

"Maybe," Koshiro said, faltering for a moment, "but that's going to be a huge help in the future. We might not be used to working with Darkness, but it seems to be on our side this time."

Takeru nodded, numbly. As unnerving as it had been, the effects were obvious. Such a power would definitely have been useful back at Factory Town. Though, if what he had seen was anything to go by, perhaps it already was on their side - from the very beginning.

The Chosen of Hope frowned and turned to open his mouth when a loud beep came from Koshiro's D-Terminal, prompting all of the Chosen to jump and whirl to stare at the offending device as the Digimon instinctively took defensive positions.

Koshiro tentatively checked his D-Terminal, uncertain of what he'd find. To his surprise, he found another message from Mystimon. It was short and simple, and yet somehow still managed to be ominous.

 

_I've found Neemon. Come to the basement._

 

It didn't take long for the Chosen Children to find the basement to the facility. While there were numerous side rooms that lead to strange equipment and more empty tubes, there was only one set of stairs that lead downwards. It was at the very end of the long hallway, and descended deep within the earth.

The trek itself was just as unnerving as the atmosphere. While they saw no more threats to speak of, the Chosen Digimon remained on edge as they escorted the children through the facility to their destination. The stairwell was fairly suffocating, cramped and small so that everyone had to descend single-file. Fladramon insisted on leading the way in front of Daisuke, with Tailmon close behind him, while Pegasmon, Blade Kuwagamon, and Shutumon took up the rear. Flying was simply out of the question, forcing the winged Digimon with physical legs to walk while Blade Kuwagamon slowly and carefully floated in the very back of the line.

Eventually, they arrived at their destination. The stairwell opened up to a massive room reminiscent of a dungeon, complete with bars and shackles on the floor and walls. There, they found Mystimon standing in front of a particular barred door, watching the Chosen approach, before he pointed inside.

It was difficult to see inside the dark cell through the heavy metal door blocking it, but Tailmon took care of that in short order with a couple good punches. As the broken bits of metal tumbled to the ground, the noise clattered off the high ceiling, ringing out from all around them. A pungent odor of rot and waste that had been faint before, now wafted strong enough to force most of the Digimon to turn up their noses in disgust. In the dim light that spilled in from the hall, the prisoner could finally be seen hanging on the far wall.

In casual surroundings, the Digimon might have been such a silly looking thing, with a yellow body stretched out like a wad of silly putty clad in a pair of red footie pajama pants. However, what the Digimon Kaiser had done to Neemon made the Chosen feel anything but mirth. Bands of thick metal pinned Neemon to the wall like an insect on display; from shoulders to wrist and hips to ankles, every joint was held fast - even his ears had been chained to the wall. His pants were soiled and in tatters from time and treatment. It was almost impossible to see his face properly, as a nasty looking muzzle made from twisted wires held his jaw clamped tightly shut. The only place that was truly exposed was his belly between the bands on his neck and waist, which was a landscape of scar tissue made from countless whip marks.

Hikari nearly dropped her Digivice as she covered her horrified mouth, her wide red eyes unable to leave the pathetic wreck of a creature that hung before them. What made it worse was that despite being left to rot in his own filth and wounds, Neemon was clearly still breathing, occasionally letting out a quiet wheeze or snort that carried a hint of just how much agony he had been through; it broke her heart to hear it.

Takeru clenched his fists as he felt a wave of anger. "That _bastard_...!"

"I'll get him!" Shutumon said as she hurried forward, hovering over the ground. She gripped the chains and crushed them with her hands, freeing the Digimon from the wall. She caught him before he could fall and carefully carried him over to the Chosen, setting him down.

Mimi couldn't look for more than a moment, much less step into the cell after her Digimon. She choked on her own horror and turned away, covering her face with her hands as she fought back a wave of nausea. The sight of such cruelty was too much for her to bear.

Koshiro cringed at the sight of such a pathetic creature. With shaky hands, he fumbled to get his D-Terminal out. "I-I'll email Jou. He can help treat Neemon's injuries."

Daisuke stood shell shocked, his eyes fixed firmly on Neemon. He had thought he had seen the worst of the Digimon Kaiser's cruelty, but this was far beyond the tortures other Digimon had endured. He couldn't process it right away, simply staring at the tapestry of scars from an untold number of lashes as it moved up and down slowly with Neemon's labored breaths. "I..." He tried to say something inspiring or brave, but words failed him.

Iori gripped his bokken as he stood to the side. While his face was stoic, his knuckles were white as he tightly held his weapon.

Mystimon moved past the Chosen to approach the wounded Digimon, swiftly grabbing the muzzle and removing it. "Neemon. Are you conscious?"

Neemon lay silent and still for nearly half a minute, his expression blank and eyes shut. Though his eyes never seemed to open, a smile eventually graced his lips. "Hi!" he squeaked with a surprising amount of cheer despite how ragged his high-pitched voice was. "Are you here for torture time too?"

The Chosen Children started at the dissonant contrast of moods and exchanged confused looks at such an odd question.

"It's not very much fun," Neemon said with a sigh. "It leaves me with lots of owies and booboos and a bad case of the hungries."

Takeru stared at Neemon as he blinked slowly, then shook his head. "We came to rescue you."

"That's right!" Fladramon said as he clenched his fists. "The Digimon Kaiser is never going to torture you again!"

"Yeah!" Daisuke said with renewed enthusiasm. "We'll kick Tiny Tower in his tiny tower for hurting you and everyone else so bad!"

Neemon inclined his head ever so slightly, then groaned as even the small movement pained him. "Ohh... I get to leave? Really, really?"

Hikari smiled gently at the battered Digimon. "It's true, Neemon. We've even got a friend who can help treat your injuries."

Mystimon looked at the Chosen before focusing his attention on Neemon, approaching him. "Neemon. Who is the Digimon Kaiser?"

"Ehhh?" Neemon asked, his high voice coming out with a wheeze. "He's the meanie with the whip."

Mystimon paused at that. "No, _who_ is he?"

"A human in a cape," Neemon said.

Mystimon's jaw clenched and he let out a hissing breath before speaking again. " _No_. Who - is - he."

"Oh, oh, I know!" Neemon gasped. "He's the boy in the silly glasses!"

Mystimon glared at Neemon, too infuriated to speak.

Neemon's brow furrowed a little. "You mean you don't think they're silly? But they're so yellow and funny looking and silly!"

As strange as the situation was, Shutumon found Neemon’s surprisingly cheerful demeanor soothing. “They are pretty silly,” she said as she turned to Mimi.

Mimi let out a quiet snicker in spite of herself. "That's true."

"I think what Mystimon means is," Koshiro said, "do you know the Digimon Kaiser's real identity?"

"Ohhh!" Neemon said with a tiny nod. "Why didn't you say so? The Digimon Kaiser is the ruler of the Digital World, of course!"

Mystimon's jaw clenched hard enough that the Chosen could hear an audible click. " _Neemon_."

"And he's the meanie who whips me and screams at me all the time," Neemon said as he barely managed to lift his tiny hand to gesture at his marred belly. "I hear he hurts other Digimon too, even worse than me, so I'm very lucky even if I'm feeling very ouchie."

Takeru glanced at Mystimon and could see the growing frustration and anger on the Digimon's face. He didn't know if Neemon was just frazzled from his torture or if his behavior was normal, but it was clear that he wasn't in any condition to help him. "Let's get Neemon to Jou, and get him patched up. We can ask him about the Digimon Kaiser later."

Mystimon looked about to argue, his body quaking with frustration as he kept his gaze focused on Neemon's goofy face. After a moment, he managed to compose himself, bleeding all the emotion from his body until he was as neutral as a statue. "Yes. That is a wise decision."

It didn't take long for the Chosen to return to the real world with Neemon in tow. They left Mystimon behind to deal with whatever remained at the facility, though it seemed mostly taken care of after the Chosen Children in the real world examined every inch of the facility from Koshiro’s computer. An email from Miyako confirmed that the Digimental of Darkness had cleared out all of the experiments, so there was no concern in leaving the rest to the knight Digimon. This allowed them to focus something more important to deal with - Neemon’s well being.

Jou was already waiting for them when they arrived, and quickly set to work cleaning and bandaging Neemon’s wounds. The other Chosen gathered around with their Digimon, watching as the silly little Digimon was tended to.

Yamato tilted his head as he reclined on the sofa, watching as the Chosen of Honesty worked. He paused when he noticed Taichi draw closer and inclined his way in the goggle boy's direction. "Hm?"

"Is it me or does Jou look really happy to be bandaging him up?" Taichi asked, his voice quiet.

Yamato blinked before he offered a small smile. "I think he's happy to feel useful. I'm kind of envious, y'know?"

"No kidding." Taichi muttered.

Sora smiled as she watched Jou, her own thoughts similar to Yamato's. After seeing Jou's demeanor outside of the apartment, seeing him so focused and alert made her heart feel at ease. The strain was still there, weighing down on the older boy, but it hadn't completely crushed him yet. "Just a little longer, Jou,” she whispered to herself. “We'll get through this."

Takeru sighed as he flopped back onto the couch, tilting his head back as he closed his eyes. He paused as he felt Patamon land in his lap, then glanced down to his partner and met his concerned expression with a smile. "Anyway, we'll see if maybe Neemon can remember anything once he recovers."

Though Takeru tried to remain optimistic in spite of what the taint on his shoulder whispered to him, he couldn’t muster any genuinely high hopes. He suspected that the reason why the Digimon Kaiser allowed Neemon to live was the fact that the silly looking Digimon was far too innocent and ignorant to be of any sort of threat. From the way Neemon responded to Mystimon, it made Takeru wonder if Neemon ever even realized that the Chosen Child torturing him was once an ally.

"But even if he doesn't,” Takeru said, still smiling, “we still rescued him, so I'd say today was a victory."

Hikari nodded as she took a seat beside Takeru. "And we freed all the Bakemon too."

Daisuke hopped over the back of the sofa to perch on the armrest so he could be seated next to Hikari despite her taking up one of the end cushions. "Not to mention you kicked butt and took care of all those blobby things in the tubes, Hikari-chan!"

Miyako looked up from her work to watch as Iori sat down at the dining table next to her. "Your Digimon egg still hasn't shown up." The emotion in her voice was hard to distinguish, making her words come out as nothing more than a simple fact.

Koshiro frowned as he took a seat at his laptop, glancing across the table at Iori. "That worries me... We need to figure out a way to find Iori's partner."

Iori's expression was a mask of ice. " _No_. We do not."

Mimi furrowed her brow as she looked across the kitchen counter to Iori. "But your Digimon is-"

"Oh, Mimi?" Miyako suddenly said, though her gaze remained on the papers in front of her. "You never got back to me about my email about Palmon's evolution's stats."

Mimi blinked, caught off-guard for a moment before she coiled a strand of hair around her finger and looked away. "Well... I haven't gotten around to it yet."

"It'd be useful to know the limits of Palmon's other forms," Miyako said. "That tornado alone was the lynch pin in saving Whamon, so finding out just how much each of our Digimon can do will be a huge help."

Iori glanced at Miyako before he looked away, the harshness of his features easing however slightly.

Mimi tapped her fingers together as she pursed her lips. "Well... I was going to last weekend, but after I evolved Shutumon back home, I realized just how human she looks, so we..."

"We tried on clothes!" Palmon said as she raised her hands upwards, smiling brightly. "People thought we were sisters! It was great! I had so much fun!"

Takeru blinked before he chuckled. He could totally see Mimi dragging Palmon, or rather Shutumon, around New York. "Well, that's one way to do it."

"I'm surprised no one asked about the feathers," Yamato said, quirking an eyebrow. "Then again, it _is_ America."

"That was the easy part," Mimi said eagerly as she smiled at Yamato. "All Shutumon had to do was keep the wings on her head down, and people just thought she had really thick dyed hair. She went out in Mama's dress instead of her armor, and the best part is she can hide her wings in her back whenever she wants to! Everyone thought she was human!"

"I think it sounds lovely," Sora said, with a smile. "We all need to relax now and then. It's very important to keeping our spirits up."

"That reminds me," Yamato said as he sat up, frowning as he glanced around the room. "...the Odaiba Memorial's coming up."

The anniversary of their first trip to the Digital World, it was a day that had become a holiday for their group - the Odaiba Memorial. It felt weird mentioning it, and even weirder to consider that anything should be done. And yet, it felt even stranger to just let the day pass without any acknowledgement. They had celebrated it every year up until that point, making it the third Odaiba Memorial. At the very least, it needed to be mentioned, even if they decided the circumstances prevented them from truly celebrating.

Taichi feel a small pain in his chest at the reminder, as this would be the first Odaiba Memorial without Agumon. By the looks on Yamato and Sora's faces, they felt the same. It was only fortunate that Jou was so focused on treating Neemon and hopefully didn't hear Yamato to get reminded as well.

"And summer vacation too," the goggle boy said, trying to smile and be enthusiastic despite the bad things that happened lately. "I say we should all do something to celebrate, like go to the beach or have a picnic or something."

"It'd be a nice way to recover from midterms," Takeru said, glancing at the other Chosen. It felt weird to voice such a mundane thing, as tests seemed so insignificant compared to fighting a tyrant. And yet, it was still something they had to deal with. It was easy to forget that they were still children with child responsibilities when they were in a war at the same time.

Daisuke perked up a little. "Oh yeah, that's right! I forgot to email Ken to ask if he'd want to study with me for them!"

Hikari laughed a little at Daisuke's enthusiasm. "I don't think Ken's midterms are going to be the same as ours, but Takeru and I can study with you, Daisuke."

Daisuke's face heated as a goofy smile came to his face. "Yeah! That'd be great! But Ken is a genius, you know? I'm sure he's got all kinds of genius tips and secrets for getting the best grade!"

"It can't hurt," Takeru said, as he smiled at Daisuke. "Plus it'd be a good excuse to check up on him and see if he's okay."

Yamato watched as his brother chatted away with Daisuke and Hikari, then glanced about at the other Chosen. He couldn't help but smile, feeling rather proud of how everyone was handling themselves. The situation was serious, and they were managing. Even Jou, despite the cracks that were beginning to form in his spirit, was holding on as best he could and was quick to keep going when he was needed. Despite whatever bumps in the road they came across, they were still banding together, supporting each other through this crisis.

It was one of the reasons Yamato was able to hold on to his faith that they'd be able to save Gabumon, that it was only a matter of time. There was no way they could lose to the Digimon Kaiser, who was no doubt isolated and never had a friend in his life. He'd never be able to understand their bonds, and he'd never be able to defeat them.

Of that, Yamato was absolutely certain.

 

* * *

 

The Digimon Kaiser sat in his throne, slouched back in a posture not entirely befitting the master of _most_ of the Digital World. He remained mostly motionless, with only his right pointer finger moving as he tapped in the air at the free-floating control panel, forcing the ever shifting monitors to change to yet another location. His glasses were dark, hiding his eyes so that it was impossible to tell where he was looking - or if he was even looking at all.

Beside the Digimon Kaiser, Wormmon sat on the floor on his plush pillow seat and watched his Chosen with concerned eyes. After several moments of silence, the insect Digimon turned to look helplessly at FlaWizarmon as the other Digimon leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed.

FlaWizarmon watched the Digimon Kaiser, his expression unreadable, before he tilted his head. "There was a break-in at one of the research facilities. Witchmon's gone to check it out, see the damage... an' see if any _escapees_ need _dealin'_ with."

The Digimon Kaiser didn't look up as he continued to tap his finger in a slow, steady rhythm, the monitors flickering as they continued to change their display.

FlaWizarmon arched his eyebrow before he reached up to grasp the brim of his hat with his left hand, pulling it down slightly. "Anyway, it occurs to me that maybe the reason we're not making much progress with Omegamon is because you're wasting so much time and resources on the _dead weight_."

The Digimon Kaiser paused in mid-tap, his finger hovering in the air.

"There ain't no shame in cutting your losses," FlaWizarmon continued. "Especially when there's just no helping it - like Palmon. No matter how much you trained her, she wasn't ever gonna to be much use. There's no harm in tryin', but there comes a point and time where you gotta admit it's a waste and you gotta focus on other things."

The Digimon Kaiser hesitated before he lowered his finger, resting it against his armrest.

"Let's be honest, none of the Holy Beasts have strongholds in the water. Mountains, volcanoes and forests, sure. But no water," FlaWizarmon said with a shrug, gesturing both of his hands outward. "So a Digimon that's only useful in a specific environment ain't that much good if there's no fightin' in that environment. And if he can't handle being away from his partner without cryin' in front of his underclassmen, then... well, it's kind of pathetic, y’know?"

The Digimon Kaiser didn't respond, lifting his head upwards so that he braced the back of it against his throne.

"Omegamon is our priority," FlaWizarmon said as he crossed his arms and approached the Chosen Child, coming up behind the throne. "Always was, always will be. So maybe we should _drop_ the dead weight and focus on a strategy that'll actually _win_." The wizard Digimon came to a stop directly behind the Digimon Kaiser, plopping his arms down on the top of the throne, pushing downward so that the chair leaned back. He grinned down at Ken as their eyes met. "So stop overthinking it, eh?"

The Digimon Kaiser looked at FlaWizarmon before he let out a derisive snort. "I can't _overthink_. I'm a _genius_ ; thinking is what we _do_."

"True enough, K-chan," FlaWizarmon said, brightly. "True enough."

 

* * *

 

The clock on the wall ticked away noisily, marking off each second that passed as the night grew later and later. It was a consistent rhythm that echoed in Jou's brain as he sat at his desk, staring down at his textbooks as his hands clutched his head. It was another late-night study attempt for the midterms next week, and yet another failure as he couldn't focus. The words may as well have been English for all the good they did him.

Jou groaned as he slid his hands around to the front of his face, pushing his glasses upwards so that he could massage the bridge of his nose. "Get it together..."

He had begun to feel a little better about himself after helping Neemon. The Digimon had been extremely thankful for his help, and it served as a reminder that he wasn't completely useless - only mostly. Even if the fact that he was getting some kind of happiness out of someone else's injury filled him with guilt, he couldn't deny that being needed and necessary was like a breath of fresh air inside his aching lungs.

But now, alone with his thoughts and his open textbooks, Jou was struggling to move forward. He couldn't focus; he couldn't study. It was no mystery whatsoever that his midterms were shaping up to be a total disaster, and even knowing that, he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Lowering his hands, Jou leaned forward to press his forehead against his desk, and the books stacked up high. It wasn't comfortable by any means, but perhaps the knowledge could soak into his brain through osmosis, since his gray cells simply refused to work normally. All he could think about was his partner, there simply wasn't any room left for anything else.

"...Gomamon..." Jou muttered.

A buzz of static caught Jou's attention and he lifted his head just in time to see a soft light flicker against his wall. The Chosen of Honesty frowned before he turned his attention to the source - his computer monitor. For a moment he could only stare as the screen cast a gentle glow on the room.

"Did I leave it on?" Jou murmured as he furrowed his brow. He didn't remember going near his computer all day but given how absent-minded he had been lately, he wouldn't be surprised that he had forgotten.

The Chosen of Honesty barely had a chance to finish that thought before the monitor glowed brilliantly seconds before something white and fuzzy flew out of it, slamming into him and sending both Chosen Child and books to the floor.

Jou grimaced as he sat up, adjusting his glasses before he glanced down. He immediately gave a start, his eyebrows shooting straight up as his eyes focused on what was in his lap - the unconscious form of his partner, Gomamon. The Digimon rested in a crumbled heap, his eyes closed. While Gomamon looked a bit worn and ragged, he was otherwise unharmed as he breathed evenly.

Jou gaped, his glasses nearly falling off his face as he trembled. He simply couldn’t believe it, even with the evidence directly in his face.

"G... _Gomamon_!?"

 

* * *

 

Yamato reached the front door of Jou’s home with Takeru right behind him and knocked, tentatively, only to be startled when it opened immediately. Jou's older brother Shu stood in the doorway, his eyes dewy and his smile broad. Shu allowed them inside, and the two blond brothers hurried to join the others.

The rest of the Chosen were already present in the living room, all hovering around Jou, who sat on the sofa, sobbing heavily as he held Gomamon in his arms as if he were a plush animal. Jou was hunched over Gomamon, his body shuddering with each breath, as he buried his face in his partner's back.

At some point since his return, Gomamon had regained consciousness. He sat comfortably in Jou's lap, his arms dangling forward as he was held from behind. He kept glancing back at Jou, his expression tired. "Hey, hey, watch the fur. It's not tissue paper, y'know." Despite the words he spoke, the Digimon couldn't help but smile weakly.

"Y-you're _back_... y-you're really... _really_ back...!" Jou sobbed out, choking on his tears.

"Jou," Sora said softly as she reached over to rub Jou's back reassuringly, and glanced over to Yamato as the two brothers entered the room. "Jou said Gomamon just suddenly appeared through his computer monitor. It apparently turned itself on and started to glow, and then Gomamon appeared."

Yamato came to a stop beside Sora, his expression at first incredulous, but a moment later it melted into a suspicious frown. "Just like that?" A glance out of the corner of his eye at his brother showed him that Takeru found this odd as well, and he turned to the Digimon in question. "Gomamon, do you remember anything?"

"Not really," Gomamon said, gesturing vaguely in the air. "Mostly just being told to do this and that and something else underwater most of the time. It was pretty _boring,_ really."

Yamato furrowed his brow at such a vague answer. It was hard to tell if Gomamon really didn’t remember anything or if the Digimon was trying to spare Jou of any disturbing details. "And you don't remember escaping, or anything like that?"

Gomamon shrugged. "Nope, it's all a big blur, like someone dumped a bunch of pictures on the floor, and I don't know which one goes where. It's like one moment I'm being bored in front of a crane, then next to a tower, then at the bottom of the sea. So I have no idea what happened before I woke up with Jou..." He sighed with a touch of fondness as he looked back at his partner. "...Who hasn't stopped crying since."

Jou made a thin whining noise before he sobbed again, tightening his grip on his partner.

Gomamon sighed again as he patted Jou on the head. "There, there... It's gonna be fine, Jou."

Tailmon stood at an end table close to Jou and Gomamon, her sharp blue eyes scanning every inch of her Child comrade. There was no sign of any Evil Ring to speak of; no significant injury or discolored taint to indicate that one melted on his body. She vividly remembered her own experience, and nothing about the situation suggested that Jou had pulled Gomamon out of the Digimon Kaiser’s clutches like Hikari had saved her.

"...It doesn't sound like he did escape," Tailmon said as she flicked her ear, then turned to look at Hikari out of the corner of her eyes. "Which can only mean one thing."

"Someone freed him," Hikari said quietly, her thoughts straying back to the soccer field and Tailmon falling from the sky. "The question is... who?"

"It'd have to be someone who can remotely turn on computers," Koshiro said, brow furrowing. "Whoever saved Gomamon sent him through from the Digital World to Jou's computer."

"Perhaps Mystimon came across him?" Sora asked as she glanced around at the other Chosen. "We don't know if he can control computers, but... we don't really have a lot of allies running free right now."

"There's also Jijimon and Babamon," Iori offered. "Though neither seem keen on outright assisting us to such an extent."

"There's someone I can think of right away, but it can't be right because it makes absolutely no sense," Takeru said as he crossed his arms.

Taichi tilted his head back slightly. "Well, we know who _didn't_ do it - the Digimon Kaiser."

Takeru nodded as he turned to Taichi. "Which is why it makes no sense. We can definitely rule him out... but it doesn't really help us figure out who _did_."

Mimi gasped as a thought struck her. "Maybe it was Gennai! Maybe we haven't heard from him for so long because he's secretly undercover trying to free our Digimon?"

Takeru paused at that. He had his misgivings, but it was the only option that made sense at that point. "It's... possible?"

Before the conversation could go any further, the doorbell suddenly rang. All of the Chosen paused and looked at each other, the question rather obvious on their faces. They had all already assembled, some more groggily than others. Even Mimi was present, despite having to gate in from America.

Shu glanced at the Chosen and counted them, then tapped his chin. He headed to the front door and peered out the eye hole, attempting to see who it was. He froze at what he saw, his eyes widening. "L...limo!"

"What?" Yamato blinked, arching an eyebrow.

Shu whirled to stare at the Chosen, his face pale. "T-t-there's a huge _limo_ in front of our house!"

Daisuke's eyes lit up as he bolted to the door. "That's gotta be Ken!"

Shu jerked back, startled, as Daisuke rushed to fling open the door.

It seemed the action startled Ken as well, as he jumped backward when the front door burst open before him to reveal a very excited Daisuke. His eyebrows shot straight up as he held Wormmon tightly in his arms, standing awkwardly on the front steps to the Kido residence. He hesitated before he looked about nervously, both at the Chosen Child in front of him and at the other children staring out at him from inside. "I... I apologize for being late. I came as quickly as I could."

"It's fine, it's fine!" Daisuke said cheerfully as he grabbed Ken by the arm and literally dragged the other boy inside. "We're just happy you're here!"

Hikari smiled, relieved at the sight of Ken, and waved to their newest Chosen. "Good to see you again, Ken."

Ken stumbled after Daisuke as he was dragged deeper into the Kido's den, then stood awkwardly among the crowd. The sight of Jou struggling to control his sobs in no way made the situation any _less_ awkward.

"I-I'm sorry,” Ken said after a moment, his voice small. “I just... needed to compose myself." A sheepish look graced his features as he found he had trouble looking the others in the eye. "I suppose I... seem quite foolish to you. It must happen to you all the time, and you don't even bat an eye."

Taichi gave Ken a wry smile. "We've just had this kind of thing happen a lot to us. You kind of get used to it."

Mimi shook her head. "No way! I'll never, ever get used to almost getting killed and watching others get killed, even if I live to be 200!"

"See?" Takeru said, with a smile. "Don't worry about it. Everyone understands."

Ken paused before he lowered his gaze, holding Wormmon tightly. "...Thank you."

Wormmon lightly patted Ken's hand. "See, Ken-chan?" he whispered. "Everyone here is really nice."

Ken looked down at his hand, where Wormmon had patted him. "...I know, Wormmon. I know."


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

The entire school had assembled for the closing ceremony, the final event prior to the start of summer vacation. It served as the last hurrah for the school before the break, and a final tedious act for the students still reeling from midterms. Tension was high as anticipation mingled with impatience, the students waiting anxiously in their lines in the auditorium while the principal and their teachers sent them off with one final speech.

It probably would’ve been more effective if half the students hadn't already tuned everything out.

Taichi stifled a groan, but didn't hide his yawn as his eyes rolled up towards the ceiling. Standing uncomfortably in straight lines for what felt like hours was so tedious. Even sitting in class would’ve been better than this - at least there he could sit down and look out the window. Here, he had nothing to look at but rows and rows of bored students who were, like him, waiting for the assembly to end so they could just _leave_.

Yamato stood beside Taichi. He was faring slightly better than the Chosen of Courage, but not by much. His expression was exasperated as he shifted his weight every so often, particularly when his leg started falling asleep. “...Hurry up, already…”

Taichi let out a low groan and whispered out of the corner of his mouth to his friend. “I swear, the principal is in love with hearing his own voice.”

“No kidding,” Yamato said with a sigh. “But it can’t last much longer. There are only so many hours in a school day.”

Taichi nodded as he exhaled deeply, his eyes wandering the gym for something to distract him from the tedium. He would’ve been happier running around in the Digital World trying to take down controlled Digimon with his bare fists instead of just standing around listening to some middle-aged man’s ego trip; at least then he would be _doing_ something.

His eyes eventually fell on Sora, who was further down the line, and there his gaze lingered as he noticed that she seemed to be handling the assembly better than any of them. Although her eyes had that slightly glazed look of nearly everyone else at the assembly, her smile spoke volumes of what pleasant thoughts she was entertaining herself with instead of paying attention to what was being said. At the very least, she was better at pretending to listen than Taichi or Yamato.

It made Taichi feel a warm fluttering inside his heart to see Sora smiling so sincerely and wondered if it was because of Gomamon’s return. He knew that the miracle was enough to renew his faith that they would save Agumon and the rest of their partners from the Digimon Kaiser.

Maybe it was something a little simpler than that, a little closer to home, Taichi mused. They had all been worried for Gomamon and all the other captive Digimon, but as of late, their concern for Jou had grown to rival it. The Chosen of Honesty had been unquestionably hit the hardest, and the strain made Taichi start to wonder if a complete breakdown was not only imminent, but inevitable.

Taichi smiled a little himself as he remembered the reunion. At least with Gomamon by Jou’s side, there was no need to fear for the older boy’s sanity anymore. Gomamon had a knack for keeping Jou from getting too wound up. Some traces of worry still lingered in all of the Chosen, but with a supporting friend like Gomamon to be at his side at all hours, Taichi felt confident that Jou would slowly start to heal.

Taichi’s thoughts strayed to his own partner and he wondered how Agumon was faring. Gomamon hadn’t seemed all that worse for wear when he returned, but then there was Palmon, and even more troubling, what happened with Tailmon. The Chosen of Courage tried not to think too deeply about whatever unfortunate fate his partner was suffering at that very moment, but being forced to stand so rigidly still while some ignorant old man blathered on and on was driving him crazy. He didn’t care how his behavior during summer vacation might reflect upon the school, that they should take pride in preparing themselves for the future as some boring office drone - he had more important things to worry about than ‘his place in society’.

“Sometimes I wish a Digimon would attack the school,” Taichi muttered to Yamato out of the side of his mouth.

Yamato smirked as he glanced at the Chosen of Courage. “They’d probably still hold classes, you know.”

Taichi sighed, slumping a little. “Damn it, you’re right.”

Thankfully, it seemed that the two boys’ wish for escape had been granted. The principal cleared his throat, which had gone dry from talking, before he straightened up. “With all that said, we wish you a safe and _productive_ summer break. We hope you will return to us refreshed, renewed, and prepared to learn once more. You are dismissed.”

“ _Finally_ ,” Yamato said with a sigh before he stretched, lifting his arms over his head.

“Alright!” Taichi cheered before darting over to Sora and looping an arm around her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of here before they think of something else to say!”

Sora squeaked, startled at the sudden arm on her person. She had been ignoring Rie as the girl personally chose to stand next to her, prattling on about whatever she wanted to gripe to Sora about - be it her hair, her attitude, and even her breasts. The Chosen of Love had tuned her out, much like the principal’s speech, and so wasn’t prepared for the greeting. It took a moment for Sora to mentally change gears, and she at Taichi for a moment more before a smile appeared on her face. “Okay, let’s go~!”

Taichi grinned until he noticed the dirty look Rie shot his way. “Oops, did I interrupt something?”

“Yes,” Rie said snidely, talking over Sora before the other girl could speak up. “Just like you always do. You’re just like a creeper vine, always hanging off Sora. I don’t know how you can stand such a clingy boyfriend, Sora.”

Sora didn’t even glance Rie’s way, still smiling at Taichi. “Nope, nothing at all~! It’s not even _remotely_ important.”

Rie smirked a little, though her gaze was still full of venom. “She only says that because she doesn’t want you to know she’s cheating on you with a crybaby geek from another school.”

At first, Taichi felt a little guilty due to Rie’s barb, but after seeing Sora’s reaction coupled with such a laughable accusation, he immediately realized what was going on. Before Rie could shoot off another snide remark, he pushed his hand against her face, palm against her mouth to prevent her from speaking. “Good, then how about you shut your face hole, Rie. Sora and I have a lot more important stuff to do with our _friends_.”

Rie screamed behind Taichi’s hand, flailing her arms for a moment before she slapped at him. However, she only managed to catch empty air as Taichi moved back quickly with Sora and began walking away. “You immature _jerk_! You two deserve each other!”

Taichi kept one arm around Sora’s shoulders and waved behind them at Rie as they walked away without looking back. “Already knew that. Thanks, Captain Obvious.”

Sora giggled as she lifted her hand to her mouth. “I think that’s the first intelligent thing she’s said all day.”

“Oh man,” Taichi moaned with a melodramatic flair, “and I thought Yamato and I had it rough. Not only were you dying of boredom, but you had _that_ squawking in your ear the whole time? I don’t know how you managed to keep smiling. I probably would’ve snapped and made a scene yelling at her to shut her face sooner.”

Sora glanced up to Taichi, her expression mischievous. “It was tempting, but I didn’t feel like having detention right before summer break. Besides, I think I’ve wasted enough time with her.” For a moment she paused as she spotted Yamato waiting by the door, then glanced back to Taichi. “...She was talking about Jou, by the way.”

Taichi cringed briefly. “I was hoping she was making that up, but I guess I kind of figured that’s who she meant too. I’m so glad Jou has Gomamon back; he was going to pieces.”

“I don’t know if he would’ve lasted much longer,” Sora said with a sigh. “He almost didn’t even make it to your apartment that day. He had just… fallen apart. I was trying to help him, but then _she_ showed up and…” Tension seeped into her muscles as the memory replayed behind her narrowing eyes as her entire demeanor grew dark. “We had _words_.”

Taichi frowned, his irritation towards Rie growing sharply. “Pretty ballsy of her to come after you after that. It must’ve been because you couldn’t tear her a new one in front of everyone. Now I don’t feel guilty for making fun of her.”

“That’s exactly why,” Sora said, her voice sharp. “She’s a _coward_.”

“How long has she been going after you like that?” Taichi asked.

Sora hesitated before she looked away. “It’s... fine. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

Yamato frowned. He had been watching the two approach, and in particular had been observing Sora and the facial expressions she had been making. He hesitated for a moment, knowing he had to broach the issue with care. “Hey. Did something happen?”

Sora shook her head before she smiled at Yamato. “No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it - _either_ of you.”

Yamato quirked an eyebrow before he turned to Taichi.

Taichi angled his head in Sora’s direction as his expression deadpanned. “An old friend of Sora’s is now being a major bitch to her.”

Yamato’s eyebrows shot straight up before they then narrowed, scanning the crowd for the culprit, but there were too many students milling about to single anyone out. “That so.”

Sora put her hands on her hips as she fixed the two boys with a stare. “I mean it, it’s nothing for you to worry about. She’s just a silly little girl, that’s all.”

“I’m going to worry even if you tell me not to,” Taichi said before grinning despite the piercing look Sora shot him. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t think you can handle her. See, if she was a guy, I would’ve punched her before the principal stopped yakking, but you managed to keep smiling and ignore her. You’re something else, Sora.”

Sora blinked before she blushed lightly. “Ah, well…”

“You manage to keep your cool like no one else,” Yamato agreed as he nodded his head. He paused, then smirked slightly. “Except when it comes to Taichi.”

Taichi felt his face grow warm as he rubbed the back of his head, thinking back to some of the arguments he and Sora occasionally got into. “Well, yeah, but I’m figuring out how to stop cramming my foot in my mouth so much, so I’m probably making it easier there.”

Sora fidgeted with her feet as she huffed. “...Besides, isn’t that just… part of dating?”

Yamato’s grin widened. “Can’t argue with that.”

Taichi’s eyes widened into saucers before he outright gawked at Sora. “D-d-dating?”

Sora paused before her own eyes became rather huge. She turned to stare at Taichi, her face exploding with crimson, before she quickly looked away. “N-nothing! Forget it!”

Taichi continued to gape at Sora as he slowly pointed at himself. “Y-you mean… you want to date _me_? Like boyfriend and girlfriend? For real?”

Sora quivered, her face turning an even darker shade of red, before she rushed forward through the door past Yamato. “ _Forget it_!”

Yamato quirked an eyebrow as he glanced at Taichi, watching in amusement as understanding slowly dawned on his friend’s face. “Like I said. Except for when it comes to Taichi.”

Taichi had nothing he could say to that as he stood gobsmacked, gawking after Sora. It was only when she disappeared from view that he realized just how badly he botched the moment. “Sora! Wait up!” He took off like a shot, pushing past confused classmates, acting before his brain could even finish processing what had just happened.

Yamato watched Taichi take off after Sora, his eyebrow still quirked. After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes skyward. With that, he proceeded after his two friends, his pace much more leisurely compared to the panicked Chosen running far ahead of him.

\---

Even though summer had only just begun, the sun felt particularly hot bearing down on the Chosen Children as they loitered in the park by the parking lot. Standing around and waiting, they stuck out rather obviously in their summer wear - which included bathing suits and towels - as well as their little bags of supplies.

Wearing a red two-piece swimsuit with a red and white floral sash around her waist, Sora felt particularly self-conscious and kept kicking her flip-flops against the curb. Standing around on the side of the road in swimsuits left her with an uncomfortably vulnerable feeling, even if all of her friends were wearing them as well. “So…” she said, breaking the awkward silence hanging in the air, “how exactly are we going to do this, if we’re not taking a train?”

“Ken said to not worry about it, so I guess he has an idea,” Takeru said as he waited beside her, wearing his own green swim trunks and a white shirt, holding his bag filled with towels and a change of clothes. Patamon lounged on his head, wings spread to shield him from the summer sun. “I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”

“Yeah!” Daisuke cheered, positively brimming with enthusiasm. He could hardly stay still even though he was only wearing a pair of swim trunks with a flaming pattern that matched his jacket as closely as he could find in any real world store. “Ken won’t let us down!”

Chibimon hopped from side to side as he waved his little hands. “I get to go with Daiiiisuke, I get to go with Daiiisuke, to the beeaaach~!”

Takeru grinned down at the excited Digimon, then turned to Daisuke. “I’m not sure how Ken thinks he’ll make it safe for the Digimon too, but if anyone can manage it… it’d be him, huh?”

“Yup!” Daisuke said with a huge smile.

“Did everyone pack sunscreen?” Jou asked as he glanced around. He wore strapped sandals on his feet, with navy blue swim shorts and a large matching t-shirt. He had already applied sunscreen to his face, with wide white stripes beneath his eyes and across his nose, and a large floppy hat rested on his head. “Towels? An extra change of clothes? Bottled water? Dehydration is always-”

Gomamon reached over from his perch on Jou’s shoulder to put a paw over his partner’s mouth as he made a shushing sound. He looked rather comical in his oversized sunglasses and wicker hat with an extra wide brim that not only was too big for him, but kept bumping into Jou’s head, which nearly knocked it off completely. “Nope. Not today. Today is an everybody but Jou worries about stuff day.”

Jou made a startled noise as he stopped and blinked rapidly. “Ehmf?”

“Sounds good to me,” Yamato said as he chuckled, standing beside Takeru. He reached up to adjust his black sunglasses, sporting a smirk, a white tank top, and light blue swimtrunks. “I think you’ve done enough worrying for everyone, so let someone else have a turn.”

“Not that I am complaining, but is this really alright?” Iori asked as he looked at the other Chosen. He wore yellow swim-trunks, flip-flops to protect his feet, and a dark navy shirt with the emblem for the city police force on the front. “Are we not intruding on your reunion?”

Koshiro gave a small wave as though to dismiss the idea. His swim-trunks were a loud, vibrant pattern of palm trees and sunsets, which somehow managed to clash with his overly colorful souvenir t-shirt from Hawaii. “No, no, not at all.”

“This is a holiday for the Chosen Children,” Tailmon said as she flicked her tail. While she wasn’t thrilled at the idea of seawater, she would tolerate it for the sake of the others. “You’re a Chosen Child.”

Iori considered that for a long moment as he regarded the cat Digimon. “I suppose if you’re all in agreement, I have no room to feel any guilt.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine~!” Mimi said cheerfully as she waved her hand at Iori. She wore a pink two-piece bikini with white hearts and frills, a large straw hat, and a see-through pink sash with white hearts wrapped around her waist. “Odaiba Memorial is for everyone~!”

“That’s right,” Sora agreed, with a soothing smile at Iori. “Besides, we could never really have fun if we left anyone out.”

“The senpai have spoken,” Miyako said as she looked down through a pair of prescription goggles at the map she held in her hands. It was impossible to tell what kind of bathing suit she wore, as she was instead completely covered from head to toe in a thick, fuzzy lavender robe. Only her flip-flops could be seen as they peeked out from beneath the robe. “You may as well give up, Iori.”

Iori hesitated before he sighed and gave a wry smile. “Indeed.”

Yamato paused as he glanced over, spotting the last two stragglers as they approached. He raised his hand, waving towards the duo as if such a large group wasn’t completely obvious. “Yo! Taichi! Hikari!”

Taichi wasn’t particularly flashy with his chosen attire, wearing flip flops like the other, a blue tank top, and red swim trunks with blue trim. Similarly, Hikari had gone for a more modest one-piece white bathing suit with gold trim, complete with a frilly skirt to cover her hips.

“Hey guys!” Taichi said with a cheerful wave. “How’s it…” The rest of what he was going to say fled from his mind as he got a good look at Sora in her swimsuit. A flush of warmth ran through him that didn’t come from the hot day, leaving him unable to do more but drink in the sight of her.

Hikari giggled at her brother’s reaction, and smiled widely. “I think my big brother loves your outfit, Sora.”

Sora blushed brightly as she looked away, fidgeting with her feet. “...I-idiot.”

Taichi tried to come up with some sort of intelligent response, but fell short, as Sora’s embarrassment only made her even cuter in his eyes. “I… uh…”

Daisuke held a similar expression to Taichi’s as he outright gawked at Hikari, who failed to notice the reaction she was having on him. “Wow…”

Miyako reached over to grab Daisuke’s chin, snapping his mouth closed for him. “Quit drooling, Motomiya. You’re going to pass out from dehydration at this rate.”

Daisuke jerked back and glared at Miyako. “Hey! I wasn’t drooling! I was just… uh… thinking!”

Miyako merely rolled her eyes before sharing a knowing look with Iori. “Yeah, sure, and I’m sure none of those thoughts would be rated less than R.”

A mortified heat exploded in Daisuke’s face. “S-sh-shut up, Inoe!”

Before the conversation could continue any further, all of the Chosen were interrupted by a loud _honk_ of a bus. The gathered children and Digimon turned to stare as an enormous black party bus pulled into the parking lot before coming to a stop in front of them. The doors opened up with a _swish_ , and loud music escaped through the entryway as Ken Ichijouji appeared, wearing a white button-up shirt, lavender swim trunks, flip flops, and a pair of thick black gloves that completely covered his hands. He smiled at the Chosen as Wormmon peered out between his Chosen Child’s legs.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” Ken said. “There was a bit of confusion concerning the directions.”

“H-holy crap,” Yamato murmured as he gaped at the bus. The only time he had ever been on a bus was when they had a gig out of town; otherwise, they did their own traveling. But even then, a party bus was a completely different thing entirely.

Sora blinked slowly as she stared. “This is… for us?”

“Whoa…,” Taichi murmured before approaching the bus to get a peek through the windows. Inside he could see that it was more like a limousine than any bus he had ever ridden. “This is even better than the bus that took us to camp!”

Ken moved out of the way, allowing the awed Chosen to board the bus. Inside, they were greeted by comfortable looking seats as music blared over the speakers, with tiny disco balls slowly turning to create a dancing light effect.

Chibimon scurried across the floor before he came to a stop by a refrigerator in the back, and waved his tiny paws. “There’s a fridge here, Daisuke! I bet there’s food in it!”

“Awesome!” Daisuke cheered as he rushed over to join his partner.

Takeru’s eyes drifted across the entire arrangement until something in the far back caught his attention. “Wait, is that a _bathroom_?”

“It’s certainly more convenient than anything you’d find at the beach,” Ken said. “It even has a shower, in case you want to clean off the sand in private.”

“Oh, good!” Sora said as she clapped her hands together.

Mimi fairly beamed as she hurried over to assess the amenities for herself, including the privacy blinds on the windows. “This is great! If anything gross happens, I can change clothes in here without a problem.”

Taichi blinked, his eyes drifting to the large bag Palmon carried. “You brought a change of clothes to the beach? Why?”

Mimi looked at Taichi as though he had suddenly turned pink with green stripes. “You always bring a change of clothes when going on a big trip, you know.”

“This is… a bit much, isn’t it?” Jou asked, his voice a bit mystified as he stood back by the door. “All this, just for us?”

Yamato chuckled as he moved to sit down, flopping in to one of the chairs. “Hey, I’m not complaining. It’s better than anything else we could’ve done.”

“The Digimon have sufficient room to move about, without concern of being seen,” Iori said as he boarded the bus as well. He paused and glanced at the driver. “Though-”

“It’s alright,” Ken said, with a chuckle. “He’s my usual driver. He’s already very familiar with Wormmon, so he won’t ask any questions.”

“ _Alright_ then, what are we waiting for?!” Daisuke cheered as he raised his fists in the sky, interrupting further conversation. “Let’s go to the _beach_!”

The other Chosen Children and their Digimon let out a roar of agreement as they raised their hands towards the sky.

The party bus made the trip far more enjoyable than it would have otherwise, with the comfort of air conditioning and soft seats instead of crowds and plastic benches. It was all the more obvious the sheer difference the bus made when it parked near the beach itself, giving the children nearly instant access to its amenities as they set up their chairs and beach towels on the soft sand nearby.

“Man, feel that sun,” Takeru said as he sighed, stretching his arms high as he arched his back. “It really warms you up.”

“Just make sure you put on sunblock, so you don’t _bake_ ,” Yamato said as he pulled out a bottle of the ointment in question, squeezing out a rather generous amount into his hands. “Turn around.”

Takeru paused and a flicker of darkness in his head suggested rejecting his elder brother’s command. After all, it _was_ rather _presumptuous_. However, the Chosen of Hope instead shoved the thought aside. The sun felt far too good, and the mood was far happy to argue. He pulled off his shirt as he turned about, exposing his back to Yamato. Takeru opened his mouth to speak before he felt Yamato’s hand against his back, smothering it in the cold cream. The Chosen of Hope felt a chill go up his spine as he squeaked. “C-c-c- _cold_ -!”

Yamato smirked as he covered his younger brother’s back generously before moving to the back of his neck and his shoulders. His eyes lingered on the ugly stain on Takeru’s shoulder, but he wisely avoided mentioning it - or rubbing it too thoroughly with the ointment. “Hey, I _did_ warn you.”

“Daisuke, Daisuke, Daisuke!” Chibimon cried out eagerly as he hopped across the sand, waving his tiny little paws. “Let’s play, Daisuke!”

Daisuke wasted no time in chasing after his partner, laughing. “Wait for me, Chibimon!”

Mimi giggled as she took her time to take in the sight of the shore. “Wow… it’s so amazing that we’re the only ones here! I can’t believe we have the beach all to ourselves!”

“I don’t see anyone for _miles_!” Palmon said as she raised her hands high in the sky.

“We’ll be able to enjoy ourselves without having to worry about anyone seeing us,” Tailmon said, her ears flicking as she placed her paws on her hips.

Miyako fidgeted with the waterproof prescription goggles she wore instead of glasses, not quite used to the feel of them yet, and looked to Ken. “It’s pretty amazing that you can pull all these strings for us. How much did it cost you to rent out the area for the day?”

Ken smiled at Miyako. “Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. I just called in a few favors, that’s all.”

“Thank you so much, Ken,” Hikari said with a smile. “You didn’t have to go so far for us, but we all really appreciate it.”

Taichi slapped Ken on the back with a wide grin. “Yeah, man, you’re a really awesome guy, you know that?”

Ken squeaked as he jerked due to the force of the pat, then reached up to rub at the back of his neck as he gave Taichi and Hikari a flustered smile. “O-oh, I… it’s fine, really. So long as everyone has fun, it was all worth it.”

Sora set her belongings down in the sand before she straightened up, glancing along the beach. She could feel the soft breeze in her hair, the scent of the ocean wafting all around her. It felt good, almost liberating, and she couldn’t help but stretch and let out a great sigh.

The movement caught Taichi’s eye, and he couldn’t help but be reminded of the fact that Sora looked fantastic in her bathing suit. When he heard Hikari giggle quietly, he snapped out of his stupor with flushed cheeks and tried to act casual instead. “Hey, Sora, would you like me to put sunblock on your back?”

Sora blinked before she turned to face Taichi, then smiled as she lowered her arms. “Sure, if you don’t mind.”

Taichi couldn’t help but smile back as he felt his heart flutter. He only realized that he had been just standing unmoving with his dopey smile when Hikari shoved the bottle of sunblock in his hand and prompted him to do what he had offered with a much more embarrassed tinge of red to his cheeks.

Jou tentatively stepped into the water, his toes curling at the cold as the sand sunk around his feet like wet clay. “B-brrrrrrr...”

“ _Banzaaiiii_!” Gomamon cried out as he rushed past Jou before diving directly into the surf, splashing his partner as he went.

Jou barely managed to shield his face with a yelp as the sea water splashed up at him. After a moment, he lowered his arms to stare at Gomamon, who grinned at his Chosen Child as he paddled about in the water.

“It’s better to just get it over with!” Gomamon said, brightly. “Want some help~?”

“No, _thank you_ ,” Jou said, his expression deadpan.

Iori slipped off his shirt before placing it carefully along the back of his beach chair. He slathered his body with sunblock on the bus, so he settled in to get comfortable as he regarded the other Chosen. He stood watching for several moments before he turned to Miyako. “We’re a very lively group.”

Miyako grinned as she patted Iori’s shoulder. “Heroes usually are.”

Koshiro was the last Chosen Child to disembark from the bus with Tentomon not far behind. After looking around to see the others spreading out to enjoy the sand and surf, he walked over to join Ken. “Thanks again for letting me set up a computer inside the bus. If we’re lucky, we won’t need it, but if one of our friends sends us a message or the Digimon Kaiser tries anything, we need to respond quickly.”

Ken smiled as he turned to Koshiro. “Of course. I’ve also told my driver to keep an ear out for anything, so if you get a message, he’ll let us know.”

Koshiro took another look at the bus and the driver with no name tag, but instead a small pin with a red dragon coiled around a lily in an intricate design on an otherwise nondescript uniform. Despite reassurance of the man’s discretion, Koshiro still felt a little uneasy trusting someone he knew so little about with the knowledge of Digimon. However, Ken had released that information well before the children ever met, so there was nothing he could do about in either case.

With a slight shake of his head, Koshiro shifted his attention back to Ken. “How many people have you told about Wormmon, anyway?”

“Only a few people, such as my driver and manager,” Ken said, thoughtfully. “It’d be a bit too hard to hide him from them, given how much time I spend with them.”

“Ken-chan only tells people he knows he can trust,” Wormmon said cheerfully. “And only because he wants to make sure I don’t have to be uncomfortable and hide all the time.”

Koshiro nodded as he brushed back some of his hair away from his eyes. “Yeah, I can understand that. I’d hate to have to keep hiding Tentomon from my parents, and it’d make everything a lot harder on all of us if we tried to lie to our parents about us disappearing all the time.”

Ken regarded Koshiro for a moment before his gaze turned outward to the waves gently lapping against the sand. “At the very least, my manager would have panicked,” he said, his tone light. “She controls my schedule, after all.”

“Ken-chan works very hard,” Wormmon said as he turned his concerned blue eyes towards his Chosen Child. “That’s why I’m glad we’re here to have fun.”

“I agree,” Tentomon said. “Koshiro has been working very hard too.” The Digimon paused before he turned to stare at the Chosen of Knowledge. “Maybe _too_ hard.”

Koshiro nodded a bit, feeling a touch flustered by Tentomon’s pointed statement towards him, as well as the fact that he was indebted to such a hard working genius as Ken Ichijouji. “Well, thanks again for everything.”

Ken’s smile returned. “You’re welcome. Let’s keep doing our best, okay?”

“Right!” Koshiro said cheerfully.

Ken continued to smile as he watched Koshiro hurry off to join the rest of the Chosen. The boy genius lingered back, still smiling as he waited for the boy to get out of earshot. Then, and only then, did his smile falter as he began to grumble. “...Why am I even here? I don’t give a damn about their stupid _Odaiba Memorial_. I’ve got _so much_ work to do, _more important_ things to do…”

Wormmon turned a worried gaze to Ken, but tried to sound cheerful. “Because it’ll help them trust you more,” he whispered. “Besides, doesn’t it feel good to see how giving Gomamon back helped Jou be happy again?”

Ken paused at that, watching as Jou yelped and scrambled about to avoid Gomamon as the Digimon splashed vigorously at him. His expression softened for a moment before he looked away. “I don’t care at all. He was completely useless. I wasted so much time on him, and now I’m wasting _even more_ time. At this rate, we’ll lose the momentum we gained when we killed Qinglongmon.”

“But there isn’t anything you can do right now,” Wormmon said gently, “at least not until Agumon and Gabumon can evolve to Omegamon. Maybe by spending more time with Taichi, Yamato, and the others, you might be able to figure out the secret of how they managed to merge their Digimon.”

Ken went quiet as he considered Wormmon’s words, his eyes drifting across the Chosen in front of him. After several seemingly long moments, the boy genius sighed. “I suppose you’re right. At the very least, I might be able to figure out how those two think. There has to be some explanation for how jogress works that I’m not seeing.”

Wormmon brightened at the concession. “Right! And the more time you spend with them, the more they’ll like you and want to be your friend and trust you.”

Ken nodded his head slowly before he eyed the Digimon. “But don’t get your hopes up. I’m not doing this for any _other_ reason.”

Wormmon felt a flush of embarrassment as well as disappointment that Ken saw through him so easily. He recovered quickly, though, not wanting to let current circumstances dampen such a wonderful day. “I know, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, right?”

Ken made a noncommittal sound as his gaze lingered on Wormmon, his expression unconvinced that the Digimon had abandoned his ulterior motives, before he turned to look back at the Chosen. “I suppose I can do my best to make the most of a terrible situation.”

Wormmon fairly beamed. “Right, Ken-chan!”

At noticing Ken and Wormmon were still by the bus, Daisuke jogged over with Chibimon at his heels. “Hey, Ken! Come on and join us!”

“Hm? Ah, yes,” Ken said as he looked sheepish. “Of course, I-”

“Daisuke, could you help put sunblock on Ken-chan?” Wormmon asked abruptly. “I don’t want him to get a sunburn and Taichi and Takeru are busy helping Sora and Hikari with theirs.”

Daisuke glanced over at Hikari and felt a pang of jealousy at seeing someone else getting to rub lotion on her bare back, which was only mollified a little by the fact that it was Takeru. He shook off the irritation quickly and grinned at Ken. “Sure!”

Ken’s eyes widened as he stared at Daisuke, then Wormmon. “Eh? Ah, you… don’t have to. I wouldn’t want to impose-”

“It’s okay, Ken-chan~!” Wormmon said cheerfully, smiling with his eyes since his mouth was incapable of doing so. “Right, Daisuke?”

Daisuke nodded, beaming. “Yeah, it’s no problem at all. I’ll go borrow the bottle from Senpai and be right back.”

Ken gaped at Daisuke rushed off before he turned to stare down at his partner. “ _Wormmon_.” He whispered, his voice harsh.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Wormmon whispered, his good mood unshaken. “Daisuke is so nice so he doesn’t mind at all, see?”

Ken frowned and was about to retort when Daisuke returned with great enthusiasm, carrying the sunblock with him. The boy genius blinked before he furrowed his brow. “Daisuke, it’s fine if it’s too much trouble. I don’t mind-”

“Nah, it’s no trouble,” Daisuke said as he squirted some lotion onto his hand. “Heck, I should probably put some on too before I get a sunburn, so I’ll do you first then you do me, okay?”

Ken faltered as he struggled to find a way to discourage Daisuke, before he mentally sighed. At least it was just something harmless that Wormmon got him into. More importantly, he was aware of what the Digimon was trying to pull, so Wormmon’s efforts were futile. The boy genius would indulge them, if only to make the Digimon happy. “A-alright…”

Reluctantly, Ken slipped off his shirt to expose his back to the other boy. He barely managed to keep himself from yelping at the cold lotion against his pale skin, which had grown quite warm under the sun. He let out a sigh through his nose as he forced himself to relax, trying to focus on codes and complex math problems in his head as Daisuke lathered his back up. He felt completely undignified, to say the very least.

“So how often do you get to hang out at the beach, anyway?” Daisuke asked as he continued working. “You’re so busy doing so much stuff all the time, I’m surprised you can get time off to hang out with us so much.”

Ken paused, his eyes darting to Wormmon before moving to focus on the horizon instead. “...It’s actually been a very long time since I’ve simply ‘hung out’ with anyone. I’m always very busy with work, so I’m a bit surprised myself. At the very least, I expected my manager to complain, but she’s actually been just as adamant in ‘encouraging’ me as _everyone else_.” The boy genius’s expression grew wry, in spite of himself. “Everyone seems to be _united_ on that front...”

“Friends help make life a lot better, Ken-chan,” Wormmon said gently as he patted Ken’s arm lightly.

“You got that right,” Daisuke said with a grin.

Ken kept his thoughts from appearing on his face, instead keeping his smile docile. It was a well-honed skill that he had learned, and it came in quite handy as always. “True enough.”

After several more awkward moments, Daisuke finally finished putting the sunblock on the Digimon Kaiser before extending the lotion to him. Ken accepted the container and proceeded to squirt the cream directly into the palm of his hands - or rather, his gloves.

The action baffled Daisuke, which showed plainly in his expression. “Aren’t you going to take your gloves off for that?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Ken said. “The gloves are meant to handle all sorts of things. They’re waterproof, stain resistant… they’ll be fine.”

Daisuke blinked slowly. “Uh, no, why are you wearing gloves at the beach?”

Ken paused at that, his eyes widening as he stared at Daisuke. His mind scrambled to think of an explanation, one that he could actually _say_. “Ah, we… I have to take extra care with my hands.” He offered the goggle-boy an awkward smile. ”They’re _insured_ , after all.”

The answer only made Daisuke even more dumbfounded. “Insured?”

“Well, it’s like how singers have their voices insured, or sports stars has various body parts,” Ken said with a gesture of his hand. “It’s meant to protect that person’s livelihood in case something bad happens, like the singer losing their voice or the athlete breaking a bone. In my case, it protects my hands. They’re, after all, very important.” The boy genius smiled with a small shrug. “As you might imagine, it’d be quite hard to write code if I can’t use my fingers.”

“Oh,” Daisuke murmured as he nodded slowly. “I think I might’ve heard of that before. I guess your hands are your most important body part next to your brain.” He paused to chuckle a bit. “Kind of hard to insure that, huh?”

Ken chuckled as he proceeded to rub the sunblock on Daisuke’s back. “Well, I _do_ have insurance for _that_ as well, in case of head injuries.”

Daisuke stopped laughing, his mouth hanging open for a moment before he shut it with a click. It was another moment before he could think of what to say. “Oh… Of course you’d have that too. Shouldn’t you wear a helmet all the time, too?”

Patamon flew closer to the two boys after overhearing Daisuke’s statement. “Takeru used to wear a helmet to protect him too when he was little, but not because of insurance.” He grinned at his partner as he made sure Takeru was within earshot. “It was because his mom worried too much about him getting head injuries until he showed her he wasn’t a baby anymore; he’s saving worlds now.”

Takeru turned to stare at Patamon, his cheeks tinting slightly. “T-that’s… I haven’t worn that helmet in _years_ , you know.”

Daisuke let out a snort of laughter through his nose as he turned to Takeru. “Seriously?”

Hikari couldn’t help but be pulled into the conversation. “He wore that helmet when we had our first adventures in the Digital World.” She made sure to catch Takeru’s gaze before smiling at him. “Though I think you look your best when you’re not wearing anything, Takeru.”

Takeru paused as his face turned dark red. “Er…”

Tailmon quirked an eyebrow at Hikari. She didn’t say anything, but her sly smile spoke loudly for her.

Patamon tried to keep a straight face and used his paws to hide the quiet snickers that escaped him. “Hear that, Takeru?”

Takeru coughed before he looked away. “W-well, at the very least, I’m glad to be rid of that helmet.”

“I really can’t picture it,” Ken said thoughtfully, inwardly thankful that someone _else_ was the target of the conversation. “What sort of helmet are we talking about?”

“A _long gone_ helmet,” Takeru said.

“It’s not gone,” Patamon said, “it’s in Takeru’s clos-”

“ _Anyway_!” Takeru said as he reached up to grab Patamon, holding the Digimon upward. “How about going for a swim?”

Hikari folded her hands together, smiling.  “That sounds like a great idea.”

The four children headed to the shore, joining the others already playing there. Ken was reluctant to enter the water at first, but with a lot of coaxing, he relented and stepped into the chilly ocean. He barely had an opportunity to dwell on the cold before he was suddenly splashed. He jerked back and blinked soggily before looking up to see Daisuke laughing. Ken stared at him for a moment, giving Daisuke just enough time to worry that he might have upset the genius, before the Digimon Kaiser took the opportunity to splash Daisuke back with both hands.

Stunned realization that he had been tricked hit Daisuke before a sly grin appeared on his face, one that mirrored Ken’s own, and soon enough the ocean was nothing but splashes. Ken and Daisuke aimed at each other, but showed no mercy for anyone that got in their way - and in some cases, even used human shields as they fled while looking for an opportunity to counterstrike.

Takeru kept his distance, paddling idly as the water rocked him gently. He watched as the two boys chased each other, with Daisuke ducking behind Taichi as Ken splashed them both. “It’s really amazing, isn’t it? He really _is_ just a regular kid like us.”

Hikari smiled. “Someone could say the same thing about us, you know.”

Takeru paused at that before he chuckled. “True enough.”

Eventually, the water war winded down, leaving both Daisuke and Ken drenched and breathless. Ken stood off to the side in the water, panting as he reached up to brush back his bangs as they clung to his forehead. He admittedly hadn’t meant to take it to such a point, but really couldn’t stop once he got going. There was something entirely cathartic about splashing the _hell_ out of Daisuke, even if the goggle boy gave back as good as he got.

After catching his breath, Daisuke moved in close to Ken, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Hey, did you bring what I asked?”

Ken blinked before his sly smile returned to his face. “Of course.”

Daisuke’s eyes went alight with glee. “Come on, let’s go!”

Iori watched Daisuke and Ken from where he sat on the shore in a beach chair under a large sun umbrella, his gaze following as they left the water, heading back to the bus. He let out a thoughtful hum before he turned to look at Miyako as she sat beside him in her own chair. She was still wrapped up in her robe, despite the sun and heat. “...Do you intend to keep that on all day?”

“You better believe it,” Miyako said as she focused on reading her book rather than the heat of the sun.

Iori furrowed his brow. “I brought an extra change of clothes, if you need them.”

Miyako let out a displeased rumble at the back of her throat. “But not a spare bathing suit for a girl, I’ll bet.”

“Unfortunately, no,” Iori said, with a frown. “I’m afraid that’s one thing I don’t have.”

“Then I’m just going to be sunbathing in the shade today,” Miyako said as she returned her attention to her book.

Iori was about to respond when a sudden blast of water hit Miyako in the backside of the head, splattering all over her hair and her shoulders. The stoic boy stared as it registered what had happened and he turned his head to find the source - just in time to get a face full of water himself.

Daisuke cackled as Ken giggled, the two holding large water guns as they crouched behind some beach chairs by the bus. Nearby, an entire arsenal of water guns of all shapes and sizes were scattered around the showering station, where a water faucet typically used for washing down feet served a dual purpose of providing clean water for ammunition.

Miyako shrieked as she found herself completely soaked, and whirled to glare murder into Daisuke as her robe hung heavily off her shoulders. “Motomiya! You destroyed my book!”

Daisuke’s response was to meet her stare with one of his own, right before he shot her directly in the face with his watergun.

Iori kept his water-logged gaze at Ken, who gave him a rather innocent look as he held his own weapon at the ready. The stoic boy was silent for several moments before he turned to look at the scattered water guns circling the shower station, then shifted his gaze to Miyako.

Miyako sputtered as she wiped excess water off her face and goggles before glancing at Iori. With a sneer, she tossed her waterlogged book onto her beach towel and climbed to her feet, glaring Daisuke down. “Oh, it is _on_ now.”

Daisuke’s grin widened as he unleashed another torrent of water at Miyako’s face.

As Daisuke went after Miyako, Iori set his sights on Ken. The boy genius aimed his water gun at Iori, shooting him with a spray of liquid. The stoic boy didn’t even flinch as he dived forward, past Ken to the other weaponry scattered across the ground. He swiftly grabbed two water pistols, noting that both were filled and ready for action. Iori came to a stop behind Daisuke and Ken, twisting about to aim one barrel at each boy before unleashing their contents upon their bare backs.

“Ack-!” Ken yelped before he whipped about to return fire.

Miyako shielded her face with her arms, feeling her robe grow heavier by the moment as water saturated it. After a moment of debate, she grumbled a curse as she shrugged the robe off and used it as a shield to block another spray of water from Daisuke before throwing it over the goggle boy’s head.

Daisuke didn’t see the attack from Miyako due to being distracted by Iori until it was too late and the world suddenly went dark. He yelped and toppled, off balance by the weighty robe, before crashing onto his backside, dropping the squirtgun in the process. He had just barely managed to get it off when he found himself staring down the barrel of the gun as Miyako pointed it right at his face.

Miyako smirked before she unleashed an attack of water. “Who’s laughing now?”

Daisuke sputtered and spat out water before putting the goggles Taichi gave him over his eyes so he could still see. “Oh yeah?” He jumped to his feet, now sopping wet. “Just wait, I’ll…”

The words died on Daisuke’s lips as he got a good look at Miyako. The swimsuit she wore hidden beneath the robe all this time was a shockingly pink two-piece bikini made with layers of frills to add the illusion of fullness to her chest and hips. That would have been fine in and of itself if it weren’t for the unnecessary amount of bows, lace, and glitter that made the outfit practically blinding when the light glinted off it.

The sight was too much for Daisuke, and he doubled over with laughter until another blast of water sent him falling back onto the sand.

“Shut up!” Miyako snapped, her cheeks a vibrant shade of pink that rivaled her outfit. “My mom made me get this, okay?”

“ _Counter attaaaaack_!” Chibimon cried out as he grabbed the hose by the shower station, aiming it at Iori before unleashing a devastating spray. The water nailed not only Iori but Ken as he stood by the other boy. The two human boys yelped and scrambled to escape the cold attack as the dragon Digimon cackled with glee. He then turned, bringing the hose about to hit Miyako as well, with Daisuke being collateral damage.

Takeru watched as he drew closer to the shore, taking a break from swimming. He put his hands on his hips as he tilted his head. “Uh oh. Looks like trouble’s brew-” The words died on his lips as he was suddenly hit in the face from the side. The Chosen of Hope blinked blurrily, clean water dripping down his face, before he turned to see himself staring down the barrel of a water gun, and Hikari’s bright smile.

“En garde,” Hikari said cheerfully before unleashing another aquatic attack on Takeru.

Takeru yelped as he shielded his face, then laughed as he fled on to the beach - and towards the weaponry he needed to protect himself.

At seeing the younger Chosen engaging in a water war, Koshiro retreated a little further down the beach to escape the crossfire. “I’m glad I left my laptop in the bus.”

“Yeah,” Taichi said as he walked up behind Koshiro. “It’d make it harder to do _this_.”

Koshiro shrieked as he was suddenly doused in cold water, and he turned to see Taichi holding an empty plastic bucket over his now soaked head. “That’s cold!”

Yamato burst out laughing as he slapped his hand on his knee. “Now we know where Hikari got it from!”

Taichi smirked as he readied another bucket he had placed by his side. “You better believe it.”

However, before Taichi could douse Yamato like he did Koshiro, a colorful balloon suddenly burst water in his face, causing him to jerk back with a yelp and drop the bucket onto the sand.

A second balloon nailed the surprised Yamato as well, water splattering all over the side of his face. The elder blonde reached up to brush back his bangs before he turned to see Sora giggling as she stood off to the side, next to a bucket filled with water balloons.

“Guess what I found~!” Sora said, smiling. “I think _someone_ planned this a little _too_ well.”

Mimi stood not far away, bending over to fish out another colorful bucket of water balloons. “Look, look, there’s another one over here!”

“There’s balloons hidden all over the place!” Palmon said cheerfully as she walked back from the lifeguard station with a bucket in each hand.

Yamato turned to eye Taichi with a grin, who in turn hefted up his remaining water bucket with a smile of his own. “Well, it looks like-”

A sharp whistle pierced the air, interrupting not only the conversation but the water war as well. All eyes turned to stare at Jou, who stood with his hands on his hips and a rather serious expression on his face - one only slightly marred by the sunblock still visible.

“Enough! This is… completely unsightly behavior!” Jou said, with great authority. “It’s certainly not behavior befitting a model student of Japan!”

Daisuke stood by the hose and Chibimon while refilling his squirt gun, staring blankly at Jou. “Huh?”

Jou pointed dynamically, his finger sweeping across the beach. He pointedly ignored Gomamon, who was giving him an exasperated look from his position behind the Chosen of Honesty. “This is precisely the sort of behavior we’re warned against!”

Yamato quirked an eyebrow before he turned to Taichi. “...Someone paid a bit _too much_ attention to their assembly.”

“Running around, shooting each other with water… or water balloons! Think of the _litter_!” Jou said as he gave a dramatic gesture to a tiny bit of plastic that was the remains of the balloon Sora had tossed at Yamato. “It’s unacceptable in the youngest, and even _less_ acceptable in the elders!” He then turned to Ken, who stared at him with wide, blinking eyes. “And you, as someone who is already very familiar with the working adult world, should know better-”

The Chosen of Honesty was immediately cut off when Ken wordlessly lifted his water gun to shoot Jou directly in the face. Jou paused, his glasses dripping wet as he blinked blurrily, water running down his cheeks and nose.

Ken met Jou’s gaze before he cocked the gun again, pumping more water into it in preparation of another shot.

Wormmon crawled across the sand as fast as his little legs could carry him, waving his front digits at Jou. “It’s okay, it’s okay! This is a private beach, and the people who own it have people come to clean it every morning and evening. Ken-chan wanted to make sure there was nothing for anyone to worry about so that we could all have fun today, since everyone has been worrying a lot about a lot of things for a while now…”

Jou paused at that, water dripping down his face as the wind was taken out of his sails. “Ah, oh…”

“Besides,” Yamato said as he quirked an eyebrow at Jou. “As you said, Ken has already had more than his fair share of the _adult world._ Don’t you think it’s actually a _good_ thing that he’s able to be a kid?”

Jou’s face became flushed as he fidgeted. “Er…”

“And if you think about it, doesn’t that apply to _everyone_?” Sora asked as she tilted her head. “We’re fighting in _another_ war. And this time, it’s our underclassmen who are carrying most of the burden. I’d say they deserve the opportunity to be _children_ for one day, don’t you?”

Jou slumped his shoulders, looking particularly shamefaced as he pressed his pointer fingers together. “Erm…”

Gomamon reached up to pat his Chosen’s leg. “It goes for you too, y’know. I think we _all_ deserve a bit of a break.” The Digimon’s expression then became mischievous. “So what do you say we show them who owns the beach, _partner_?”

Jou glanced down at his Digimon, then looked up as Yamato suddenly appeared at his side, holding out a large water gun. The Chosen of Honesty hesitated before he reluctantly accepted the water weapon. “J-just so long as it’s understood that we’re going to clean up the mess we’ve made! It’s just good manners!”

“You got it,” Yamato said, with a good-natured smile, before he suddenly pulled up a water pistol and shot Jou in the face, causing the other boy to sputter.

Taichi lunged to wrap his arm around Jou, pulling down the taller boy a bit in the process. “I think it’s high time you stopped worrying, and started having fun.” He raised the bucket of water he carried in his free hand and dumped it over Jou’s head, laughing even though he got splashed as well. “We’re celebrating, remember?”

Jou yelped as he hunched forward, his glasses barely holding on to his nose as his hair dangled downward. He reached up to push his glasses back in their proper place as he regarded Taichi. “R-right…”

Mimi giggled as she hurried over to Jou with buckets of water balloons in hand, offering one to him. “Here. You’re going to need these.”

Jou accepted the bucket with one hand, the other still holding the water gun Yamato had given him. “Y-yes...”

Yamato chuckled and opened his mouth, but was cut off by a blast of water against his head. He paused and turned to Takeru, who still had his gun aimed at his older brother as he grinned from ear to ear. “...Oh hoh, is that how you want it?”

Takeru’s smile widened to match his brother’s before he fired again, causing Yamato to yelp and dart for cover behind Jou as he readied his own weapon.

 The water war resumed once more, this time with everyone involved. Water balloons flew through the air as shots were fired, the Chosen Children running along the shore and into the water as their laughter and shouts filled the beach.

The festivities only stopped when the Chosen became hungry as lunch time arrived. After some brief confusion as to what they’d do for their meal, Ken revealed that a lunch had been packed for them in the bus. The Chosen hurried to the bus to unload the food, arranging it on the available picnic tables as they alternated taking turns in the showering station.

Soon, everyone was clean and ready to eat as the food stretched across the tables like a feast.

“Wow, it looks _amazing_ ,” Takeru said as he looked across the neatly packed bento meals. “Is this catered?”

Ken paused before his face turned slightly red, and he reached up to scratch at his cheek. “A-actually, I… made it,” As the Chosen all turned to gawk at him, the genius’ embarrassment grew. “I-I just... enjoy cooking. I used to cook quite a bit, so…”

Mimi took a bite from her bento and let out a pleased noise. “Delicious! You’re going to make a wonderful bride someday, Ken.”

Ken’s blush deepened and he bit into an onigiri, as it gave him an excuse not to speak.

Sora looked down at the food and felt impressed, but also a bit envious. She certainly wasn’t a great cook, though she always tried her best. “It’s really impressive, Ken. Thank you.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Miyako asked wryly before sampling a bit of sushi.

Ken grew increasingly flustered as he swallowed hard. “I-I, well…” He trailed off before he grabbed more sushi and put it in his mouth, chewing far more slowly to make his excuse last longer - at least until the topic moved on.

“There’s quite a variety,” Iori said as he grabbed his chopsticks and proceeded to pick his own food, setting it on his plate. “You have my compliments.”

“Ken-chan wanted everything to be perfect for today,” Wormmon said happily, “so he worked extra hard.”

“Then it’d be a total shame to let it go to waste,” Yamato said, cheerfully. “Let’s eat!”

Taichi swallowed a generous mouthful of food with a huge smile. “Man, it would’ve been great if we ate like this the whole time while we were in the Digital World the first time.”

“It certainly would’ve been a lot more tolerable,” Takeru agreed.

“Well, we can enjoy it now, _without_ being in danger,” Sora said, cheerfully.

Ken swallowed hard, an odd expression on his face. “I… I see…”

“Maybe we can have a picnic like this in the Digital World sometime,” Hikari said gently, her gaze distant. “...When it’s more peaceful.”

“It’s something to look forward to,” Tailmon said as she munched on her bit of prepared fish, her tail idly twirling behind her.

“O-of course,” Ken said, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. “Please… look forward to it.”

“Yeah!” Daisuke shouted as he punched at the air above his head. “When we beat the Digimon Kaiser, we can all have picnics in the Digital World like this all the time!”

Ken reached for his cup and took a sip, taking it nice and slow so that he didn’t choke. Inwardly, he cringed. The Chosen really had no idea how uncomfortable they were making him, which made it all the more _infuriating_.

Thankfully, the conversation moved onward to other topics, allowing the Digimon Kaiser to relax and begin to enjoy his meal like anyone else. He took some spiteful enjoyment from the knowledge that the other Chosen were enjoying the food of someone they spoke so derisively about, allowing him a small amount of retaliation - even if they never knew it.

Ken glanced around the table, noticing everyone eating rather heartily, and felt a large sense of relief. He had worried that he hadn’t prepared enough for twelve growing children and seven insatiable Digimon, but it seemed that there was plenty for everyone to eat their fill. He had spent several hours making it, and his efforts had paid off. Even more, the Chosen appeared quite satisfied with the results of his labors. It had been quite some time since he had cooked for anyone, but his skills hadn’t gone rusty.

“Not that it matters,” Ken thought as he looked down at his plate, his cheeks still slightly red. “It’s not like I care if they enjoy my food or not.” He just didn’t want his reputation as a genius to be tarnished, that was all.

The Digimon Kaiser wasn’t about to lose to them. Just like the way they were eating his food so ravenously, Ken was going to make them eat their words.

\---

It was very late in the day before the Chosen finally put an end to their outting. As the sun drifted lower in the sky, the assembled children cleared up the mess they had made before cleaning themselves up before boarding the bus for their return journey. By the time the sun sank below the horizon, the party bus was on its way, carrying the exhausted children back home.

The nighttime sky provided the perfect camouflage for Witchmon, allowing her to openly follow the bus atop her broom, flying just above it and to the side. She flew along in silence, watching the Chosen inside. After several long moments, a flicker of light coming from within her dress caught her attention. Reaching inside, she pulled out a small crystal ball in time to see FlaWizarmon’s face appear on it.

“So, how’s it goin’? K-chan doin’ okay? No big _catastrophes_ this time?” he asked, though his tone was jovial.

“The dearies had a wonderful day together,” Witchmon said with a fond smile. “Now they’re falling asleep together on the bus. It was all absolutely _precious_!”

True to Witchmon’s words, the Chosen Children were completely winding down from their adventure at the beach, with some already gone into slumberland. Koshiro at least had his laptop to keep him awake, and was focused on it with droopy eyes. Jou was practically passed out in the back, Gomamon using his lap as a pillow from the seat beside him. Taichi and Yamato both relaxed in their seats, the music having been turned down low so that they had to use the provided headphones to listen without waking anyone. Mimi had just finished using the shower and was toweling her hair off in her chair as Sora disappeared to take her turn, closing the door behind her. Most of the younger Chosen had already fallen asleep, sitting two by two in the passenger chairs. Iori was struggling to stay awake, even as Miyako had long since fallen asleep beside him, her head resting against the window. Hikari and Takeru were asleep, with Takeru’s head leaning back against his seat while Hikari’s tipped over to rest against his shoulder. Behind them, both Daisuke and Ken were fast asleep, their breathing even as the two boys propped each other up with their heads pressed against each other.

“Even K-chan,” Witchmon said softly.

FlaWizarmon leaned back in the Digimon Kaiser’s throne, tilting his head as he regarded the floating orb in front of him. “Huh. Will _miracles_ never cease… I wonder if they’ll be able to do it.”

“They certainly seem to be doing better than we are,” Witchmon murmured as she watched the bus drive further and further ahead of her. “Maybe they really will end the Digimon Kaiser’s reign.”

“At the very least, they might be able to patch things up a bit,” FlaWizarmon said as he laced his fingers together.

“Either way…” Witchmon’s smile broadened to show off her sharp teeth, her ghostly cat showing off a cheshire smile of its own. “...This is a very promising development, don’t you think?”

FlaWizarmon returned the smile, his stitched mouth going impossibly wide. “ _Very_ promising.”


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight

Cicadas buzzed noisily, their screams piercing the hot, sweltering air as it seeped in through the open windows. A breeze drifted in, not enough to do more than flutter the blinds, as summer raged on in Japan.

Takeru sighed as he leaned against the balcony, his arms folded as he rested them against the railing. It was times like this that made him wish for autumn, even if it meant a return to school. But despite the heat, the Chosen of Hope wasn’t ready to summer to end just yet.

The Chosen Children were putting the time off from school to very good use, taking back territory in the Digital World. It was amazing how much progress they were making, now that they were able to devote their time exclusively to their mission. Even more, they didn’t seem like they were losing as much territory as they had been before. The Digimon Kaiser wasn’t being as aggressive as he normally was, often allowing territories to remain uncaptured for several days before making movements to reclaim them.

It was a startling change to be sure, one that Takeru wasn’t entirely certain how he felt about. The other Chosen were rather optimistic, thinking that the Digimon Kaiser was having trouble keeping up with them. And while he wanted to share in their optimism, Takeru simply couldn’t. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a different reason, something they weren’t aware of.

“I guess there’s really no point in worrying about it,” Takeru muttered. He couldn’t deny the possibility that it was just his shoulder, or rather the taint on it, that made it impossible for him to think positively of the situation. Without proof to support his concerns, there was no way to know. “We’ll just have to keep going forward, and take whatever comes our way.”

The Chosen of Hope straightened up before he turned to look back in to the apartment, catching sight of Yamato and his mother as they moved about the kitchen. A small smile graced Takeru’s lips as he saw them, and he turned to brace his back against the balcony railing.

From his position, Takeru watched as Yamato and their mother worked away at cooking lunch. As their mother showed Yamato how to cook, the elder blond paid close attention nearby. Yamato had been the one cooking their breakfast recently, which Takeru was sure their mother appreciated - it ensured that Takeru had some real food to eat before school rather than a few pieces of toast. After all, she was often up and out of the house long before either boy had woken up.

Takeru’s smile widened, turning wistful. As the scene played out, it made him think of back when their family was together - before the divorce. Only his father was missing from the scene. He knew it couldn’t be helped, but it still left a sizeable void in an otherwise heartwarming scene. Still, the Chosen Child wasn’t willing to allow his father’s absence to taint the good feelings just yet.

At that moment, a loud chime caused Takeru to jump. Pushing himself forward instinctively away from the railing, Takeru’s hand moved in to his pocket to pull out his D-Terminal. The sound caught Yamato’s attention as well, who was quickly reaching around his apron in to his own pockets to grab his own device.

Takeru frowned. Sitting on the screen in front of him was an email - from Jijimon. It was the email they had been waiting _weeks_ for, and he had honestly begun to suspect he’d never see it. And yet finally, a response had come - to all of the Chosen, judging by the email’s list of recipients.

 

_i rekon u all r still wantin to talk. lets get it over with. go to th temple now & dont be late!!!_

 

“Oh, so _now_ they want to talk?” Yamato asked, frowning as he read over the email. “After they ignored us for _how_ long?”

Takeru grunted, sharing his brother’s irritation. “Either they were hoping we’d forget about it or they were giving themselves time to prepare. Prepare _what_ , I’m not sure… but there’s only one way to find out.”

Yamato nodded before he snapped the D-Terminal closed. “Well, it looks like lunch’ll have to wait.”

“I guess my stomach dodged a bullet for now,” Takeru said, a hint of amusement in his voice as he turned to smile at his brother.

Yamato paused before he returned the smile with a smirk of his own. “Don’t get too cocky, it’ll be still waiting for you when we get back.”

“Darn,” Takeru said with a chuckle, snapping his own D-Terminal closed.

 

\---

 

The grand cathedral stretched out high above the assembled children and Digimon, no different than it had been before. Even the snow remained the same, which served as quite a shock to the Chosen as they gated from extreme heat to extreme cold.

The frozen air immediately assaulted the Chosen, who fidgeted and glanced about as they debated heading inside or waiting for the others to arrive. Thankfully, most of the stragglers arrived in short order, with Ken being the last to arrive.

The boy genius hadn’t been included in the email, so Daisuke had sent him one informing him of the coordinates with a quick message telling him to hurry. It was all the warning Ken got before he had to scramble, uncertain of what the Chosen were up to. While he had the option of insisting that he was too busy, he didn’t want to risk yet another situation where they did something they shouldn’t have - he was still paying for their _last_ adventure.

Ken gasped at the sudden cold and held Wormmon tightly, shivering due to the incredible temperature drop. “C-c-c-c- _cold_ -!” The boy shook his head before he glanced at the other Chosen, furrowing his brow. “C-could someone please explain w-what exactly is going on? I-” The boy stopped as his eyes widened, and he turned to stare at the massive cathedral in front of him. “... _Ah_.”

Daisuke playfully nudged Ken in the ribs with his elbow. “ _Cool_ , isn’t it?”

Miyako groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, raising her glasses in the process. “Ow. That pun was so bad it stings more than the cold. Bravo, Motomiya.”

Ken couldn’t find any words to speak, simply gaping up at the cathedral. Every fiber of his being said to flee, to give an excuse and ditch as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there was no way such an act would go unnoticed or unquestioned. So instead, his legs remained where they were, frozen solid.

“It’ll be okay, Ken-chan,” Wormmon whispered so that only Ken would hear him as he snuggled up closer to keep his Chosen Child warm.

“C-c-could we please g-go inside?” Sora asked, her teeth chattering. She had forgotten just how cold the trip had been, and her summer clothes afforded no more warmth than her school clothes had. There was _nothing_ warm about a t-shirt and jean shorts.

At Sora’s words, the other Chosen looked at each other before they hurried to the front door of the cathedral, the cold biting at their heels. They had the front door open in short order, rushing inside to find warmth and shelter. Only Ken lingered back for a moment, grimacing.

“C’mon, Ken!” Daisuke said, gesturing to the genius.

Ken hesitated a moment before before he braced himself. He rushed in through the front door before it was closed behind him, symbolically and literally trapping him inside.

As the door blocked the cold air from following them, the Chosen Children were greeted by the sight of Jijimon and Babamon standing in the center on the room, on the massive mural of crests.

Jijimon hummed as he tapped his staff against the floor. “I was wonderin’. You kept loiterin’ outside, I wasn’t sure if you _wanted_ to freeze to death.”

Babamon started to speak, but she barely got out the first syllable before she spotted Ken. Although her hair made it impossible to see her eyes, he could _feel_ her familiar gaze piercing him, sending his heart racing in a panic. He knew it was the end of the charade, and his mind scrambled for possible strategies to deal with the fall-out. He had no time to plan, no time to warn FlaWizarmon and Witchmon so that they could be on guard. He simply wasn’t _prepared_.

Least of all, Ken wasn’t prepared for Babamon’s smile.

“Ah…” she said softly. “I see you managed to find and befriend another Chosen Child. Well done, children.”

“Eh? Ah,” Ken hesitated and his eyes darted around from the Chosen to the two elderly Digimon. “I…”

Daisuke fairly beamed as he hooked his arm around Ken’s shoulders. “This is Ken Ichijouji! He’s amazing, and he’s going to help us kick Tiny Tower’s butt!”

Ken opened his mouth to speak before he closed it with an audible click, a chill running along his spine that wasn’t related to the cold seeping under the cracks in the door.

Jijimon stared at Ken, the perception strong enough despite his eyes being obstructed. After a moment, a big smile appeared on his face, showing off his teeth. “Well, good fer you! The more the merrier, right?”

“There’s only three more Chosen Children left,” Hikari said softly. “Keiko, Ryo… and the Digimon Kaiser.”

“Yup, just three left,” Jijimon said with a sage nod. “One, two, _three_.”

“The Digimon Kaiser is going to need the most help if you intend to befriend him,” Babamon said. “Please do remember, children, that he’s a child like you… a child who just needs to be reminded that there’s more than violence in these worlds.”

Miyako snorted, her expression deadpanning. “I think he’s a brat who needs a few spankings before he’ll think twice about making friends.”

“I’d say he’s overdue a punch in the face,” Yamato said, his voice harsh. “And then some.”

Ken grimaced, tightening his grip on Wormmon.

“You’re awfully concerned about someone who’s _enslaving_ your world,” Takeru said, quirking an eyebrow.

“In case you _forgot_ , there’s _always_ someone tryin’ to enslave our world,” Jijimon said, dryly.

“That doesn’t mean we should let it happen,” Taichi said, frowning.

“‘course not,” Jijimon said with a shrug.

Hikari appeared calm despite the tension among her friends. While what happened to Tailmon at the Digimon Kaiser’s hands still sparked anger within her, her determination was stronger. “We’ll reach him. Sooner or later, we’ll figure out a way to get through to the Digimon Kaiser… but I think we’ll need the help of the last two Chosen Children to do it.”

Babamon nodded slightly, the corner of her mouth quirking upward in a faint smile. “I’m sure you children will manage to bring him back around in time.”

Jijimon paused at that and glanced at Babamon, before he turned back to Hikari. “...Well, I guess crazy stuff is what the Digital World’s all about, so I ain’t got no complaints.”

Ken turned his head slightly to stare at Hikari out of the corners of his eyes. It was taking everything he had to school his expressions, his hands shaking against Wormmon, who gently patted him and nuzzled close in a reassuring manner. He didn’t know what Jijimon or Babamon were planning, and he understood Hikari even less. What he did understand, however, was how even the slightest slip-up would lead to a disaster that he doubted even he could salvage.

Mimi picked Palmon up and hugged her Digimon close to quiet the conflicting emotions in her heart. “I don’t think I can ever forgive him for what he’s done to Palmon and the others…” She squeezed Palmon a little closer. “He’s _enjoying_ torturing Digimon… and us.”

Koshiro ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m not so sure we can get through to him at this point either. It seems like the best we can do is just stop him from hurting anyone else.”

“So yer gonna kill him?” Jijimon asked.

The room went dead silent, as Jijimon’s words were a dagger that pierced the hearts of all the Chosen Children, though the Digimon were less affected. The children looked at one another, as the notion rocked them to their core.

“ _No_ ,” Hikari said, breaking the silence with conviction. “I know we can do it. He was Keiko and Ryo’s friend before… He helped the Digital World before… I know with their help we can remind him what they were all fighting for and make him realize that what he’s doing is what he used to fight to _stop_.”

Jijimon looked at Hikari for a long moment, before his smile returned in full force. “I guess there really is a bit of each god in their Chosen Child, eh?”

Hikari blinked, startled. “Huh?”

Babamon stifled a laugh behind her hand. “Tenraimon loves all you Chosen Children, and she’d do whatever it took to save each of you with the same amount of determination you just showed now, dear.”

“I really felt like I was lookin’ at her right then,” Jijimon said, chuckling. “So you can rest assured that she’d agree with you, kid.”

Hikari felt a pleasant warmth flood her cheeks at the praise, making her falter. She noticed Tailmon smiling at her and somehow that only made her heart flutter even more. “I… I’m glad. I just wish I could talk to her again.”

Babamon approached Hikari to take the child’s hands in hers and pat them gently. “I’m sure Tenraimon misses you too, dear, but she wouldn’t stay quiet this long if she didn’t think you weren’t strong enough to handle this on your own. You’ll talk to her again as soon as she can manage it.”

“When we sto... _catch_ the Digimon Kaiser,” Taichi said, unwilling to think of doing more than kicking the tyrant’s butt. He was still shaken up by Jijimon’s question, even if he tried not to show it. “Right?”

“...Contrary to what you might think, he’s _unrelated_ to what’s happened to her,” Jijimon said, his voice going rough. “An’ yet _completely_ related.”

Koshiro’s interest piqued, and he was more than happy to leave the morbid topic of executing a human being behind them. “What do you mean?”

Jijimon glanced at Babamon, who nodded, before he turned to Koshiro. “I mean that what happened to Tenraimon was just a _result_ of what created the Digimon Kaiser as you know him.”

Hikari felt a shudder run through her as she recalled her dreams. “Millenniumon?”

Babamon nodded, her expression solemn, as she tucked her hands into her sleeves and folded her arms around her broom.

“...The one and only,” Jijimon murmured. “She’s - no, _we’re_ lucky she’s still alive. _Barely_.”

Hikari’s eyes widened in horror. “What?!”

Taichi stepped forward as panic rushed through him. “What do you mean? Is Millenniumon going after Tenraimon?”

Babamon shook her head with a sigh. “It’s far more complicated than that, I’m afraid.”

Miyako’s expression deadpanned. “So stop dancing around it and explain it already! Point by point in detail! Everyone here is sick of you being all vague and cryptic!”

“For once, I agree with Inoe,” Daisuke said with a grunt. “That kind of stuff works in anime and video games to build up tension and stuff, but it just comes back to bite everyone in the butt later!”

Jijimon glanced at Babamon again, then sighed and tilted his head back. “I reckon you got a point. But don’t go crying to me if you just bit off more than you could chew.”

“We’ve handled a lot up until now,” Takeru said.

“He’s right,” Yamato agreed, crossing his arms. “How many times do we need to save the world before we’ve proven ourselves?”

“We might not be done growing up,” Taichi said, “but we’re not dumb kids anymore, either.”

Koshiro nodded. “We’ve fought Devimon, Vamdemon, the Dark Masters, and Apocalymon, along with many others.”

“We’ve come a very long way!” Jou agreed, then paused and glanced down at Gomamon. “And we… we’re doing the best that we can.”

“Please don’t underestimate us,” Iori said. “We have risked our lives up until this point, and clearly the others have done so in the past. Please give us credit where it is due.”

Mimi felt uneasy, but persevered in spite of it. “If you know why everything is happening, it’s not fair you’re keeping it from us.”

“Please, we need to know,” Sora said, placing her hands over her chest. “As it is, we’re just stumbling forward blindly. If it can help in even the slightest…”

“What happened while we were locked out of the Digital World?” Hikari asked, her voice quiet yet firm. “What happened to Tenraimon, Gennai… to the Digimon Kaiser and his friends?”

Ken felt his insides churn, nausea threatening to overtake him. Part of him actually welcomed the possibility of throwing up, as perhaps he’d be able to use it as an excuse to retreat from the situation.

Jijimon glanced around the room, noting the determined expressions on the children’s faces - and the uneasy one on Ken’s. He then returned his attention to Hikari. “You recall that orb, I assume? The one Gennai brought to you, to have you donate your power?”

Hikari nodded. “A little…”

Taichi frowned. “Hikari was in bed for a week after that.”

“It accidentally absorbed Tenraimon’s power,” Jijimon said, looking directly at Hikari.

“I remember Gennai told us that after it happened,” Koshiro said as he lightly touched his chin. “I can’t imagine something that happened that long ago could still be affecting Tenraimon now though.”

“The problem is what the orb’s exact function was,” Babamon said with a faintly bitter edge to her voice. “We didn’t find out about what it would do until after it was too late.”

“It _failed_ ,” Jijimon said, gravely, before he paused. “Or perhaps... it did exactly as intended.” The elder Digimon then shook his head. “Regardless, it gave Millenniumon a _direct line_ to Tenraimon’s power, allowing him to nearly devour her alive… and evolve.”

Hikari bit back a gasp, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened in horror.

“So long as Millenniumon still has that orb, he can take as much as he wants from her,” Jijimon said, with a shake of his head.

“The only reason why he can’t is Narakumon,” Babamon said. “Tenraimon has ceased most of her functions and directed every ounce of power she gets to him before Millenniumon can snatch it up from her. While that means Darkness out of balance again, at least it’s going to the right place this time.”

“The right place?” Daisuke asked, his expression scrunching up as he stepped forward. “How can it be the right place if Narakumon is the one who dragged Keiko to hell?”

Ken visibly flinched, nearly dropping Wormmon before he caught himself. It was only due to his deliberate choice to stand at the back of the group that no one saw him.

Jijimon’s eyebrows arched. “Well, considering she was _on fire_ at the time, I’d say he didn’t have much _choice_ , now did he?”

“ _What?!_ ” Hikari practically screeched before managing to collect herself. “What do you mean? Is she okay?”

Babamon’s expression was stone as in one smooth motion she whacked Jijimon upside the head with her broom hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. “Don’t make things worse.”

A loud ‘hurk’ noise sound drew everyone’s attention to Ken as he nearly threw up on the floor, though he managed to stop himself. He clasped a hand over his mouth, his face a deep shade of green, before he turned on his heels sharply. He couldn’t even utter a mortified word before he and Wormmon suddenly disappeared in a flash of light, gating out of the temple - and the Digital World.

Daisuke whirled, but was too late to see more than a glimpse of light. “Ken!”

“...Too late,” Jijimon said, his tone deceptively light. “Looks like I scared the lunch outta yer new friend.”

Babamon whacked Jijimon again hard enough that the floor shook and cracked. “You are going to lie there and be quiet until I say you can talk again and think about what you’ve done.”

Jijimon lay prone even as the fragments of the floor pulled themselves back together beneath him. “Fine by me. The floor’s nice and comfy, anyway.”

Babamon smacked Jijimon in the head one more time for good measure before she turned to the Chosen Children. “I’m afraid there’s no easy way to say this… not after this idiot crammed his foot so far down his throat he could kick his own rear.” She slapped the broom down on Jijimon’s head. “I’m afraid that the battle that you children were kept from had… losses.”

Hikari felt cold fear creeping up her spine. “So… so Keiko is…”

“We don’t know,” Babamon said quietly. “We don’t know what happened to Keiko, or Ryo. Narakumon took Keiko from the battlefield along with her partner, Nyamon, to save their lives after they were severely wounded. As far as we’re aware, they’re both in his domain, the Dark World, but he’s not saying anything else.”

“He’s not sayin’ nothin’ to _nobody_ ,” Jijimon said.

Babamon slapped Jijimon again with the broom. “Hush up, you.” She sighed. “Despite what you might think about Darkness, children, Narakumon loves Keiko. She was the one who showed him that humanity isn’t evil. He nearly destroyed the Digital World - without meaning to, mind - in order to rescue her personally from the battlefield.”

“Wait,” Taichi said as he held up his hand. “Humans aren’t evil. Why would he think that?”

Babamon shook her head. “Children, that’s another long, painful story altogether, and, frankly, I only have it in me to tell you about one at a time. Let’s focus on what you asked of us for now, and tackle more another day.”

“‘sides,” Jijimon said as he rolled on to his side in a reclining position. “That ain’t a story either of us _should_ be tellin’. It’s between Narakumon and Tenraimon to decide.” He didn’t so much as flinch when Babamon slapped him with her broom again.

“...That’s right,” Takeru said, reluctantly, before he gathered his nerves. “The Digimentals of Knowledge and Honesty. Where are they?”

“Gone!” Jijimon said as he stick his pinkie finger in his ear. When Babamon whacked him with her broom again, he moved his finger right back in. “Same for Purity an’ Tenacity, too. Next question.”

“Gone?” Yamato repeated, his eyebrows shooting straight up. “Gone _where_?”

“To where they can’t do anyone any harm,” Jijimon said between smacks of Babamon’s broom. “Or can be _used_ to do any harm.”

“What do you mean, harm?” Mimi asked, eyes wide. “They’re our Digimentals!”

“How can our Digimentals harm the Digital World?” Koshiro asked.

Babamon let out a frustrated hiss of breath between her teeth. “This is why you need to keep your big fat yap shut, you loaf.” She slapped Jijimon one more time for good measure then took a calming breath. “Millenniumon… _Zeed_ Millenniumon has the power of the Crest of Miracles at his disposal… along with its bearer… and Miracles overpowers Light in the same way Light overpowers Darkness.”

“And Darkness overpowers Miracles…,” Hikari murmured, recalling the diagram Nyamon drew.

Babamon nodded. “Exactly. Tenraimon has given her power to Darkness to prevent Zeed Millenniumon from taking it, as his power will dominate hers without question. Narakumon is now the pillar of our world, and the sole reason why Zeed Millennium isn’t here after he defeated everyone who tried to stop him… and that includes Ryo, Keiko, and Nyamon.”

Sora gripped at her shirt, her face pale. “And if he got the Digimental of Miracles, he’d have even more power to attack Tenraimon with…!”

“Not just the Digimental of Miracles,” Babamon said in a grave voice, “but all the Digimentals that get power from it. That includes Purity, Knowledge, Honesty, and Tenacity, so, children, I’m afraid you’ll need to wait a little longer and rely on the power of your friends to help you.”

Taichi turned to Hikari with growing concern. “Wait, what about Hikari? She’s connected to Tenraimon, right?”

“Tenraimon gave Narakumon her power for that reason, child,” Babamon said gravely. “She’s bearing the brunt of Zeed Millenniumon’s attempts to use the connection against her and all of you tied to her because she believes that you will save us all again.”

“Well, he’s not doing good enough!” Taichi snapped. “Hikari keeps having nightmares because the Dark Ocean keeps coming after her in her dreams!”

Daisuke lowered his D-Terminal and focused more on the conversation instead of the unanswered concerned emails he sent to Ken. “I’m still not convinced the guy is on our side. It’s the _Dark_ Ocean, remember? And the Digimon Kaiser uses _Dark_ Towers to enslave everyone, you know.”

“Didja forget Narakumon’s gift already?” Jijimon asked, then rolled swiftly out of the way to avoid another broom strike. “Hah! Missed me, ya old coot-” He couldn’t even finish speaking before Babamon’s broom pegged him in the forehead like a javelin, and he fell backwards.

Hikari raised her Digivice to stare at the Digimental of Darkness on its small screen.

“You’ve been doing a lot better since you got it,” Tailmon said as she crossed her arms. “You’ve actually been _sleeping_ , and not waking up in a cold sweat or screaming.”

Hikari nodded as she held her Digivice close. “And I’ve been able to communicate with Nyamon…” She trailed off with a grimace. “Sort of.”

“Millenniumon corrupted the Dark Ocean a long time ago,” Babamon said with a sigh. “Originally, the Dark Ocean was just the bridge between the Dark World and Tenraimon’s domain, the Crystal Tower. It was meant to be where Digimon floated from death to life after washing away their sins. If they sinned too much, they sank to the bottom and the waves washed them back onto the shores of the Dark World where they would stay to reflect on those sins. It was a natural part of the cycle of life, evolution, and death.”

Babamon whacked Jijimon in the mouth before he could utter more than a syllable, and kept her hand there as he squirmed and flailed. “Apocalymon is a byproduct of the Dark Ocean no longer functioning the way it should. All those Digimon that went into it would’ve been able to have their corrupted data fixed and it would’ve allowed them another shot at life, but it only made things much worse. It’s what led to what brought you children to the Digital World in the first place.”

“So Millenniumon is responsible for Apocalymon too?” Koshiro asked, eyes wide.

“It really sounds like… so many of our problems are because of _him_ ,” Yamato said, furrowing his brow.

Babamon sighed. “Millenniumon is responsible for so much more than I have it in me to tell all at once, children. There is a long tapestry of tragedy to this Digital World that most of us who know it wish to forget, so, please let’s focus on what’s important right now.” She lightly tapped the end of her broom against the floor. “Keiko is in Narakumon’s hands now, so there’s no need to worry about her. If anything, she and Nyamon are probably trying to help in their own way. Ryo, on the other hand…”

“What did you mean?” Takeru asked, suddenly. “When you said that Millenniumon had the Crest of Miracles, and its bearer, at his disposal?”

The wrinkles on Babamon’s face grew more pronounced and her shoulders slumped as sadness weighed down the corners of her mouth. “Ryo was… taken. We don’t know where he is now, or what’s become of him, but we do know that Zeed Millenniumon is responsible.”

Jijimon reached to grab Babamon’s hand, prying it from his mouth. “Quite frankly, there’s only two individuals who seem to know jack crap, and that’s Narakumon… and the Digimon Kaiser.”

For once, Babamon refrained from striking Jijimon and nodded with a solemn air. “The battle against Zeed Millenniumon was… brutal. With the corruption of the data and so many losses, and the chaos and confusion… there is little known about the exact events, even by those who were there. Jijimon and I fought on the battlefield as well that day, and even we could barely do more than keep each other alive.”

“She just refused to die, the old harpy,” Jijimon said, his voice going rough. “Which is good, ‘cuz I wouldn’t have forgiven her if she had.”

Babamon slapped Jijimon with the bristles of her broom, but there was no force behind the attack. “Same to you, you old buzzard.”

“Bah,” Jijimon said, before he turned back to the Chosen. “But as I said, only two individuals had a front row seat to the main event - Narakumon and the Digimon Kaiser.”

“What we knew of it at the time was when Narakumon came to the Digital World…” Babamon said her voice grave, “...and his very presence almost destroyed it.”

“Kinda hard to miss _that_ ,” Jijimon said. “Considerin’ the sky itself _broke_ and the land was tearin’ itself apart, you gotta be _blind_ not to see that.”

“The DigiGods cannot physically manifest outside the Inner Realm of this world, children,” Babamon said. “Their existence is too great, too tied to every line of code that makes up the foundation of our entire world. Narakumon and Tenraimon would never risk both worlds by manifesting under any circumstance… but he did it to save Keiko and stop Zeed Millenniumon from achieving total victory.”

“ _Some_ would say he never shoulda done it,” Jijimon said before he glanced to Hikari. “After all, what’s one human life compared to the damage he’d do tryin’ to save it?” Jijimon then grinned brightly. “But then, Narakumon rarely gave a shit what people thought before, so why should he start now?”

Hikari’s grip tightened on her Digivice. She felt at a loss, overwhelmed by the new information presented to them.

Koshiro touched his forehead as everything sunk in. “So… it’s _Ryo_ who’s been captured, not Keiko, so we need to save him a-”

“You can’t,” Babamon said, her voice tight. “Not now. Narakumon sent Zeed Millenniumon to the Dark Ocean during that battle. It was the only way to save the Digital World… and he is only alive because he has both the orb and Ryo with him.”

Takeru’s eyes widened for a moment before he frowned, crossing his arms. “So once again, it comes back to the Dark Ocean… and Narakumon.”

Babamon nodded. “For now, Millenniumon, in whatever form he’s in now, is a prisoner. Although he has Ryo as a hostage, we can’t do anything for Ryo right now, not until we can right the Digital World and somehow find a way to destroy that orb in order break his ties to Tenraimon, and unfortunately we don’t know how to do so yet.”

Iori turned to look at the other Chosen, frowning. “...This is admittedly not a favorable situation for us, or the Digital World..”

“This is overwhelming…,” Mimi murmured, growing lost the deeper the conversation went.

“H-how are we… supposed to beat him?” Jou asked, beginning to sweat. “He seems to have the advantage in _every_ way…!”

“We don’t know,” Babamon said softly. “The Digimon Kaiser… whatever he saw that day, as far as we can tell, this is the result of that. We don’t know if he snapped from what happened to his friends and is being manipulated by Millenniumon, or if he knows something we don’t. He no longer trusts anyone but those two working with him.”

“FlaWizarmon and Witchmon,” Taichi said.

“We can’t reach them anymore,” Babamon said. “And the Digital World is suffering for it. Jijimon and I _need_ to focus not on their suffering right now, but on figuring out how to stop Millenniumon and save Ryo. That’s why we put faith in you children to stop the Digimon Kaiser from making all these poor Digimon suffer.”

Taichi thought of Agumon, as well as all their friends who were captured, tortured, and made into puppets of the Digimon Kaiser’s whims. His entire body quaked as he clenched his hands tightly to his sides as the flames of rage ran through him.

“Then why didn’t you tell us this in the first place!?” Taichi bellowed, startling the other Chosen. “If you wanted us to talk him down, then why yank us around for so long? Why not just tell us from the start that this kid snapped from losing his friends?”

“Because we don’t know if that’s why he’s doing this,” Babamon said, her voice grave. “You see… Millenniumon has another terrible ability… to taint and infiltrate those with a piece of him inside them and use them as his sleeper agents.”

“T… taint?” Yamato repeated and he instinctively whirled to stare at Takeru, then flinched when he was met by his younger brother’s cool stare. “Er.”

“The Digimon Kaiser was tainted by Zeed Millenniumon’s Dark Seed,” Babamon said without looking directly at any of the children. “He did it to save his friend Ryo from being infected, and he was forced to leave the Digital World to avoid Zeed’s reach.”

“...And yet here he is, in the Digital World again,” Takeru murmured. “Making Dark Towers and Evil Rings.”

Babamon nodded. “The only reason why we’re not certain that is the case is because he has FlaWizarmon and Witchmon on his side. It’s impossible for the two of them to be corrupted by Zeed Millenniumon, as they were agents of Narakumon… but unfortunately, they have gone rogue, and they’re refusing to explain their actions to anyone. We have no idea what their motivations are, but I cannot believe that they’re working with Zeed, not after what he did and what he cost all of us.”

Daisuke rubbed his hand over his face. “Okay, I’m totally lost now.”

“Okay, so, let me see if I’ve got this straight,” Koshiro said slowly. “The Digimon Kaiser might or might not be under Zeed Millenniumon’s control, and Narakumon’s agents are helping him, but you don’t think they’re helping Zeed Millenniumon, but might be helping the Digimon Kaiser get revenge on Zeed Millenniumon for, uh, that battle. Is that right?”

Babamon smiled sadly at the Chosen Children. “I’m sorry we don’t have as many clear answers to give you as you’d like, children, but I’m ashamed to admit that there are many things that we still don’t know about the situation. All we can do is help you to better defend yourselves and to stop the Digimon Kaiser from causing unnecessary suffering. Whatever the reason for his actions, it is clear he is not in his right mind.”

“Or his left mind, or any mind at all,” Jijimon agreed. “Regardless of whether that’s due to Zeed or the battle, or because he thinks his actions are helpin’ _anyone_ let alone _himself_ , the fact remains that it’s gotta stop.”

Sora lowered her hands, her head spinning from all the revelations. “I… I see.”

“So, you regret askin’ yet?” Jijimon asked, with a grin. “‘cuz yer the ones gripin’ about us being cryptic ‘n all, so I don’t wanna hear no complaints.”

Miyako looked up from her D-Terminal, where she had been transcribing the conversation in an email to herself. “So basically… we can’t do anything about Zeed Millenniumon, or Keiko and Ryo, and you were holding back so we wouldn’t get crushed by sheer hopelessness, right? Or is there _something else_ you’re not saying?”

“That’s a pretty good way to put it!” Jijimon said, cheerfully. “So let’s go with that!”

Miyako’s eyes narrowed. “But _is_ that the case?”

Babamon nodded. “We’re as frustrated at the situation as you are, child. Although we want to put a stop to what the Digimon Kaiser is doing, at the same time, we are needed elsewhere… and, on a more personal note, it’s hard to raise your hand against a child who you used to protect.”

Takeru glanced at the other Chosen, noting the varying degrees of frustration and helplessness on their faces, before he turned to Jijimon and Babamon. “But you said so yourself - you don’t actually _know_ that we can’t do anything. So for all you know, there is a way, you just haven’t found it.”

“True enough,” Babamon said with a small smile. “Maybe you can find out more from the Digimon Kaiser that we don’t know, something that might be a key piece of information we’ve been missing… or at least you can stop him from making Digimon suffer needlessly.”

“We sure ain’t gettin’ nowhere, with him _or_ Narakumon,” Jijimon said with a shrug.

“Why isn’t Narakumon helping you?” Mimi asked. “I thought he was on our side.”

Babamon sighed. “Narakumon isn’t much for talking, especially not about things that he finds painful, and seeing a child he helped raise, who taught him to care for humanity…” She grimaced as her words choked off into nothing before she firmly shook her head. “The battle took a toll on him, and he’s supporting the Digital World entirely on his shoulders, not to mention his domain of death has been invaded and practically usurped by the Dark Ocean…”

“But isn’t that more reason to help?” Koshiro asked.

“Narakumon _is_ helping,” Babamon said, “make no mistake. He’s keeping the Dark Ocean sealed up in the Dark World, and preventing Millenniumon’s return. He couldn’t offer anything to us to indicate why the Digimon Kaiser is doing what he does, nor does he wish to interfere.”

“...Not to mention, he doesn’t have much reason to trust us, or anyone,” Jijimon said, lowering his head. “He hasn’t exactly been treated kindly.”

Taichi’s mouth twisted unpleasantly. “Why wouldn’t he trust you?”

Babamon leaned against her broom and let out a weary sigh. “We… lost faith in him. We thought the worst of him during our worst hour… after we lost so many friends and were betrayed by more… paranoia pushed to the forefront. Between Dark Seeds turning allies into spies, and knowing that if we fell in battle we’d be consumed by the Dark Ocean... “

            “We went for the easy target, as did everyone else,” Jijimon said, softly. “Darkness is always an easy target, especially when you can’t see the true one.”

“When Narakumon manifested…,” Babamon said, her voice low and reluctant. “It did great damage. Although now we know the reason… although we learned more that we didn’t then… We said terrible things and treated him as our enemy. He no longer has faith in us and there’s not much we can do except try what we can to save our world and earn back his trust.”

“...Does this have anything to do with how Mystimon talked about how everyone feared for Keiko’s safety?” Takeru asked. “And how she was ‘burdened’ with her crest, like it was a curse?”

Babamon let out a humorless laugh. “Children, do you remember how you reacted when you first found out about the existence of the Crest of Darkness?”

The assembled Chosen paused and glanced at each other, shifting uneasily. Only Hikari kept her focus on the two Digimon in front of her, holding her Digivice tightly to her chest as Tailmon remained by her side.

“Darkness has a terrible reputation,” Babamon said quietly. “It’s powerful, and power easily corrupts unless you have the will to keep goodness in your heart.”

“You met enough Digimon to know that,” Jijimon said with a nod. “Not every evil Digimon was under the control of the Dark Ocean, Zeed Millenniumon, or Apocalymon. Some Digimon just really get a kick out of _kickin’ puppies,_ as it were.”

“There are many Digimon who choose to evolve into Viruses because of its nature,” Babamon said. “It strengthens your attack, and by making your attack stronger, many assume that they can kill before they are killed. It’s no different than offering a sword or a shield to someone and they choose what will do the most damage.”

“So you assumed Narakumon - and Darkness - was behind what had happened,” Takeru said, slowly. “Even though it turned out to be not true.”

Jijimon chuckled, but there was no humor. “That’s right. Everyone assumed it was Darkness, because it _had_ to be. It was the only thing that ‘made sense’.”

“Narakumon manifested,” Babamon said quietly. “I can never hope to describe to you what it’s like for a god to manifest, and I hope you never see it for yourselves. When Narakumon did that… when he caused such devastation… after we had faced betrayal after betrayal... we couldn’t see any other reason than the absolute worst betrayal of all.”

“It seemed so obvious,” Jijimon said before he turned away. “So we were completely blind when the _real_ traitor hit us. We never suspected a thing.”

Babamon leaned heavily against her broom. “We had no idea what his true motives were until we had unleashed all our grief and rage upon him. No matter how much we regret it, we cannot take it back, and so Narakumon will not trust anyone but Tenraimon after everyone else in the Digital World betrayed him, and he lost those closest to him.”

Hikari looked down at her Digivice and the beautiful Digimental on the small screen, the one that looked so terrifying in the dark when it couldn’t be seen properly. “Maybe… maybe Narakumon will talk to us.”

Tailmon turned to look at her partner. “No. I think he’ll talk to _you_.”

Hikari blinked, startled by how confident Tailmon sounded. “But-”

“He gave you his Digimental,” Tailmon said, with a snap of her tail. “He didn’t have to, Jijimon and Babamon said so themselves. And apparently giving it to you exposed him in ways we can’t imagine. The fact that he’s willing to do that… then he’ll definitely talk to you, if you ask.”

Hikari stared at Tailmon for a moment before looking down at her Digivice. “But how am I supposed to ask? I can’t even talk to Tenraimon anymore… unless…”

“What about Nyamon?” Tailmon asked. “She can’t talk because you overpower her, but wouldn’t Narakumon be strong enough that you couldn’t block him?”

Miyako paused in typing her transcript. “Maybe we can get you some sleeping pills to help you dreamwalk more or something.”

“No way,” Taichi said, his voice hard. “If we’re going to meet Narakumon, _all_ of us will do it. We’re not going to force Hikari to have to face down a god when she’s only now getting any real sleep!”

“Senpai’s right,” Daisuke said as he tucked his D-Terminal away into his pocket and moved closer to Hikari. “Just give us the coordinates to where Narakumon is and we’ll gate in and see him together.”

Takeru said nothing, staring down at the floor. While his first instinct was to shout denials like Daisuke and Taichi, he also felt like doing so was to show no faith in Hikari. It was a rather dark conflict, made exceptionally hard when he wasn’t even certain if the taint was involved. The taint stood to gain a lot if the situation was left alone, but it _also_ stood to gain a lot if it got its hands - or tentacles, or whatever - on Hikari. In the end, it left him speechless with indecision.

“I have a lot of questions for Narakumon I’d like to ask him too,” Koshiro said, even though his mind was racing to process the new information and what it meant for them.

“I-I think I’d… rather not take the chance,” Jou said, uneasily.

Mimi fidgeted from foot to foot. “Well… if we faced down Apocalymon and everything turned out alright, Narakumon shouldn’t be any scarier… right? I mean, he’s actually on our side, isn’t he?”

“We have no reason to doubt him - for the moment,” Iori said as he glanced around at the others. “Nor do we have reason to trust him.”

“N-no, I think we…,” Sora trailed off before she turned to Yamato. “If our crests, if _we_ are considered Darkness too… and Keiko… then he must be on our side.”

Yamato made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. “Either way, it’s better to go as a group in case he’s _not_.”

Miyako typed furiously at her D-Terminal. “Guess that’s it, the majority vote is all of us go. So, can you tell us how to get there, or are we going to wait a few more days or weeks to find out it’s an absurdly long walk from wherever you send us?”

Babamon clucked her tongue as she inclined her head towards Jijimon. “That’s just what this hairbrain thinks is good training. Narakumon isn’t accepting visitors right now, but we’ll send word to him that you all want to meet with him. If he agrees, then, trust me, you’ll see him. Narakumon won’t put up with that sort of nonsense.”

“He’s got no sense of humor, I tell ya,” Jijimon said with a sigh.

“It’s agreed, then,” Yamato said, with a nod.

Hikari took a look around at her friends before focusing on her partner, who stared intently at her. She could guess what that expression meant and nodded ever so slightly before she tightened her grip on her Digivice.

It would be hard to get any sleep tonight, but Hikari had a feeling that the Digimental of Darkness would help with that far better than any sleeping pill.

 

\---

 

The curtains were drawn tight, blocking out most of the summer sun. It plunged the room in darkness, or at least as much as it could with bits of light still peeking in around the fabric. At most, the shadows blurred the features of Ken Ichijouji’s bedroom, obstructing them so that only faint silhouettes could be seen. From the computer desk with obligatory computer against the far wall to the bunk bed against the opposite side, it gave the impression of night despite still being broad daylight.

Sitting on the top bunk, Ken huddled under his blankets. Such an act should have been unthinkable in the heat, but the Chosen Child didn’t feel it at all. Instead, he felt _cold_ \- chilled to the bone. Shivering, he rocked slowly as he tried not to focus on anything but the steady rhythm, He didn’t want to think, he didn’t want to speak, he just wanted to disappear until the moment passed.

Unfortunately, the constantly beeping D-Terminal made it impossible to do just that.

Ken glared balefully at the small rectangular device as it chimed over and over, for what felt like an annoying eternity. He knew what it meant, that it was signalling the arrival of more emails, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at it - not yet. And the fact that the device wasn’t catching the hint and kept crying for his attention didn’t help.

Wormmon rested beside Ken, antennae drooping, as he tried to offer what little comfort he could. “Ken-chan… do you want me to answer the emails for you?”

Ken nearly agreed before he caught himself. Given Wormmon’s motives in the whole situation, he couldn’t be certain that the Digimon wouldn’t be more friendly than necessary. With a grunt, the boy genius reached over to grab the D-Terminal, flipping it open to see the flood of emails. It appeared as though each Chosen Child had sent him at least one message with most subject lines outright asking if he was alright.

Wormmon lightly patted Ken’s arm with his digit, his eyes filled with concern. “Don’t worry… You don’t have to force yourself when you’re feeling bad. I’ll take care of things for you, Ken-chan.”

Ken frowned, glancing at Wormmon before returning his attention to the emails. He struggled for words, finding it difficult to really respond to Wormmon or to the situation in front of him. He couldn’t entirely bring himself to deal with the situation, beyond cursing Jijimon for what he did. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the elderly Digimon had done it on purpose. There was simply no other explanation.

Shakily, Ken deleted nine out of the ten emails Daisuke had sent. Most were repeats of the same concern, so he didn’t need to respond to all of them - only the last one. As he got to the last one, the boy genius lingered, his eyes drifting over Daisuke’s message, taking in the words of concern and encouragement. The goggle boy truly had no idea who he was talking to, or what he was talking about. All he knew was that Ken had fled, and his concern for the ‘newest’ Chosen.

Ken gave up trying to formulate a response, as his brain refused to formulate even an empty platitude. Moving on to the next email, the child genius was greeted by more concern - from Hikari, then Takeru, followed by Mimi and Sora. It was more of the same, the Chosen asking about Ken and expressing encouragement for something they couldn’t possibly understand.

The next was from Miyako. Ken almost dismissed it, as he doubted it’d be anything but more ‘concern’. Even worse, it might be notes or a transcript of what happened, neither of which he felt up to dealing with at the moment. Just when he was about to move on, Ken caught a glance of the text out of the corners of his eyes and paused. His eyebrows shot straight up as he stared at his screen, finally giving the email his full attention as the words left him speechless and caused his chest to constrict.

 

_I think I know why you might’ve reacted badly back there. Um. Sorry. There’s no easy way to say this. I dug into everyone’s backgrounds a while back trying to figure out why we’re all Chosen Children. I didn’t tell anyone about your brother. If it helps… you’re not the only one who lost someone._

_If you need me to summarize what happened and skip the darker stuff, let me know. If you think you can deal with the full transcript, I’ll forward it to you._

_Let me know you’re okay, okay? You’re a part of the team and our friend._

 

Ken gaped at the screen, his eyes widening. He read the email again, and then once more. As he slowly processed what he was seeing, realizing what Miyako knew and had said, he was felt with a sudden wave of emotions. He opened his mouth before he reached up to clasp a hand over it, stifling a sob that nearly escaped him. His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes began to water, his other hand shaking violently as he held the D-Terminal.

The Chosen stared at his full in-box, the Chosen’s emails - both read and unread - staring back at him silently. As Miyako’s words echoed through his mind, sobs began to wrack his body. He couldn’t even feel angry that she had pried, that she had brought up such a painful subject when he was _already_ hurting. Instead, he could only feel himself crumbling forward as he held the D-Terminal tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured as he typed, his hands shaking. He addressed it to everyone, as it spared him having to type more than he needed to. He sincerely doubted he could handle it, as just the one email was more than he could handle. Ken didn’t care about the punctuation or capitalization, or even the way he mangled the words with his shaking fingers. “I’m fine.”

Ken clicked send and didn’t even bother to see if it had actually sent, instead dropping the D-Terminal to wrap his arms around Wormmon, holding him tightly as his sobs grew in intensity.

“I’m so sorry,” Ken choked out, holding his partner close. “I’m s-so… s-sorry…”

 

\---

 

_im sorry/ i;m fine._

 

Despite its brevity, the email was abundantly clear. It spoke far louder than anything else Ken Ichijouji could have said. And in the end, it left Miyako at a loss for how to proceed.

Miyako flipped back into her chair with a sigh as she set down the D-Terminal, then reached up to rub her eyes under her glasses. If it was something as simple as nerves, she’d have something to _say_ that _might_ help. But unfortunately, she knew far too well that some situations couldn’t be handled with words alone.

Turning her attention back to her computer, and the chatroom window currently displayed there, she rejoined the conversation currently in progress. As always, there was a flurry of activity as people from across the world - mostly anonymous save for a well-used handle - typed away their thoughts. If she had expected to find united sympathy for their troubles, she was mistaken.

 

GODHACKER: Honestly, are you sure that you can’t just replace him

GODHACKER: He hasn’t been any help so far, just watching as everyone else does the fighting, and he keeps running every time things get too serious.

GODHACKER: How many times does a ‘Chosen’ need to PUKE before it becomes obvious that they were chosen POORLY?

@Koshiro: It doesn’t work like that.

Sailormoon96: How do you know?

 

Miyako felt her cheek twitch and she popped her knuckles while loosening up the joints of her fingers before unleashing hell.

 

@RainbowBuilder: Just say what REALLY mean.

@RainbowBuilder: You want to replace Ken Ichijouji.

@RainbowBuilder: Stop pretending you’re not just bitter that there’s no more empty slots left.

GODHACKER: Look whos talking!!!1

GODHACKER: You stole 2 of them!

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: we all wanted a chance to be chosen children

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: WE weere all supposed to try out but now we cant.

GODHACKER: I’m just saying it’d solve everything if we can replace him and the Digimon Kaiser and 2 kids who don’t show up at all.

Bunnyhop: Thatd fix everything wouldn’t it?

Bunnyhop: if we replace the Digimon Kaiser then he won’t be able to do anything anymore

GODHACKER: Maybe he’s only a chosen because he hacked the code.

GODHACKER: Ever think of that???  
 

Miyako felt her cheek twitch as a she watched the channel light up with debate and grumblings. She hated passive-aggressive barbs that tried to hide their real feelings beneath a facade of civility.

 

@RainbowBuilder: We were going to TEST everyone.

@RainbowBuilder: Remember?

@RainbowBuilder: Iori and I simply passed the test, just like everyone else on the team.

GODHACKER: You did it before any of us had a chance!!

@RainbowBuilder: If you bothered to read the most recent theory file, you’d know that the evidence goes against a first come, first serve system.

@RainbowBuilder: Even if we went last, it would’ve only worked on us.

GODHACKER: I’ll bet you wouldn’t be saying that if I went firsT!

GODHACKER: You’re such a hypocrite!@

CheerfulHeaven: She’s right, you know.

CheerfulHeaven: It wouldn’t make sense for Gennai and the others to make partners if they didn’t already have someone in mind.

GODHACKER: I don’t want to hear that from you, Mister AMERICAN GENIUS!

GODHACKER: You never cared from the very beginning!!!

GODHACKER: Too cool to be a Chosen, is that it?!!1

@Koshiro: Okay, everybody please calm down.

@Koshiro: Fighting isn’t going to help anything.

@Koshiro: We’re all on the same side, aren’t we?

@Koshiro: Even if most of us don’t have partners, it doesn’t mean we’re not part of the team.

GODHACKER: It’s bad enough that you brought the cop kid in on it, but now we’ve got another one with DEAD baggage.

GODHACKER: At least Cop Kid can fight, this SUPPOSED GENIUS just gets sick every time someone gets offed!

* GODHACKER has been kicked from #Digimon by RainbowBuilder

* GODHACKER has joined #Digimon

GODHACKER: WTF!

GODHACKER: WHY DID YOU KICK ME FROM THE CHANNEL!!!

@RainbowBuilder: DON’T.

@RainbowBuilder: MAKE.

@RainbowBuilder: FUN.

@RainbowBuilder: OF.

@RainbowBuilder: THE.

@RainbowBuilder: DEAD.

@RainbowBuilder: Or people who have to deal with it.

@RainbowBuilder: Every SINGLE day.

@RainbowBuilder: This is your only warning.

 

Miyako jotted a quick message to Koshiro in a private window to take over the channel discussion before she kicked the chair away from her computer and went to pace around her room. She knew letting her anger overtake here wasn’t good for anyone and even from a distance she could see the channel blowing up with discussion. With a disgusted snort, she minimized the chat window and set her computer on mute.

“Asshole,” Miyako muttered under her breath before she stomped out of her room to get a cupcake and soda. Junk food always helped take the edge off, and she needed to sneak some before her parents came home and caught her in the act.

The last thing she needed tonight was more frustration.


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine

All was quiet in the Yagami home so late into the evening. Hikari waited on her bed in total darkness until she saw the faint silhouette of her partner hop onto the bed.

Tailmon drew closer to the Chosen of Light, her eyes perfectly adjusted to the darkness. “Everyone’s asleep. If we’re going to do this, now’s the time.”

Hikari nodded as she pulled her Digivice out from under the covers. “Ready, Tailmon?” she whispered.

Tailmon simply nodded, her expression determined.

Wordlessly, Hikari willed evolution to happen, and what little light there was completely disappeared from the room.

Tailmon began to glow, but the light was much different than what she was used to. Instead of creating light, it consumed it, and it was as if darkness itself was engulfing her partner. Within moments, as Tailmon seemingly disappeared into the shadow, a new form took her place. Her appearance was reminiscent of Angewomon, with her long blond hair and three sets of white wings that fanned out to the side. Instead of a metal visor with wings, black bandages wrapped around her eyes with the symbol of Darkness at the very center. Black leather formed a body-suit around her, with straps, buckles, and small metal spikes. A red ribbon replaced her purple one, twisting about her body like a shawl, and her bow had been replaced with a very long chain with a silver claw-like gauntlet on either end.

The new form of Angewomon crouched, staring at Hikari despite her eyes being covered. “...Fallen Angewomon.” she whispered, keeping her voice down.

Hikari took a moment to stare at her partner’s new transformation before a small smile graced her face. “How does it feel to be a Virus-type?”

Fallen Angewomon took a moment to respond before she let out a low hum. “ _Powerful_.”

Hikari’s smile strengthened at that until uncertainty crept back in as she remembered why she had Tailmon evolve in the first place. “Do you think you could take us into the Dark World or enter my dreams in that form?”

The question sent an instinctive shudder through Fallen Angewomon that she barely repressed. “I feel like I could,” she said slowly, the words coming with great reluctance, “but something’s telling me _not_ to. A feeling I have.” She straightened up slightly. “So let’s focus on the dream instead.”

Hikari nodded as she got comfortable in the bed. Her mind was racing with excitement, and she barely started to worry if she would be able to fall asleep at all when darkness settled in all around her.

The next thing Hikari knew, she was at the heart of the silent monochrome town. The place seemed the same as it always had been in every other dream, at least since Nyamon started visiting her. Creepy and foreboding, and yet without the constant whispers of what lurked beyond the shore. However, in this instance, there was one new addition.

Fallen Angewomon stood by Hikari’s side, staring around at their environment. While Hikari had described it before, the words paled in comparison to the immense weight of the oppressive atmosphere around her. “This is…”

Hikari felt an immeasurable amount of relief. With her partner by her side, the Dark World seemed far less intimidating. “I know what you mean.”

“This place is nothing like I’ve ever seen,” Fallen Angewomon said slowly before she paused, her eyes focusing on a figure that was approaching them - a black cat Digimon she didn’t recognize, and yet somehow felt like she knew. “You…”

The black cat Digimon from Hikari’s dreams approached them, seemingly unsurprised to see the two of them together. In fact, she had a sly smile on her face, her arms crossed.

Hikari smiled at the newcomer. “Hi. This is my partner, Fallen Angewomon.” She turned to the angel at her side. “Fallen Angewomon, this is Keiko’s partner.”

“Hello, my name is Nyamon,” Nyamon said, her smile widening with amusement as Hikari and Fallen Angewomon turned to stare at her in shock. “Surprise?”

“You can talk?” Hikari gasped before a faint flush of embarrassed heat came to her cheeks. “I mean… I can finally hear what you’re saying now.”

“For the moment, yes,” Nyamon said, with a nod of her head. She then flicked her tail in the direction of Fallen Angewomon. “Looks like _that_ had a few more bonuses than you thought.”

“I see,” Fallen Angewomon murmured. “It’s because Darkness is temporarily covering up Hikari’s Light, right? Like a shroud.”

Nyamon nodded sagely. “It’s still here, under the surface, but it’s not flowing quite so freely like it normally is.”

“Does this mean I can finally talk to Keiko?” Hikari asked. “Is she alright?”

Nyamon paused at that, her smile becoming strained as her tail twitched. Seconds ticked by in tense silence before she finally answered. “She’s well enough, considering.”

Hikari grimaced a little and took that as a sign not to press for more of the gory details. “Is it possible for us to talk to her here?”

Nyamon turned her attention back to Hikari. “We could, but I thought you wanted to talk to Narakumon?”

Hikari blinked, startled. “How did you know that?”

Nyamon grinned, her expression mischievous. “It’s all he’s been talking about.”

“So… does that mean he’ll talk to us?” Hikari asked, hopeful.

Nyamon nodded. “He’s been anxious about it this whole time… not that he’ll ever admit it.”

Hikari practically gawked at Nyamon. “Anxious?”

“Very few people willingly want to talk to him,” Nyamon said, with a small shrug. “He doesn’t have the best social skills, either, so keep that in mind.”

Fallen Angewomon arched an eyebrow and turned to look at Hikari.

Hikari found Nyamon’s assessment of a godly figure to be a little surreal, but nodded all the same.

Nyamon paused as she tilted her head, her ears flicking as though listening for something, and a moment later she nodded. “Either way, it’d be better to talk _elsewhere_. There’s too many _snoops_ around here to have a proper conversation.” As if to emphasize her point, the Digimon turned to glare towards the ocean. While silent, Hikari could still feel a sea of eyes upon her, causing her to shiver.

“Where else can we go?” Fallen Angewomon asked.

Nyamon turned her attention back to Hikari and Fallen Angewomon, offering them both a smile. “Brace yourselves.”

No sooner had Nyamon finished speaking when the world suddenly rippled, as if reality itself was no different than the ocean and its surface had been disturbed. Hikari drew closer to Fallen Angewomon who grabbed her shoulder comfortingly as their surroundings melted away.

Just as quickly as it had happened, the rippling stopped and the Chosen of Light found herself at the foot of a massive temple similar to something straight out of Greece. Pristine silver pillars covered the area, holding up delicate looking arches that bore the crest of Darkness. Silver marble steps lead up a small, gray hill to a lonely looking temple at the top. It stood out starkly against the black sky, brilliant stars scattered across the void as they centered around a massive moon that hung directly over the temple.

At the very top of the stairs, in front of the doorway into the temple, was someone she had seen many times before. From her dress to her hair, and even her vibrant eyes, she matched everything Hikari remembered and easily recognized as the person she wanted to speak to most of all - it could only be Keiko.

For one full second, Hikari was caught staring at the girl who before she always saw trapped behind warped glass, hardly daring to believe Keiko was actually real. Then, she remembered that technically it still wasn’t real, as she was dreaming at that very moment, which snapped her out of her shock quickly and prompted her to race up the steps. “Keiko! I-”

“Stop trying to save me,” Keiko said in a voice that sounded sweet, but held no real emotion. “I wasn’t trying to talk to you for that.”

Nyamon came to a stop beside Keiko, glancing up at her before turning to look at Hikari and Fallen Angewomon.

Hikari slowed her pace to a stop, only a few steps away from Keiko, as the words struck her like a physical force. “What…? But…”

Keiko didn’t let Hikari have time to recover. “I was trying to warn you that Millenniumon has Ryo and is biding his time until he comes back and destroys all of reality. The Digimon Kaiser is screwing up all of the Digital World, but he’s trying to prepare for Millenniumon’s return, and the war you’re waging is just making it easier for Millenniumon to decimate everyone who can possibly stop him. Unite with him to prepare to take down Millenniumon so you can actually talk sense into him after it’s over… if you manage to survive.”

Hikari’s eyes widened as the horror of Keiko’s words sank in. “What?”

“The Digimon Kaiser is sick,” Keiko said as she closed her eyes. “Millenniumon put a piece of himself in my friend, and the Dark Ocean has tainted him like yours, so he’s not thinking clearly, and it’s using him like it’s trying to use Takeru… like it’s trying to use your dreams to bring you to it and _eat_ you.”

The bottom dropped out of Hikari’s stomach, as the terrible fear that always accompanied her dreams of the Dark Ocean crept over her. She wanted to say something, but words failed her.

Keiko gazed at Hikari, her stare piercing and terrible. “Millenniumon _is_ the Dark Ocean, or at least the source of it, and his influence over it is stronger than all the souls trapped inside it.”

“It’s the only reason he can maintain his identity while inside it,” Nyamon agreed, crossing her arms.

“Tr… trapped inside…?” Hikari whispered, her voice cracking.

Keiko touched her forehead as her gaze slid to the side. “I’m getting off topic here. What you need to focus on is purging the Dark Ocean’s taint from my friend with my Digimental. We’re still not sure if we can remove the piece of Millenniumon from him without _killing_ him, but he’ll at least stop going _completely insane_ when the souls of the damned aren’t delivering mad rants directly into his subconscious at every second of the day.”

“Your Digimental can get rid of the taint?” Hikari asked, eyes wide.

Keiko’s expression skewed up into a grimace. “It’s not as powerful as my crest, but he’s not using it for that - the Dark Ocean won’t let him even think of it.”

“He?” Hikari asked. “Who do you…” Her words died out as it clicked in her mind. “The Digimon Kaiser has the Crest of Darkness?!”

“How else can he get the Dark Ocean turn into towers, rings, and twisted abominations? You saw it yourself,” Nyamon said. “Darkness binds, Chaos obeys.”

“...Back at the lab,” Fallen Angewomon murmured. It was the line Koshiro had translated on the tubes, along the band that reminded her of her holy ring.

A grin without mirth twisted Keiko’s mouth. “Ironic, isn’t it? Your friends thought he had my crest and they weren’t exactly wrong.” She paused to shake her head. “Anyway, use my Digimental to help Takeru, then you need to recharge… no, _overcharge_ it. With the chunk of Millenniumon inside him, you’re going to need all the Darkness you can get to purge my friend’s taint.”

The weight of everything made Hikari stagger back a step, only to bump into Fallen Angewomon who placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. She spared her partner a weak smile before she returned her focus to Keiko. “This… this explains it. This explains why one of us, why someone who saved the Digital World would be destroying it.”

Keiko closed her eyes and folded her hands in front of her. “His crest is _Kindness_ ,” she said softly. “Before Mill… _Before_ , my friend was a complete pacifist. The idea of hurting anyone…” Pain filled her eyes as she opened them. “When he wakes up, seeing what he did will _kill_ him. Please, please, _please_ help him.”

“It _easily_ could have been your friend, Takeru,” Nyamon agreed.

“It still could be if you don’t purge the taint from him,” Keiko muttered. “You’re just seeing the very start of it - I’ve had to watch it slowly tear my best friend apart all this time, so don’t let it happen to Takeru too.”

Hikari nodded before her brow furrowed. “Wait, why haven’t you done it already?” She paused as an embarrassed tint came to her cheeks. “I-I mean, I’m not saying that you _wouldn’t_ , but you make it sound like you _can’t_.”

Keiko lowered her head, her bangs casting a shadow across her face that darkened her eyes. “I tried. Believe me, I tried. I can’t reach him anymore, so I need you to do it for me.”

Hikari took a few steps closer to Keiko as she felt a growing sense of concern. “But why wouldn’t he listen to you? You’re best friends, aren’t you?”

Keiko clenched her fists at her sides. “He just won’t, okay? If I could get him to come see Narakumon or blast him with Darkness myself, I’d do it, but I can’t, so I need you to do it for me. You and your friends are the only hope for him and the Digital World now.”

Without warning Keiko turned sharply on her heel and strode off. The sight of her retreating back sent Hikari’s adrenaline pumping, as months of nightmares and futile desperation rushed up to overwhelm the Chosen of Light all at once.

“Wait!” Hikari shouted as she chased after Keiko, reaching out to seize the other girl’s shoulder. “We can go toge-”

_Cold._ The sensation of cold deeper than anything Hikari had ever experienced before seized her from the tips of her fingers to her forearm, as she watched her hand pass right through Keiko as though the Chosen of Darkness was no more substantial than a shadow.

Keiko went utterly still, and before Hikari’s eyes, ash fell from the edges of her dress and hair as dark lines cracked skin as it went moonlight pale to angry red. Her now strained voice took on a different quality, breaking up unnaturally like a faded recording. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

Hikari jerked her hand back, terrified of what was happening before her eyes. “Keiko! What’s happening to you?”

Keiko didn’t turn back, but instead let out a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a laugh devoid of humor as her gaze turned towards the star-filled sky. “Do I really need to say it?” she said in a dry ruin of a voice that was a mere shadow of what it was before. “Or are you just like him… trying not to accept what happened during the last battle against _Zeed_ Millenniumon?”

Hikari couldn’t take her eyes off Keiko as the Chosen of Darkness’ skin blistered and blackened with burns. Her hands raised to cover her mouth as she choked back the urge to scream as both black hair and dress dissolved into scraps of soot over a ruined body that was no longer in one piece but still stood impossibly upright.

“Hikari, I’m _dead_.”

In the time it took Hikari to blink, Keiko was gone, leaving no trace behind.

Nyamon turned to look where Keiko had stood, and she gazed at nothing with eyes overflowing with endless sorrow. For a long moment it was all she could do before she eventually closed her eyes and turned her attention back to Hikari. “Well, if you’re still interested in talking to Narakumon, he’s waiting for you inside.”

Hikari couldn’t stop staring at the empty air where Keiko had been, too horrified by what she had seen to move a muscle. The clues had been there all along and Keiko was right, she had denied that they were ever there. Even now, she refused to believe it; she simply could not to accept that the girl he was just talking to was…

It took nearly a minute for Hikari to speak again. “That… I…”

Fallen Angewomon looked down at Hikari before she gripped her shoulders. “Hikari.”

Hikari jerked at the touch and looked up at her partner, her eyes shining with tears threatening to form. “Fa… Fallen Angewomon.”

Fallen Angewomon’s expression softened, but her grip remained firm. She needed to be strong for both of them. “All we can do is keep going forward.”

Though shaky, Hikari nodded, and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

Nyamon watched the two for a moment before she turned on her heels. She continued to ascent the last few steps of the stairs before entering the large, open doorway into the temple. She waited there only a moment to see if the two would follow. When they began to, the black cat Digimon ventured inside to lead the way.

The interior of the temple was similar to the exterior, with pristine silver pillars and marble floor with the occasional ornamental accent. Everything drew the eye to a large altar at the center of the temple dwarfed from behind by a statue easily ten times the size of Hikari, sculpted in the shape of a six-winged figure at the far back, wielding a scythe.

In front of the statue, with an annoyed expression, was a man Hikari didn’t recognize wearing a mixture of armor and robes, with black gauntlets, knee-high boots, and a breastplate with side-guards over long silver robes.. He looked human by all accounts, though very pale with long black hair and blazing red eyes. When he saw Hikari and the Digimon enter, he quickly perked up and lifted his head, peering down at the human child with a quirked eyebrow. “You made me wait, Child of Light.”

Hikari was startled by the man standing in front of her. There was a quality about him that struck her as immediately different than any Digimon she ever saw before, no matter how human they appeared. “Who… Who are you?”

The man’s eyebrow quirked higher. “Is it not obvious?”

The memory of Keiko’s departure was still painfully fresh in Hikari’s mind, making her suppress a shudder as she struggled to keep her voice steady. “You’re… you’re not another… like Keiko…”

The man blinked before a flash of irritation appeared on his face. “Oh, that,” He then sighed as he glanced skyward to the ceiling. “I told her to stay out of this, but that girl never listens to me. _Honestly_. What sort of avatar doesn’t obey their god?”

Dread slowly eased away from Hikari as confusion crept into its place. “So you’re… Narakumon? But… you seem…” She faltered for a moment, struggling to put instinctive feelings into words. “… _Human_. I don’t just mean you _look_ human, but that you _feel_ human.”

The man lowered his gaze, looking down at Hikari once more. “That is correct. I assumed you would find this form more… palpable. Anything else… would be unintentional, and a result of that girl being too much of a bad influence.”

Hikari blinked at the cryptic statement. She was already so overwhelmed that she dismissed thinking about it for the moment and focused instead on what she did understand. “So… the DigiGods can make themselves human, like how some Digimon can look human, but you…” She trailed off and looked to her partner, faltering on how to explain something that she could only feel rather than express.

“It’s more than just an illusion,” Fallen Angewomon said as she nodded.

“...I can reconfigure my body to look however I like,” Narakumon said, slowly. “Anything else is _unintentional_. I assure you, I have no desire to pass for _human_.”

Hikari found the way Narakumon said the word ‘human’ to be the way one might describe a dangerous affliction. It might have made her feel offended if she wasn’t so distracted with so many other far more pressing things weighing down on her. “Keiko… Keiko isn’t _really_ dead, is she?” A growing sense of panic consumed her as she saw the pain on Nyamon’s face. “I know the Dark World is the land of the dead and you’re the god of death and… and souls come here after they die, but… but Keiko isn’t… she can’t be… she… she…”

The protests dissolved into quiet sobs as Hikari faltered while the clues slowly clicked neatly into place. Her heart was still unwilling to accept that it was far too late to save Keiko after so many nights of wishing she could rescue the Chosen of Darkness, but the truth had grown too enormous to ignore.

Narakumon’s expression became uncomfortable as he watched Hikari cry in silence, before he looked away. “I suppose by _your_ definition of death, you would not be _entirely_ wrong to consider her dead.”

Hikari slowly shook her head as the tears came more fiercely. She tried to choke out a denial, or at least ask what happened, but she couldn’t make more than a strained cry.

Narakumon was silent for several more moments as the Chosen of Light sobbed, before he turned back to face Hikari. His expression was still quite uncomfortable, but it had a hint of frustration as well. “You think a lot like her, which I blame entirely on you both being _human_. It’s a limitation of your _humanity_ , and one that I could never quite get her to overcome.”

Hikari wiped fiercely at her face to clear away her tears. “Th-this… this is the Digital World, isn’t it? Keiko died in the Digital World, not in the real world! Can’t she… even if she’s not a Digimon… can’t she…!”

Narakumon looked quite pleased at Hikari’s words, his expression growing rather smug. “You are correct. This is the Digital World, and I am the god of death. Your human rules _do not_ apply here. She is not dead until _I_ say she is dead, even if she argues to the contrary..”

Hikari seized the hope in Narakumon’s words and held it tight. “So you can do it? You… _Tenraimon_ can bring Keiko back to life?”

“I kept her soul before it could leave this world, or allow it to go _wherever_ it is that you humans go,” Narakumon said. “As such, it is simply a matter of putting it back in its proper place. _However_.” He scowled. “Her body is not… in a state that would allow this, as she rather _rudely_ showed you. I have kept her from deteriorating further, but…” The anger in his twisted mouth faded away as his expression grew pained, his voice gruff. “...Healing her body is outside of _my_ domain.”

“It’s quite a shock,” Nyamon said as she grinned at Hikari, her tail snapping. “I never thought I’d hear him admit he couldn’t do something..” The black cat didn’t so much as wilt when Narakumon fixed her with an intense stare, her smile widening instead. “Thanks to him, neither of us disappeared entirely… but we’re stuck here for now.”

“That is something I’m curious about,” Fallen Angemon said. “Why haven’t you been reborn? Why are you trapped here with Keiko?”

Nyamon’s smile weakened, instead growing pained. “We are not like other Digimon; we exist outside the typical cycle of life and death. My life is tied to Keiko’s, just like yours is tied to Hikari’s… and all the Chosen Digimon to their Chosen Child. While we can be reborn should anything happen to us, it is due entirely to the power of our Chosen. If our human child dies… we die with them.”

For a long moment, Fallen Angewomon was silent as she took in the enormity of Nyamon’s words. “So I can die as many times as necessary to protect Hikari,” she finally said in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper. “But should she die, there will be no second chances.” Saying the words aloud was more confirming her own suspicions than anything else. She always felt that Hikari was her light, her _life_ ; what Nyamon said simply confirmed that it was more than just an emotional connection.

This new information was anything but comforting for Hikari as she turned from Nyamon to Fallen Angewmon with her heart in a vice. “What? But that’s not fair! I don’t want you to die when I do, Fallen Angewomon. I always thought that you’d… that after…” The words twisted and died in her throat, as she had thought about death far too much this night for her to handle already.

“I am fine with it,” Fallen Angewomon said as she turned to Hikari with a smile. “If you are not with me, I see no point in living. The idea that I wouldn’t have to deal with losing you, it’s actually very comforting.”

Nyamon nodded slowly, her expression wistful, before she smiled at Hikari.”Keiko is my world, and I’m sure the same is true for the rest of the Chosen Digimon. Losing you, seeing you die… We’d rather die ourselves than experience that,” She paused before she looked away as a heartrending pain darkened her expression, her ears canting back as her tail drooped. “...Please excuse me.” And with that, the cat Digimon disappeared just like Keiko had, as if she had dissolved into the very air.

Hikari wiped at her eyes as they fogged over with tears, but more came to spill down her cheeks. She could barely process Nyamon’s sudden departure with her heart in a vice. “But… it… it’s just so… _sad_. I can’t even… I don’t want to think about any of us dying… especially not you.”

            “Then don’t,” Narakumon said, quirking his eyebrow again. “Don’t think about it, and don’t die. You’re not entirely human anymore, regardless, so it’s not as if you know for certain how it’ll turn out in the end.”

Hikari blinked away tears as she tried to look at Narakumon. “What… what do you mean…?”

“You possess something within you that no other human has,” Narakumon said. “It’s something that allows you to enter the Digital World, despite my powers _expressly forbidding it_. You can bend this world to your will, and you are just as much a part of the Digital World as you are the Human World.”

Narakumon paused before he shook his head slowly. “The very fact that I was able to pull Keiko into this realm is proof of that. You Chosen have more control over this world and _yourselves_ than you realize, so you need to stop thinking within the limitations of your _humanity_.” He crossed his arms and flashed Hikari a smirk. “After all, your _human_ rules would insist that the Digital World’s existence as _impossible_. And yet we exist, _with or without_ your permission.”

“So because of that, you think you can revive Keiko, despite the fact that she’s dead?” Fallen Angewomon asked.

“I don’t _think_ , I _know_ ,” Narakumon retorted with an edge to his words that came more across as huffy than truly angry. “As I said, she’s not dead until _I_ say she’s dead. Even _she_ can’t argue with me over _that_.”

Hikari wiped furiously at her tears, sniffling softly. “S-so then… we just need to get Keiko to Tenraimon, right? Tenraimon is the DigiGod of life, so if anyone can save Keiko and Nyamon, it’d be her, right?”

Narakumon nodded before his expression became grim. “But as of this moment, that’s… not possible. Those two old coots have told you that much, at least.”

Hikari nodded ever so slightly. “Because of Millenniumon… because he has the orb… because I touched it… she’s…”

A whisper of breath escaped Narakumon as his harsh gaze finally softened as he looked to the guilt-stricken child before him. “ _That_ was not your fault. The plan, in theory, was a good one. No one expected it to actually be a _trap_.”

“A… trap?” Hikari said slowly, confusion creeping in.

Fallen Angewomon’s eyes narrowed behind her blindfold as tension crept into her muscles. “We were told it was for a barrier.”

“And you believed it,” Narakumon said. “As did we all. After all, Gennai would _never_ lie. Now, would he?” The entire temple seemed to darken around them as a terrible rage swelled up within him so powerful that it affected the very air around them. “We _all_ believed it.”

Fallen Angewomon opened her mouth to retort before a memory made her pause; the words of Jijimon and Babamon rang in her ears, the talk of a _traitor_ and how everyone had assumed it was _Narakumon_. In that instant, something clicked. “Wait, are you saying _Gennai_ was the traitor!?”

“I don’t know how much he knew,” Narakumon said, his voice as cold as an arctic wind. “I don’t know if he knew what the orb was really for, or why he was tasked _specifically_ from getting energy from your group rather than from Keiko or Ryo. But in the end, he did as he was told… as he was made to do, through the _Dark Seed_ in his body.”

“Dark… Seed?” Hikari repeated slowly.

“That bastard thought he was being _funny_ ,” Narakumon said with a derisive snort. “And it served its purpose well, _considering_ …” The Digimon trailed off before he looked away. “...It’s a tiny piece of Millenniumon, which is forcibly inserted in a Digimon’s body. It acts like a _virus_ , hence the _name_ , and infects a Digimon’s programming and allowing _him_ to take over their mind and body at will.” The Digimon turned to look at Hikari, his expression intense. “It similarly works on _humans_.”

Hikari choked back a gasp as she recalled part of the conversation with Keiko. “The Digimon Kaiser! Keiko said he has one of those Dark Seeds inside him too!”

“I threw him out of the Digital World, and he promised to _stay out_ until we could remove the seed,” Narakumon said, his anger rising like a great wave cresting over the ocean. “And yet now he’s running all over the place. You children are such _brats_ , it’s like you _enjoy_ rubbing it in my face that I can’t actually _stop_ you.”

Hikari furrowed her brow. “So does that mean that it’s Millenniumon making him do everything and the taint is keeping him from fighting back because it’s using his real thoughts against him like it is to Takeru?”

Finally, Narakumon’s anger seemed to wane, at least a little bit, as he fixed his gaze on Hikrari, but not unkindly. With an exhale of breath he shook his head. “It’s hard to say, but I don’t think those two dumbasses would be helping him if it was _entirely_ Millenniumon’s plan.”

“I assume those ‘dumbasses’ are FlaWizarmon and Witchmon,” Fallen Angewomon said, dryly. “Babamon said the same thing.”

Narakumon nodded. “Millenniumon may be influencing some things, but he’d have to be very subtle to avoid those two noticing. Not to mention, there’s no guarantee that Millenniumon is even _conscious_ at this point.”

“Because he’s in the Dark Ocean,” Hikari guessed in a halting voice. “Right?”

Narakumon gave a sharp nod, his expression grim. “I wasn’t _gentle_ in sending him there, let me _assure_ you.”

“But the threat is there,” Fallen Angewomon said.

“Yes,” Narakumon said, with a heavy sigh. “The threat is _always_ there.”

“So it could be Millenniumon, it could be the taint, or it could be the Digimon Kaiser himself,” Fallen Angewomon said as she turned to look at Hikari.

“Or a combination of all three,” Narakumon said. “But it’s hard to tell what those dumbasses are thinking, ever since…” His words faltered and he cut his thought off with a grunt. “Regardless, the fact remains that he’s trying to kill the Holy Beasts, and he’s already succeeded in destroying one.”

Instantly, Hikari thought back to the night she got the Digimental of Darkness and the golden light in the sky that gave her such an ominous feeling.

“It _could_ be that Millenniumon is seeking to obtain more power by absorbing them once they arrive in the Dark World,” Narakumon said, slowly. “ _Or_ it’s because they’re trying to stop the Digimon Kaiser from amassing his army, and they’re too powerful to control.” A dangerous expression darkened his entire demeanor. “ _Or_ he knows something I don’t.”

“Jijimon and Babamon seemed to think you knew something,” Fallen Angewomon said.

Narakumon paused at that before he sighed, reaching up to touch his forehead. “I know I _should_ have been able to see everything, but when I... went to rescue Keiko, I lost my vantage point. I couldn’t see the whole battle field, only… _her_.”

Pain forced the digital god to look away from the child before him, and for a moment there was silence as he collected himself.

“Ryo was already gone by the time I turned around, and that’s when I struck at Zeed Millenniumon and sent him to the Dark Ocean.” Narakumon said low, his expression growing darker as he reached up to clutch at his breastplate, shaking slightly with rage. “I can only imagine he did it on _purpose_ , _knowing_ that I’d be too busy focusing on Keiko to see him abducting Ryo.”

“The Dark Ocean is in the Dark World though,” Hikari said slowly. “It’s your domain, and it’s chaos so it obeys darkness, right? Can’t you just pull them out of the Dark Ocean?”

Pain cracked the mask of anger that was Narakumon’s face, and for a long moment he could only grit his teeth and breathe. “The Dark Ocean no longer listens to me,” he finally said, the words coming out bitter on his tongue. “It’s been completely infected, filled with the souls of the wicked… and those that were infected by Zeed Millenniumon’s _corruption_. As you might imagine, they’re less inclined to obey me, and would rather follow their own agendas in a bid to escape.”

Again, Narakumon had to take a moment to collect himself before he slowly shook his head and continued. “And those are the ones with a strong enough will to resist the madness. Most are consumed by it, and have lost their own identity. They only seek escape, and can be easily influenced by those who have kept their will.” His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Like _Zeed Millenniumon_.”

A shiver ran up Hikari’s spine. “So Zeed Millenniumon is taking control of all the lost souls in the Dark Ocean?”

Narakumon nodded. “They’re his personal army, whether they realize it or not. Many of them would _never_ have obeyed him, had they still even a small semblance of their old identities.”

“So how can we save Ryo?” Hikari asked. “And the Digimon Kaiser and Gennai and anyone else with Millenniumon’s Dark Seeds in them. How can we save them?”

“In order to save Ryo, we need to _find_ him,” Narakumon said. “And for that, we need his crest. Once we have his crest, we can use it to locate him - Zeed Millenniumon will not be able to hide him any longer.”

A terrible suspicion began to form in Hikari’s mind. “Don’t tell me… the Digimon Kaiser has Ryo’s crest like he has Keiko’s?”

Narakumon let out an undignified snort as he scowled. “Yes. It’s how he’s able to evolve your partners and how he’s able to mold the Dark Ocean into those damn _towers_ of his. He then uses _my_ crest to force the water to maintain a solid form.”

“But why would he…” Hikari trailed off as the answer seemed so obvious and sinister. “The Dark Ocean is manipulating him into thinking making all those towers is a good way to stop Millenniumon, when it’s trying to use him to escape the Dark World, isn’t it?”

Narakumon nodded, his expression grave. “The Dark Towers allow him to expand his reach, so that he can assert more control over the Digital World. But at the same time, it’s spreading the _Dark Ocean’s_ reach and allowing _it_ more influence as well. He seems to think he’s in total control, that my crest is allowing him to completely subdue its influence. He’s a damned _idiot_ on _top_ of being a brat.”

“So he basically thinks he’s in control,” Fallen Angewomon said as she crossed her arms. “But he’s actually being lead around by his nose.”

“And those two dumbasses think they can shield him,” Narakumon said, with a shake of his head. “Or perhaps they just don’t care anymore, so long as they have their revenge.”

“Revenge?” Fallen Angewomon repeated before she furrowed her brow. “Against Zeed Millenniumon?”

Narakumon’s hands clenched at his side, and the prolonged silence that hung in the air over him as his gaze went to someplace far on the horizon. “They were supposed to protect Keiko,” he said in a frigid tone.. “They _failed_.”

“Do you think they might have a Dark Seed in them too?” Hikari asked hesitantly.

Narakumon went quiet for several moments before he grunted, looking down at the floor. “It _should_ be impossible, but I… can’t rule it out. Zeed has managed to do the _impossible_ too many times for me to say one way or the other.”

Fallen Angewomon frowned before she turned to Hikari. “For now, let’s focus on healing Takeru. If that works, we can worry about-”

“‘ _If’_?!” Narakumon repeated as he whirled to face the angel Digimon, visibly bristling. “It _will_ work! There’s no taint my Darkness can’t erase!”

Hikari blinked, startled by the sudden burst of anger.

Fallen Angewomon stared at Narakumon for a moment, just as taken aback, before she turned to Hikari. “Anyway, _that’s_ been dealt with, we can worry about healing the Digimon Kaiser.”

“Don’t ignore me, _cat_!” Narakumon snapped before he whirled to face Hikari. “It _will_ work! I wouldn’t have told you to do it if it wouldn’t!”

Hikari smiled just a little in spite of Narakumon’s irritation. “It’s okay, there’s no need to be upset or worried. We wouldn’t have come to see you if we didn’t have faith in you. We know you want to help us save everyone, otherwise you wouldn’t have done so much already to help us.”

Narakumon paused as he stared at Hikari, before his face took a decidedly _red_ tint. He looked away as he fidgeted with his breastplate again. “S-so long as you understand the sheer magnitude of my power.”

Hikari nodded. “I know it’s not fair that everyone judges you just because of who you are and not for what you actually do for this world. Maybe after this is all over, everyone will realize they were wrong about you. I know Babamon and Jijimon feel guilty for misjudging you and wish they could apologize.”

Narakumon turned his head enough to look at Hikari out of the corners of his eyes, before he lowered his gaze to the floor. His face and voice were inscrutable by the time he spoke again. “Once you’ve purified the Child of Hope, the Digimental will need to be taken to the Battlefield Memorial. Place it on the monument there, and it will absorb the lingering darkness and become strong enough that even Zeed Millenniumon can’t prevent you from purifying the Digimon Kaiser.”

Fallen Angewomon arched an eyebrow, both at the way the Digimon dodged Hikari’s comment but also at his words. “Why can’t you do it now?”

Narakumon gave the angel Digimon a flat look. “As real as this world may seem to you, it is still a _dream_ landscape. I am but a phantom. Besides, I would not allow _any_ Chosen aligned with Light physically into my realm, not with the Dark Ocean as it is.”

Hikari thought back to the mural and all the crests tied to hers. “Or they’d become tainted like Takeru… and the Digimon Kaiser.” It was strange to think that the Digimon Kaiser’s crest was tied to hers, but she remembered that Kindness was just to the left of Light with Hope to the right.

Narakumon nodded. “If not snatch you directly and drag you beneath the waves.”

The very image made Hikari shiver. She tried not to think about it. “What about the pedestal in the DigiGod temple?” she asked. “Will that work too?”

“No,” Narakumon replied. “That will only charge it to its normal capacity. You will need it to… go beyond that.”

“Go beyond-?” Fallen Angewomon began before Narakumon raised his hand to stop her.

“The Battlefield Memorial is where I… manifested,” Narakumon said, softly. “My power has completely saturated the area, far beyond what would _normally_ be obtained by placing it on the altar at the temple. The Digimental will absorb all of the Darkness out of the land,” He paused, before he looked away. “And in doing so, undo the damage that I have done.”

After a moment, Hikari nodded as the enormity of the task ahead of her slowly sank in. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

Narakumon couldn’t hide the relief as he turned to face Hikari, or the eagerness that lit up his eyes. “I will send the coordinates to your little device. Go there, and you will find the Battlefield Memorial.”

“I understand,” Hikari said.

“Good,” Narakumon said with a nod before he raised his hands and gave a sharp clap. “Then wake up.”

Hikari’s eyes snapped open as she let out a gasp, a chill running through her body. As her eyes focused, she found herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, tucked securely beneath the sheets. Dawn trickled in through the window, the sun slowly rising above the horizon to cast the world in its summer blaze. Disoriented, she sat up and glanced about before focusing on her feet, where she saw Tailmon groggily sitting up as well, having de-evolved at some point.

The cat Digimon shook her head to clear the lingering fog before looking up to meet Hikari’s gaze. The sight of her Chosen Child woke up Tailmon the rest of the way as she snapped to attention, and she glanced about the room before focusing her attention out the window at the approaching morning. Furrowing her brow, she turned to face Hikari. “Hikari, I… you remember, don’t you? That wasn’t just a dream.”

Hikari nodded as she slowly gathered her bearings and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to my dreams being more than just dreams.”

Tailmon nodded before her expression became overcome with determination. “But for now, we know what to do.”

“Right,” Hikari said before reaching for her D-Terminal. “I’ll let Takeru know we want to meet with him right away.”

“They’re going to be annoyed,” Tailmon said, with a grin. “But that’s just something they’ll have to deal with.”

\---

The training hall was mostly empty as dawn filtered in through the windows to shine down on the wood panel floors and traditional Japanese paper walls. It gave Iori plenty of peace and quiet to practice by himself, without interruption. Wearing his kendo attire, he flowed through the exercises like a tranquil stream, his every movement powerful and measured with care that came from years of practice. With each thrust that struck imaginary opponents before him, he let out a cry that echoed through the morning air in a steady rhythm.

Iori was so engrossed in his training that he tuned out everything around him, including the fact that he had an audience. Standing in the doorway was a policewoman in full uniform with long brown hair tied back rigidly beneath her hat, her arms folded before her chest in front of her badge as she watched her son in silence. A faint smile played across her lips before she finally decided to step forward into the training hall.

“Good morning, Iori,” Fumiko said.

Iori stopped in mid-strike before he turned to look at the woman as she approached. “Good morning, mother. Are you on your way to work?”

Fumiko, nodded her head before she came to a stop along the edge of the carpet, just before the floor turned to wood. “You’ve been practicing a lot more than usual, lately.”

“Yes,” Iori said with a nod. “I need to keep myself in good form in order to avoid being a burden on the others.”

“Others?” Fumiko blinked. “Did you join a club?”

Iori paused before he nodded again. “Yes, I have.” It wasn’t a lie, as being a member of the Chosen was very much like a club. It wasn’t school sponsored and it involved fighting in a different world, but it was still a gathering of individuals united in a common interest.

Tension melted from the edges of Fumiko’s world weary green eyes as her smile grew to a much easier expression. “Good. That’s a relief… I was wondering what it would take to get you to socialize more with children your own age.”

Iori looked thoughtful for a moment before he chuckled. “Well, it was less making a conscious decision and more _Miyako_.”

Fumiko laughed as her smile widened. “Oh, of course. I should have known.”

“I apologize for the inconvenience,” Iori said, with a small bow as he lowered his bokken.

Fumiko shook her head. “No, no, it’s fine. It’ll do you some good.”

Iori paused before he straightened up and began to remove his gear, putting it away with great care. “Speaking of which, I’ve been asked to meet with them again today. Is that alright?”

“Of course,” Fumiko said, with an approving nod, before she reached over to ruffle her son’s hair. “Have fun, okay? I’ll see you when I get home from work.”

Iori reached up to brush his hair back into place, a soft smile on his face. “Have a good day at work.” He bowed once more before hurrying to the door of the dojo, which opened up into a garden. Slipping on his shoes, he made his way past the koi pond and the decorative flowers and bushes, heading towards the front gate.

The path to the gate took Iori by a small memorial at the center of the garden - made of a little stone altar covered by a red tile roof with lilies blooming around it. At the heart of the memorial was the monochrome picture of a man in a police uniform with bright eyes and a proud smile. Upon passing the shrine, Iori’s steps slowed on their own until he stopped right in front of the picture.

For a long time his gaze lingered on the image of the man and the smile that was clearer in the photo than the one inside his memory of the man. Finally, his eyes dropped to the ground, past the name of Hiroki Hida, to the bed of lilies that grew in a neat circle. He gave a quick bow before he was off again, leaving the yard without a backwards glance until the gate slammed closed behind him.

\---

The blow up from Taichi was inevitable; Hikari knew to expect it, which was why she only told him about meeting with Narakumon after nearly all of the Chosen had gathered in the Yagami apartment. The only one who didn’t respond to the email that called them all to the meeting tonight was Ken, which troubled Hikari, but she had far more pressing things to deal with at the moment.

“Do you have _any_ idea how dangerous that was!?” Taichi shouted as he threw his arms up into the air. “What if something happened to you?!”

“I would have dealt with it,” Tailmon replied as she sat beside Hikari on the couch.

“He’s a Digimon _god_! He could have done _anything_ to you and no one could have saved you!” Taichi said as he threw up his hands again. “That’s why we all agreed to see Narakumon together!”

“ _You_ agreed,” Tailmon said with a shake of her head. “Hikari never agreed to anything.”

Taichi bristled at the response and shot Tailmon a glare. “You keep out of this!” He turned back to his sister. “Hikari, don’t you have any idea how much danger you were in?!”

Tailmon arched an eyebrow as she stared wordlessly at Taichi, then turned to Hikari.

Hikari sat with her hands folded in her lap, watching her older brother. She would have replied, except he began to pace and continued his tirade.

“You should’ve at least woke me up and taken me with you!” Taichi shouted. “I was right in the next bedroom!”

Hikari waited until there was a moment of silence before she exhaled her breath in a weary sigh. “Are you going to actually let me say anything, or do you need to yell at me and Tailmon some more first?”

Taichi jerked at the question, momentarily caught off-guard, before he scowled. “I’m not yelling! I’m just upset you didn’t even tell me you were leaving!”

“You couldn’t have come with us,” Hikari said. “It was-”

“I could’ve at least watched you two through the Digital Gate!” Taichi snapped, cutting Hikari off. “At least then I could’ve seen what was going on, and you’d have a way out if things went south!”

Hikari tried not to let her annoyance show. She knew that Taichi was just worried for her safety, and she appreciated how much he cared for her, but her brother’s rant was giving her a headache. “It was a _dream_. Just like all the other dreams I’ve been having for _months_ now. The same dreams we haven’t been able to _stop_ from happening. The only reason Tailmon could dream with me was because of the Digimental of Darkness.”

Sora could understand Taichi’s frustration and concern, but even she could see the fault in Taichi’s logic. “She’s right… it wasn’t a physical place, so we _couldn’t_ have watched...”

Taichi felt mentally off balance by Hikari’s firm retort and spared Sora only a brief glance before he returned his attention to his sister. “If it’s a dream then we should’ve all been able to go! We’re all Chosen Children with magical powers or whatever, so what good are they if we can’t use them when we need them to keep each other safe?”

“Tailmon and I were here the whole time,” Hikari said. “We never left my bed.”

Taichi raised a finger. “You-”

A sudden, piercing sound echoed through the room, cutting off further argument. It was a regal, metallic sounding chime that was far louder than it had any right to be, startling the Chosen as they all jumped and looked about wildly for the source..

Miyako stared at her D-Terminal’s screen, readjusting her glasses to better see the grandiose message that appeared. “Okay, good news - we can email a digital god now. Also, Taichi, he apparently can watch us from the Digital World, and he’s telling you to cool it with reading Hikari the riot act.”

“What?” Without warning, Taichi snatched away the D-Terminal. “Give me that!”

 

_No, I do not mind._

_Tell the Child of Courage that I do not need his permission. I will talk to the Child of Light if I so wish, whenever I wish. My sanctuary is far more secure than allowing her to wander about, listening to the prattling of the Dark Ocean, so he should cease his own prattling and leave her be._

 

Taichi felt his cheeks redden, and he wound up sputtering a bit at the email. “He… that’s not the point! And what doesn’t he mind, anyway?”

“Talking to us over email,” Miyako said as she took back her D-Terminal. “You can bomb him with angry emails yourself if you’re really that upset with him, you know. It’ll give Hikari and Tailmon a chance to tell us what actually happened last night.”

While Taichi could only bristle and sputter, Daisuke rushed forward. “Senpai is just worried about Hikari-chan since, unlike some people, he actually cares about what happens to people he cares about.”

Miyako said nothing, merely staring at Daisuke with a deadpan expression as her fingers typed out another message.

 

_Do you work with idiots too?_

 

The same metallic chime echoed, sharp and quick.

 

_Yes._

 

Daisuke felt his suspicions prickling. “What? What did you just send him? What did he say?”

Miyako glanced down at the screen as she turned her body away so Daisuke couldn’t see the message. “Email him yourself.”

Taichi let out a noise of frustration before he went to pace in front of the balcony window, grumbling to himself.

Hikari sighed. “Big brother… I know you’re worried about me, and I really do appreciate it, but Narakumon isn’t our enemy. You know that… right?”

Taichi threw his arms up into the air as he turned back to his sister. “That’s not the point! The point is you went to someplace dangerous without me, and I couldn’t be there to save you if you got hurt or sick or worse!”

“I go on missions with Tailmon without you all the time,” Hikari said, trying to keep her voice gentle, though it carried an undercurrent of steel.

“But you have everyone else with you, and I can at least watch!” Taichi yelled. “These dumb dreams are dangerous, and it’s got to stop!”

Hikari squeezed her hands together. “It was going to happen. Narakumon didn’t make me go to the Dark World for all those months-”

“How do you know?!” Taichi snapped. “It’s _his_ world, right? Tailmon could only do it too because of him and _his_ Darkness powers, and it’s _his_ Chosen Child who kept luring you in there! He could be playing you!”

Hikari took a moment to breathe before responding again, the air hissing through her clenched teeth. “Keiko didn’t ‘lure’ me in there. She wanted to _help_ us and told us how to heal Takeru! She told me to _stop_ trying to save _her_ because the Dark World is the land of the dead and Millenniumon _murdered her_ and she’s trying to help keep us from dying too because he’s coming back, and he’s taking control of people and made Gennai betray us and used me to get to Tenraimon and made the Digimon Kaiser - whose crest is _Kindness_ \- do terrible things because he lost his friends to Millenniumon and he’s being driven crazy by the Dark Ocean like it’s trying to do to me _every night that it tries to drag me in and drown me in fear and madness and screams and…_ and… and…”

At some point during Hikari’s unexpected tirade she had gotten to her feet, but as pent up emotions gushed forth from her while she relived the emotional turmoil of the previous night, she found herself collapsing back down onto the sofa. Her cheeks were soaked with tears, and she distantly wondered when she had started crying before she covered her face and tried desperately to compose herself even though she felt so very tired.  
            Takeru moved quickly to Hikari’s side, leaving his position by Yamato to kneel down in front of her, grabbing her hands. “Hikari! Are you okay!?”

“Hikari-chan!” Daisuke cried as he practically tripped over the coffee table trying to get close to Hikari. “It’s okay! You’re safe here with us. We won’t let the Dark Ocean get you.”

“Hikari,” Tailmon said as she drew closer to her Chosen as well. “Just take a deep breath. You’ve been through a lot, and you need time to recover.”

Hikari nodded weakly and reached out to pull Tailmon close as she let out a sniffling hiccup.

Taichi felt his anger die under the weight of guilt and concern for Hikari. He stepped closer to his sister, but hesitated to get too close after upsetting her so much. “Hikari… I…”

“ _Trust me_ ,” Hikari said, her voice strained but still strong. “I just want you to trust me. I know you’re scared… I’m scared too… but this isn’t something you can fight for me. I mean… I couldn’t take your place when you were shot in the chest with Angewomon’s arrow, or when you went into the internet to fight Diablomon with Yamato and Omegamon, or when you were sucked up into the sky right in front of me…”

Taichi flinched as he remembered vividly how Hikari held onto his hand until the very last second when he was pulled back into the Digital World.

Hikari closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. “I know how you feel right now. I hated not being able to help you back then just as much as you hate not being able to help me now… but it seems like part of being Chosen means that there’s things that only _some_ of us can do while the rest of us… _can’t._ ”

An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air, as Taichi stood over his sister. No one spoke, each Chosen hesitant to interfere with the disagreement between the two Yagami siblings. Eventually, however, Taichi slumped and sat down on the sofa beside Hikari, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

“I just don’t want anything to happen to you again,” Taichi muttered as he pulled his little sister close. “I’m your big brother. I’m supposed to protect you.”

Hikari leaned against Taichi, feeling completely drained as she slowly shook her head. “I know,” she murmured. “I want to protect you too, but I don’t think it works like that.”

Tailmon watched Hikari and Taichi in silence for several moments before she cracked a small smile. “That’s right. _I’m_ supposed to protect Hikari, just like Agumon protects _you_.”

“And I protect Daisuke!” Chibimon said as he waved his paws in the air. “Nobody’s better than _me_ at protecting Daisuke!”

“I’m protecting Mimi,” Palmon chimed in as she turned to smile at her partner, with a giggle. “You won’t have to worry at all.”

“And I will protect Koshiro,” Tentomon agreed, with a sage nod of his head.

Gomamon tapped his claws against Jou’s arm. “Someone’s got to keep Jou from overdoing it, so I guess it’s got to be me who protects him.”

“And I’ll take care of Takeru!” Patamon said as he raised one of his paws to wave it.

The metal-chime of Narakumon came from Taichi’s D-Terminal in his pocket. He paused before he reluctantly pulled it out, flipping it open to see a message.

 

_Do not underestimate the value of emotional support. In many cases, this is the only defense against the Dark Ocean. This is what sets the Child of Light and the Child of Hope from the Child of Kindness._

_However, you are still an obnoxious meddler._

 

Taichi scowled at the last part of the message and typed a response back.

 

_Don’t you have anything better to do than spy on us?_

_I guess you have a point though._

 

Taichi reread part of the message Narakumon sent him and blinked. “Wait, whose crest is Kindness?”

“The Digimon Kaiser’s,” Tailmon said as she glanced at Taichi.

Taichi’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?!”

Hikari nodded. “Keiko told me herself.”

Yamato frowned. It seemed impossible, especially considering everything they had seen so far. However, he was actually far more concerned with something _else_ Hikari had said. “What was that you had said… about healing Takeru?”

Takeru turned to glare at his brother. While the focus on his shoulder always irritated him, Yamato drawing attention to it during such a conversation only served to rankle him even more than normal. “Big brother!”

Yamato stiffened, trying not to flinch under the furious stare the Chosen of Hope gave him. “I know I heard it. Did he tell you how to help Takeru?”

Hikari focused her soft gaze on Takeru. “Don’t worry, all I need to do is use the Digimental of Darkness’ energy on you and it’ll get rid of the taint.”

Yamato’s eyebrows shot straight up before he scowled. “If that’s all it took, why didn’t anyone say anything before!?”

Hikari looked sideways at Taichi. “I think it might have something to do with Darkness’ reputation.”

“So because of that, Takeru’s been suffering for no reason!?” Yamato demanded.

“I’m not _suffering_!” Takeru snapped.

Mimi placed her hand on Yamato’s shoulder. “It’s okay, it’s okay. All we have to do now is just use it, right?” She turned to Hikari expectantly who nodded.

Yamato paused at that and glanced at Mimi before he sighed and straightened up. “Right. If it works.”

Takeru’s cheek twitched as he stood up. “I don’t think-” The words died on his lips as he saw Hikari get up and begin to approach him, holding out her Digivice. The action was simple enough, completely non-threatening and in no way cause for concern.

Yet, panic flooded through Takeru unlike anything ever before, his instincts screaming as sweat and goosebumps broke out across his skin and he instinctively took a number of steps back away from Hikari. He couldn’t focus on the fact that he had startled her, or the concerned look she turned his way, just on the overwhelming terror that seized him and screamed at him to run as far away as he could from the Chosen of Light.

“ _Stay back_!” Takeru all but shrieked, striking out as voices in the back of his mind screamed for him to escape. He immediately froze as Hikari stumbled when he shoved her to the floor, and cries of surprise and shock came from the other Chosen as Tailmon moved to catch Hikari before her partner could get hurt from the fall.

“Hikari!?” Taichi moved to stand beside Hikari, then turned his attention to stare at Takeru in a mixture of shock and anger. “Just what are you doing!?”

A tremor ran through Takeru’s body as he stared at his outstretched hands, just stunned as everyone else by what he had just done. Guilt pushed back the voices screaming at him to run, and his expression was stricken with a turmoil of emotions as his quaking hands spread before him, as though to ward away what had just happened. He could barely hear his own voice over his rapid heartbeat echoing in his ears as nausea twisted his stomach until it was all he could do not to throw up. “I… I’m sorry, I… I don’t know why… I didn’t mean… it just _happened-_!”

Daisuke moved between Takeru and Hikari, his entire body tense and ready for a fight. Though he tried to look fierce, there was pain in his eyes. “Just because you’re my best friend, don’t think I’m going to let you hurt Hikari-chan!”

“I’m okay,” Hikari said as she got to her feet, far more calm than anyone else in the room. “I should’ve expected it… The Dark Ocean isn’t going to just let Takeru get rid of the connection to it.”

Yamato immediately moved between Takeru and Daisuke, his eyes daring Daisuke to try something with his little brother. “ _Sit down_.” His stare then shifted to Taichi who looked ready to throw a punch. “ _Both_ of you.”

Daisuke cringed back under Yamato’s intense stare, but Taichi met it head on.

“I’m not going to let Takeru attack Hikari, even if it’s because of the taint,” Taichi said, his voice tense, before he shifted his harsh gaze to Takeru. “We’ll just have to hold him down until it’s over.”

Yamato’s eyes narrowed. “He didn’t _attack_ her, so _back off_.”

“B-big brother, I-” Takeru began, anxiously looking up to Yamato. “It was…” He stopped when he felt Yamato’s hand come to rest on his shoulder.

“Not everything is about _Hikari_ ,” Yamato said, his voice cold.

Taichi pointed at Yamato. “Hikari was trying to _help_ Takeru, you know! You should be holding him down so she can actually cure him, not picking fights with us!”

“I’m not going to stand by and watch you threaten him because of something he couldn’t help,” Yamato growled, his hand unconsciously tightening on Takeru’s shoulder until it was almost painful. “Hikari knows what happened and understands, so sit your ass down and stay out of it!”

Defiantly, Taichi took a step closer to Yamato, glaring into his friend’s eyes. “ _You_ stay out of it! If you really want to help Takeru then you’ll hold him down and let Hikari help him!”

“ _That’s enough_!” Sora’s voice boomed through the room, startling everyone. She strode forward, moving between both Taichi and Yamato as she fixed each with a hard stare while placing a firm hand on their chests. “From the _both_ of you! Do you understand!?”

While the rest of the Chosen watched the argument with varying degrees of emotion, Takeru included, Hikari was not idle. Moving around both her brother and Yamato, she quickly came up on Takeru from behind. Before he could even realize what was happening, Hikari raised her Digivice and a moment later darkness flooded from its screen and encased him completely.

Takeru jerked as the shadows consumed him and turned the world dark around him. However, his surprise quickly was lost to _pain_ as a fire consumed his shoulder and made him feel as though his very flesh was melting away. He could barely shudder out a gasp as he blindly grabbed at the tainted patch of skin that now felt as though it was consuming him, and he stumbled before his legs gave out beneath him and he fell to his knees. He barely registered Yamato’s cry of shock and concern, and could only feel his brother grab him as he hunched over until his forehead touched the carpet. There was darkness and screaming all around Takeru, but he couldn’t tell who was screaming - him, the voices in his head, or _both_ \- all he knew was _pain_.

“Takeru!? Takeru!” Yamato shouted as he held his brother tightly. A shadow had encased Takeru, one that reminded him far too much of the darkness that tried to consume him and Sora in the depths of despair back during their first adventure. However, before he could think too much about that, he spotted something bleeding upwards through Takeru’s fingers clutched tightly on the tainted shoulder - black data. “W-what?”

Hikari knelt beside Takeru, her eyes wide with concern. “Takeru? Are you okay?”

Takeru shivered as he grit his teeth, holding his shoulder as he panted. The ordeal hadn’t gone on for more than a minute, but it felt much longer before the light returned around him, causing his eyes to sting before he squeezed them shut. He felt as though he couldn’t breathe, his lungs locking up in a vice of agony, as tears leaked from his eyes. The pain that lingered in his body was excruciating, but slowly it eased back until all that was left was a dull ache in his shoulder.

Finally, Takeru opened his eyes, his entire body quaking as he looked to Hikari and tried unsuccessfully to smile at her. “I’ve… been better.”

Yamato frowned before he quickly pulled on the collar on Takeru’s shirt to expose his brother’s shoulder. His eyebrows shot up as he saw between the gaps of Takeru’s fingers that the splotch of gray skin was once more a healthy shade of peach. “I-it’s… it’s gone!”

Takeru blinked before he turned to look, craning his neck to see. “It… felt like it... was being burned away.”

“I’m sorry,” Hikari said, her voice wavering. “I didn’t realize it would hurt so much.”

Takeru was about to respond when a loud chime came from his D-Terminal, cutting him off. He blinked before he glanced over to Hikari, quirking an eyebrow. Gingerly, he leaned back to pull his D-Terminal out of his pocket, flipping it open.

 

_The Child of Light chose correctly. The stronger the taint, the stronger the resistance._

_This means that the Digimon Kaiser will resist you to the fullest extent possible._

 

Takeru stared at the screen for a moment before he chuckled, weakly. “You don’t need to worry. I’m not angry at Hikari, so you don’t have to try and smooth things over.” He paused for a moment, his eyes looking to Hikari with regret and a silent apology.  “I think it’s pretty obvious I wasn’t going to give her a choice.”

“That was intense,” Daisuke said slowly. “So you don’t got anymore voices in your head now?”

Takeru glanced over to Daisuke before he offered a weak smile. “I think he burned _them_ out, too. It was kind of… scary, honestly. To actually hear screaming in your head, and it’s not you.” He had to pause for a moment as he noted that his throat was sore. “...I don’t think.”

Yamato sighed heavily as he flopped forward, bumping his forehead against Takeru’s. “Thank _god_ that worked. I was about ready to… I don’t know. But I was ready to do it.”

Takeru looked at his brother before he closed his eyes, his hand still gingerly holding his shoulder. The pain was gone, he still ached from the experience. But even that was beginning to fade, as was the cloud that had fogged his brain and pushed him into decisions and thoughts that now made him wince to think about. “So the Digimon Kaiser is tainted, too?”

Hikari nodded, her expression somber. “Not only that, but Millenniumon is manipulating him too. He has something called a Dark Seed inside him, a piece of Millenniumon that Millenniumon used to control a lot of Digimon too…” Her next words pained her to speak. “...Including Gennai.”

Koshiro jerked at the name. “Gennai is under Millenniumon’s control?”

Hikari closed her eyes. “Not only that… but apparently he was under Millenniumon’s control when he asked us to make the barrier. That’s why I can’t talk to Tenraimon anymore. The orb gave Millenniumon direct access to her through me… and it’s why he could evolve to Zeed Millenniumon and kill…”

Her voice failed her then. A small part of Hikari simply didn’t want to accept the terrible truth of Keiko’s fate, let alone the part they all had to play in it. Even if it was unintentional, the second she touched that orb, she had doomed Keiko and many others.

The weight was too much for Hikari to consider burdening onto her friends, at least not in full.

Tailmon turned to look at Hikari. “It’s not your fault. The only one to blame is Zeed Millenniumon.”

Hikari gave Tailmon a wan smile. “I know.” She did her best to shake off the melancholy, if only for her partner’s sake, and focused on the others. “Unfortunately, it seems that I need to go to the battlefield in order to charge the Digimental up enough to cure the Digimon Kaiser.”

“Which means using those coordinates Narakumon emailed us,” Yamato said, his voice low, before he turned to Takeru. “Are you up to it? You can stay behind-”

“I’m fine,” Takeru said as he slowly stood up, then rotated his shoulder to alleviate the lingering ache. “A little tired, but I can handle it. Besides…” He turned towards his brother. “I want to see this ‘Battle Memorial’ for my own eyes.” It sounded like it was the place where everything had first gone wrong - the source of all their problems. He had to see it, if only for that reason alone.

Yamato frowned before he nodded. “Fine, then I’m going too.”

“I think we should _all_ go,” Sora said as she looked around the room. “If any controlled Digimon show up, we can gate out quickly.”

“I’ll email Ken and let him know to meet us there!” Daisuke said enthusiastically as he whipped out his D-Terminal.

Miyako looked sideways at Daisuke and opened her mouth to say something, only to think better of it a moment later. Instead, she sent an email of her own to Ken.

 

_Just a heads up, the location Narakumon sent to us is a MEMORIAL site. There’s going to be talk about death going on that you might not want to be at ground zero for. I’ll send you a summary of the discussion minus the gory details when we get back._

 

It took a couple rewrites for Miyako to frame the message in a way that satisfied her, but finally she stopped fussing and hit send as she glanced sideways at Iori. Ultimately, she knew that there was no easy way to handle the topic of death for anyone, let alone those who had lost someone close to them in a very traumatic fashion.

“At least it was no one he knew,” Miyako thought as she looked at Hikari again. Unlike some of the others, she hadn’t missed the mention of murder. The fact that none of them was particularly close to Keiko was the only slim trace of comfort she could take from the situation, morbid though it was to consider that there was any sort of silver lining to the knowledge that one of the Chosen Children had died in the line of battle.

A small beep came from Miyako’s D-Terminal, completely different from Narakumon’s grandiose chime. She paused and turned to see that the message had come, surprisingly, from Ken Ichijouji. A similar beep came from Daisuke’s D-Terminal, signaling that he also had received a message. Miyako frowned before she opened it, steeling herself.

 

_Thank you. I’m sorry._

 

Miyako let out a sigh, mixed with relief and frustration at her own helplessness. He seemed to be doing better, even if he couldn’t quite bring himself to face them just yet. She understood it, that he needed time to sort his emotions again before he could face them. Everyone dealt with trauma differently, and while some would steel themselves and act like a wall against it, others would be a bit fragile when it was mentioned.

But the end result was still the same. All Miyako and the rest of the Chosen could do was be there for them, and support them the best they could.


	31. Chapter Thirty

The Digital World was known for having surreal elements to it, mostly consisting of objects in places where they shouldn’t normally be. The battlefield memorial, however, was unlike anyplace else the Chosen had ever seen.

The landscape was twisted, warped like something straight out of an Escher painting. Hills curved upwards before twirling about as clumps of charred land floated in the blackened sky among glowing lines of data. What little plant life remained was mangled in odd contortions, and large burnt buildings stretched out in impossible directions, as if the architects couldn’t decide which way to go and gave up following the laws of physics.

Even with the bizarre landscape, one thing was abundantly clear - the land had been the site of something truly awful. The scent of charred flesh lingered, even though there was no visible fire to be seen, and the oppressive atmosphere was reminiscent of a cemetery.

Takeru slowly surveyed their surroundings, his eyes roaming across the area before he stopped and turned to Hikari. “This is… I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“I see now why they named it the Battlefield Memorial,” Tailmon said, her expression grim. “It’s _literally_ a battlefield.”

“But… has it always looked like this? This is strange, even for the Digital World,” Sora said tentatively as she reached up to place her hand over her heart.

Hikari held her digivice firmly in her hand, pressing it to her chest as she surveyed her surroundings. The twisted landscape matched the vice twisting in her heart as it fully set in just what she was seeing. More than that, she could _feel_ it - the aura of Darkness, completely saturating the land. It made the hair raise on her skin, pricking at her like static. “This is…”

“It’s because of Narakumon, isn’t it?” Tailmon asked, slowly as she turned to look at her Chosen. “This is what happened when he came to rescue Keiko.”

Hikari nodded slowly, though her eyes were still on the land around her.

“So _this_ is what Jijimon and Babamon meant, about him ‘manifesting’ or whatever?” Yamato asked before he let out a grunt. “Everything’s… _mangled_.”

“If it does this to the _land_ , I can only imagine what it did to the _Digimon_ ,” Miyako said before she glanced at Hikari out of the corner of her eyes. “And the _people_.”

Hikari’s expression grew determined as she tightened her grip on her Digivice before she stepped forward, venturing further into the wrecked land. The other Chosen Children gave each other uneasy glances before they followed after the Chosen of Light as she led the way.

The landscape didn’t get any better as the Chosen journeyed deeper into the heart of the battlefield. Scorched craters and charred buildings awaited them, scarred long after the fire that had marred them had gone cold.

Soon enough, the human children and their Digimon came to the center of the battlefield, where they were greeted by a large statue. It was in the shape of a marble angel kneeling as it prayed, eerily reminiscent of a gravemarker from the human world. Even more, it was the only structure in the entire area that was whole and unwarped - in pristine shape without a trace of soot or ash.

“Yeah, that’s _definitely_ not ominous,” Takeru said as he approached the statue, placing his hands on his hips. He paused before his eyes drifted downward to a small plaque, black with copper lettering - and in plain Japanese, not the Digital World’s alphabet. His eyes drifted across the words as he read them, a small frown appearing on his face. “‘In memory of the fallen and the taken’.”

Hikari stared at the plaque in silence for several moments before her eyes widened. “Keiko and Ryo?”

“It’d match what we know,” Yamato said as he came to a stop beside his little brother. “But doesn’t it feel kind of… out of place?”

Sora furrowed her brow as she looked over the statue. “You’re right… it’s not damaged at all, or making weird shapes.”

“It must have been placed here after the fact,” Takeru said as he tilted his head. “But who?”

Hikari reached out to touch the placard, closing her eyes. One thought came to mind immediately - the Digimon Kaiser. The very idea made her heart twist, and renewed her determination to fulfill Keiko’s wish. There _had_ to be good in the Chosen of Kindness, somewhere - buried under all his pain and suffering. She just needed to reach him.

Opening her eyes again, the Chosen of Light looked down at her Digivice. “This is a good place-”

“ _Kaaaaaaaa-BONG!”_

Hikari jerked at the strange, high-pitched voice and looked up just in time to see a guitar swinging down towards her head. She froze with wide eyes, but Tailmon moved before the weapon could impact, yanking her backwards and away from the strike as it whiffed past her face close enough that she felt the slight breeze of it passing.

“Hikari!” Taichi moved quickly, crossing the distance between himself and his sister so that he could catch her before she landed on the ground.

“Hikari!?” Takeru cried as he whipped about to face the fallen girl, hurrying to her side.

“Hikari-chan!” Daisuke said as he crouched beside her. “Are you okay-”

“Daisuke!” V-mon barked out as he lunged forward, his eyes blazing with ferocity. “It’s a _Digimon_!”

Daisuke looked up at V-mon’s words, past Tailmon and V-mon as they crouched protectively in front of the children, to see a Digimon he didn’t recognize. It looked like a small fluffy cat in a jester’s outfit, with a long tail decorated in jingling bells. The outfit itself looked like patchwork, with star print and tiny cloth wings on his back. But contrary to what was expected of a jester, his outfit wasn’t colorful at all - it was completely gray, save for a large black splotch on his left side.

The only bit of color came from the Digimon’s gold eyes as he glared at the Chosen, standing on top of the memorial as he held a massive wooden guitar like a bludgeoning weapon. His murderous intent was palpable, mixed with a hatred that none of the Chosen were prepared for.

“...Kyoumon thinks it’s _rude_ for _Trespassermons_ to come where they’re not _invited_ ,” the Digimon said, his voice harsh despite the squeaky, high-pitched quality to it. “So Kyoumon’s going to _knock_ some _manners_ into them, even if it means _knocking their heads clean off_.”

The rest of the Chosen Digimon rushed to join V-mon and Tailmon, crouched in preparation for their opponent’s next attack. Tailmon stood at the forefront, her arms spread out protectively as her eyes focused intently on Kyoumon.

“Hikari, stay back,” Tailmon said, her tail lashing behind her.

“You’re the one without manners!” Palmon said with a scowl. “Attacking so suddenly like that!”

“Koshiro, please be careful,” Tentomon said as he hovered over the rest of the group. “Something is very wrong with that Digimon.”

As if to emphasize Tentomon’s words, Kyoumon began to flash, flickering and fluctuating as if he were an image glitching across the screen - except he was most certainly directly in front of them. Just as quickly as it had started, the flashing ceased, and Kyoumon remained where he was, as if nothing had happened. Instead, the Digimon narrowed his eyes as he tightened his grip on his guitar. “Ka… _bong_!”

Twirling his guitar, Kyoumon lunged and slammed it down into the ground directly in front of the Chosen Digimon, sending both them and Chosen Children scurrying in all directions.

V-mon skidded about as he whirled to face Kyoumon, clenching his fists as he kept his eyes focused on their opponent. “Daisuke!”

Daisuke nodded, understanding even without words, and raised his Digivice. “Digimental Up!”

V-mon crouched, waiting for the light of evolution to take over and transform him into his more powerful form. It was normally instantaneous, but as both Chosen and partner waited, no light came. In the end, Daisuke was left awkwardly standing in place, his digivice held upwards, while V-mon waited for an evolution that never came. After a moment, V-mon blinked before turned to stare at Daisuke. “I… I didn’t evolve!”

“What!?” Daisuke gaped at his partner, then yanked his Digivice down to look at the screen. “The Digimental has energy, doesn’t it?!”

“We just charged them!” Takeru said, as alarm flooded him. “Has the Kaiser-?”

The loud, jarring, regal sounding tone that had become fairly familiar interrupted Takeru, originating from Miyako. The bespectacled girl paused before she pulled out her D-Terminal, finding a message waiting from her - from Narakumon.

 

_Miracles cannot occur when Darkness is overwhelming._

 

Miyako furrowed her brow as she read over the email. “‘Miracles cannot occur when Darkness is overwhelming’...”

“What does _that_ mean-” Yamato began before he yelped, jerking back as Kyoumon lunged to swipe at him with his guitar, sending the Chosen of Friendship scurrying back.

“Kyoumon thinks it’s even _more_ rude to _ignore_ him when he’s trying to _kill you_!” Kyoumon said as he hopped off to the side, swinging his guitar in a sweeping motion.

“Big brother!” Takeru cried out before he glared at the attacking Digimon, clenching his fists. “You… Patamon, are you blocked too?”

Patamon gritted his teeth. “Sorry, Takeru. I tried, but nothing happened.”

“What are we- _eek_!” Sora yelped as Kyoumon interrupted her, lunging towards her with a feral snarl and a swing of his guitar.

“Sora!?” Taichi cried out, whirling about on his heels.

Iori was instantly in front of Sora, blocking the strike with his bokken. Steeling his legs so that the force of the blow didn’t send him back, the stern boy met the Digimon’s eyes with a piercing stare of his own. “Whatever your reasons may be, there is no excuse for attacking the defenseless.”

Kyoumon faltered, his ears canting back as he was taken aback by both Iori’s words and his stare. He jumped back, putting distance between himself and the armed boy, before he raised his guitar high in the air. “K-Kyoumon doesn’t need to excuse himself to _anyone_ , especially not _Trespassermons_!”

“We’re _not_ trespassing! We were _told_ to come here!” Yamato snapped as he moved in front of Sora protectively, with Taichi right by his side. “What does that even _mean_!?”

“ _Kyoumon_ didn’t invite you!” Kyoumon said with a growl as he held his guitar threateningly. “Which means Kyoumon’s going to make you _pay_!”

Patamon took a deep breath before he fired a blast of air at the Digimon. “Airshot!”

Kyoumon swung his guitar about, striking at the blow and dispelling it with a powerful _whack_. As he did, Palmon quickly struck with an attack of her own, elongating her fingers to try and grab the puppet. It wasn’t quick enough to snatch Kyoumon, who saw the purple plant-like fingers coming and struck at them even as he hopped out of the way. “Too slow, too slow! Stupid Trespassermons are too slow!”

“V-mon Head!” V-mon said as the dragon Digimon charged at his opponent, his head lowered to a ramming position as he held his arms out to the side.

Kyoumon twirled his guitar before bringing it down harshly on V-mon’s head, striking the Child Digimon down as a discordant burst of music emphasized the impact. He swiftly followed up with a blow that struck Gomamon in the face, the seal Digimon unable to finish his attack before he got a face full of guitar.

“Koshiro, we’re not in a good position to fight without evolving,” Tentomon said as he hovered protectively in front of his partner. “Kyoumon is an Adult Digimon-”

Tailmon rushed in to attack Kyoumon, who brought his guitar around just in time to block her. The cat Digimon’s claw collided with the guitar, which managed to somehow survive the strike despite looking as if it were made of mere wood. Kyoumon grit his teeth as he held the guitar handle tightly, holding Tailmon back as he focused his ire on her.

“If you want a fight, you’ve got one,” Tailmon said as she kept applying force to the guitar, trying to push Kyoumon back.

Kyoumon growled as his legs wobbled, still valiantly trying to brace himself. “That’s Kyoumon’s line!”

“Please wait a second!” Hikari shouted as she stepped forward. “Narakumon is the one who told us to come here so we can fix what’s wrong with this place. We don’t have to fight!”

Kyoumon turned to glare at Hikari before he paused, his eyes widening. He stared at the Chosen of Light before he furrowed his brow. “Huh…?”

Reality appeared to ripple around the Chosen, pixels glitching about them. As suddenly as it had begun, it was over and the Chosen Children found their clothes having been completely changed. Iori’s and Daisuke’s clothing didn’t differ from their previous transformations, as both still sported the samurai attire and fiery jacket combo respectively. Takeru’s leather outfit had returned, though the tear over his shoulder had been completely repaired, with the police tape that had been patching it long gone.

Miyako’s outfit had changed again, quite drastically. She wore a long grey robe with a off-white hooded vest over top of it, with fingerless black gloves and simplistic brown boots typically found in medieval media. On the top of her head was a strange helmet, dark brown with a lighter brown trim and two large green orbs attached to either side of the trim just over her ears. Topping off the outfit were two red rune marks, one on either cheek.

The other Chosen’s outfits were far more subdued, as their summer clothes were replaced with their school uniforms. Even Jou’s uniform had returned, though it was no longer tattered and torn as it had been the last time their outfits manifested.

However, of all the changes, the most startling change was Hikari’s own outfit. The white patterned dress that she had always worn had turned completely black.

“This dress…” Hikari murmured as she stared down at her outfit. She knew in an instant where it had come from, and the significance of the change. “It’s Kei-”

“ _Keiko_!” Kyoumon squealed before he rushed towards Hikari, darting past the other Chosen in his obvious excitement. “Keiko, Keiko, Keiko!”

Hikari was speechless as Kyoumon latched onto her in an enthusiastic hug. She was glad that he had stopped attacking them, but at the same time it felt wrong because of the way he kept chanting Keiko’s name. “I’m not-”

“You’re okay!” Kyoumon cried out, practically squirming with glee. “And not on fire!”

Hikari cringed, as the words reminded her of the glimpse she got of Keiko’s burnt back.

“You changed your _hair_ and your _face_ and your _body_ and even your _eyes_ aren’t quite as red as they used to be, and _Rudemon_ is _totally_ different!” Kyoumon said, with immense cheer. “But it’s the same dress~! Kyoumon’d know it _anywhere_!”

Takeru stared at Kyoumon as he carefully moved to stand beside Hikari, keeping his movements slow so as not to agitate the strange Digimon. “So really, it’s the dress. _I_ could be wearing it, and he’d still call me Keiko.”

Miyako looked down at her new attire, as well as the strange ornate staff in her hand and shrugged. “Hey, I’m not going to complain about our costume change this time.”

Daisuke grimaced as he focused on Kyoumon who remained latched onto Hikari. “Hey, don’t you think that’s enough hugging Hika… er… Keiko?” He looked to Hikari, a silent question in his eyes and a grimace on his lips.

Hikari could only look back at Daisuke helplessly, as she felt overwhelmed by the situation. She didn’t want to upset Kyoumon after he stopped attacking them when he appeared very unwell, but at the same time… “Kyoumon, everyone here is your friend, okay? Keiko wants us to be here… so we can help her other friend who’s very sick right now.”

Kyoumon blinked and looked up at Hikari, before he giggled. “Okay, Keiko~! Because Keiko wants Kyoumon to be friends with Keiko’s friends, Kyoumon will be friends~!”

Hikari could see where she went wrong with her statement, but she wasn’t sure how to clarify, or even that she should, without risking Kyoumon getting enraged and attacking them again. “That’s… good. Thank you, Kyoumon.”

“Heeheehee~!” Kyoumon giggled, his smile wide as it showed off his teeth. “Anything for Keiko, Keiko~!”

Yamato glanced at his brother, his expression uneasy, before he returned his attention to the strange Digimon. “So, does that mean… you were here for the battle?”

Kyoumon bent his head backwards, looking at Yamato upside down. “Yup, yup! Kyoumon fought with Keiko and _eeeeeeveryone_ else~! Kyoumon saw _eeeeeeveryone_ die,” He paused before he righted himself, smiling at Hikari. “But then, but then! Keiko and Rudemon came back, and so did K-chan and FlaWizarmon and Witchmon! The amount of Kyoumon’s friends still alive has _doubled_!”

Tailmon’s ears flicked before she turned to look at Hikari, her expression grim. While spoke Kyoumon innocently, his words still conveyed a dark truth that the Chosen had only just learned. After all, memorials were for the living to mourn and the dead _to be_ mourned.

Hikari reached up to place her hand over her heart as it twisted painfully in her chest. She ached in sympathy, not just for Keiko and Nyamon but Kyoumon as well - and everyone else who was suffering in ways that she had only just begun to realize. It made her all the more determined to help them.

“Hey, Kyoumon,” Taichi said, wearing a smile that was far too tight to hide his nervousness at how close such a dangerous Digimon was to Hikari. “How about you give H… _Keiko_ a break to hug someone else for a while?”

Kyoumon turned to stare at Taichi for a moment before a bright smile appeared on his face. “Is Keiko’s friend asking for a hug from Kyoumon!? Kyoumon would be _glad_ to!” He then released Hikari before turning to lunge at Taichi, arms outstretched. “Hug hug hug from Kyoumon!”

Taichi’s eyes bugged out and he could only manage a yelp before he was glommed onto tightly by an especially eccentric Digimon.

Yamato glanced at Taichi as the Chosen of Courage yelped and fell to the ground, Kyoumon on top of him. He quirked an eyebrow as a small smile appeared on his face. “Well, you did kind of ask for it.”

Hikari sighed, feeling both relief that her brother had taken Kyoumon’s attention for a moment as well as overwhelming sympathy for the Digimon. It was very clear that something was wrong with him, though she admittedly didn’t know how he had acted _before_ the great battle that had ruined so many lives. It was all the more reason to hurry with her mission, to save the people who were still within the realm of saving.

Turning her attention to the monument, Hikari pulled out her Digivice. Flipping open the screen and changing it to the Digimental menu, she accessed one of the options they had known about but never had a reason to use - ejection. A bright silver light appeared on her screen before the Digimental of Darkness suddenly materialized. Snatching it with her hand, Hikari held it close as she approached the monument.

Takeru frowned as he watched the Chosen of Light. “Is it really safe to do this? Didn’t Jijimon and Babamon say to keep it hidden? What’ll keep someone else from just waltzing in and taking it?”

The loud, piercing chime of Narakumon made all the Chosen jump again, though Miyako was first to actually access her D-Terminal. Her eyes scanned over the screen before she looked up at the staring Chosen. “He says it’ll be fine. The Digimon we’d need to worry about are too afraid to even come close, and it’s not just because of Kyoumon,” She paused before she looked back down at the screen of her D-Terminal. “And the Digimon Kaiser _refuses_ to come here.”

Hikari nodded slightly. “Narakumon himself asked me to do this, and since it’s his Digimental, I think it’ll be okay.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine~!” Kyoumon said as he giggled, swinging from Taichi’s arm as the older boy got up to his feet. “Kyoumon will make sure Keiko’s Digimental is safe!” His smile grew twisted, a rather unpleasant hint in his dull eyes. “Kyoumon will send all Trespassermons to _hell_.”

Sora felt a shiver run up her spine as she stared at Kyoumon, then turned to look anxiously at Taichi. She wasn’t particularly thrilled about how close the murderous Digimon was to Taichi, any more than he appreciated Kyoumon being near Hikari.

Hikari looked at Kyoumon before she turned her attention back to the monument. Carefully, she placed the Digimental of Darkness at the feet of the angel, directly above the placard. As soon as the Chosen of Light released the Digimental, it began to emit a soft silver glow.

“It looks like it’s working,” Takeru said as he stared at the Digimental, then turned to Hikari. “So now what, we just… let it do its thing?”

Hikari nodded. “It’ll absorb the Darkness, just like it would at its altar.”

“That’ll fix the area, right?” Mimi asked as she glanced around, furrowing her brow. “And make it not so… creepy?”

Hikari nodded again, her expression growing determined. “ _And_ it will give the Digimental of Darkness enough power to purge the Digimon Kaiser of his taint, just like it did Takeru.”

Takeru grimaced. The memory of the screaming inside his head still lingered, enough that the reminder was able to call it back in full force. Combined with the creepy atmosphere and Kyoumon’s own behavior, it filled the Chosen of Hope with an intense need to spend as little time at the memorial as possible. He opened his mouth to speak when a sudden, blaring trumpet sounded off behind the group. It was loud and comedically loud, but the stench that followed it was by no means humorous. The Chosen of Hope choked on his words as he clasped his hands over his mouth and nose. “Gy-gyeagh!?”

Yamato gagged before he grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling it up to cover the lower part of his face. “Wh-what… what the hell-!?”

Mimi shrieked as she scrunched up around herself to avoid the stench. “What is that?!”

Daisuke coughed and buried his face halfway into his jacket. “D-damn it, Jijimon! Not again!”

As the Chosen and their Digimon choked and sputtered around him, Kyoumon reared up, placing his paws on the top of Taichi’s head as his ears perked. “Kyoumon knows that stench _anywhere_! It’s _Neemon_!” The puppet squealed happily as he squirmed, sitting on Taichi’s shoulders. “Neemon, Neemon, Neemon!”

“You’re kidding,” Taichi coughed. “Now there’s _two_ toxic fart masters?”

Kyoumon giggled, smiling brightly. “It smells so bad that Kyoumon might die~!”

Iori eyed Kyoumon, pinching his nose as his eyes watered, before he looked about to see the Digimon in question - the floppy-footed Neemon. Neemon trotted towards them casually, as if he hadn’t unleashed something foul upon them.

“Kyoumon!” Neemon squealed as he waved a noodly arm wildly in the air. “Hi Kyoumon! Hi! Hi everyone! Is it visit Kyoumon day for you too?”

“Y-you could… you could say that,” Takeru said as he coughed into his hands.

“Keiko came to visit, and brought new friends!” Kyoumon announced, gleefully, before he swung on Taichi’s arm like a swing. “Kyoumon is meeting so many new Humanmons!”

“Keiko?” Neemon asked, blinking his blank dot eyes at Kyoumon as he tilted his head so far to his side he nearly toppled over. “Where’s Keiko? Neemon wants to say hi to Keiko too!”

“Silly Neemon!” Kyoumon said, with a toothy smile. “Keiko’s right there! And Rudemon’s here, too!” He gestured with his tail, snapping it in Hikari’s direction. “The fire didn’t change her _that_ much!”

Neemon stared at Hikari for a long moment with a wondrous hum. “You look different Keiko! Hi! Did you have fun being on fire? Didn’t it hurt? Fire makes me all hurty. The Digimon Kaiser used it on me a _lot_!”

Hikari cringed.

“...I know they don’t mean anything by it,” Yamato muttered as he eyed the two Digimon. With one Digimon obviously crazy and the other as dumb as a sack of bricks, it was no small wonder that neither understood what was going on. “But we should probably try to explain it to Neemon later, _after_ we’re away from Kyoumon.”

Taichi nodded, scowling at the way Hikari looked ready to throw up after Neemon’s comments. “I’m all for leaving now if you are, Hi…” He cut himself off and scowled. “‘Keiko’.”

Hikari nodded as she tried to banish horrible images from her mind. “I… I don’t think there’s anything else we can do here right now…”

“Oh?” Neemon asked. “Visiting Kyoumon time is over already? But Neemon just got here! Kyoumon’s been lonely in this bad place all this time, hasn’t he?”

With the air finally clear enough to breathe comfortably, Mimi turned a sympathetic eye to Kyoumon as he glitched out again. “Maybe Kyoumon can come with us?”

Koshiro furrowed his brow. “Actually, I think it’d be better if Kyoumon stays here. If the Digimental can cure this place, it’ll probably fix what’s wrong with his data if he was corrupted by Darkness as well.”

Mimi straightened up, forcing down her strong negative feelings for the distorted space they were in. “Well, then how about some of us stay a little longer to keep Kyoumon company?”

Kyoumon drooped at the talk of the Chosen’s departure, but Mimi’s words promptly cheered him up. He turned to smile at Mimi, his tail wagging. “Yes, yes, a little longer! Talk a little longer with Kyoumon, okay?”

“You can stay,” Taichi said as he tried to tactfully pry Kyoumon off his arm without angering the unbalanced Digimon, “but I think… _Keiko_ has had enough for one day.”

Hikari shook her head. “N-no, it’s okay. I don’t mind keeping Kyoumon company. You’ve probably been alone here for a long time, haven’t you?”

Instead of being removed, Kyoumon latched on to Taichi’s other arm and wrapped his tail around it, with a giggle. “Yep, yep~! Kyoumon has been here for a _very, very, very_ long time… aaaaall by himself. FlaWizarmon and Witchmon used to visit, but they haven’t been by in _for-e-ver_.” The puppet paused before he drooped. “Even K-chan won’t visit anymore.”

“K-chan?” Sora repeated before her eyes widened. She had heard the nickname numerous times before, from FlaWizarmon and Witchmon. “You mean the Digimon Kaiser?”

Kyoumon turned to stare at Sora, unblinkingly. “Kyoumon means K-chan. K-chan is K-chan.”

Yamato moved between Kyoumon and Sora, an uneasy smile on his face. “Right, of course. K-chan. We all like K-chan, don’t we?”

Kyoumon smiled as he flicked his tail, the bells attached to it jingling. “That’s right~! Eeeeeveryone loves K-chan~!”

“Maybe you can tell us a little about what K-chan was like,” Hikari said softly, “ _before_ the battle.”

“K-chan was silly!” Neemon piped in. “The silliest ever! He liked to wear dresses and get kidnapped and be called princess!”

Kyoumon paused at that before he frowned. “Kyoumon doesn’t think K-chan _liked_ it, but…” He then smiled brightly. “No one really cared, especially not the Chessmon!”

“K-chan did it so much he must’ve loved being the prettiest princess in all the Digital World,” Neemon said with a sage nod.

“Wait,” Daisuke said slowly, “so the Digimon Kaiser dressed up like a princess and…” He couldn’t even finish due to his laughter, as the image of the Digimon Kaiser dressed in a stereotypical pink princess gown trapped in a tower like in a video game was too much for him.

Mimi’s expression contorted in a mixture of distaste and jealousy. “No way, a boy like K-chan couldn’t have been the _prettiest_ princess ever.”

Palmon glanced up at Mimi, furrowing her brow. “I’m not sure that’s the point…”

Kyoumon hopped over into Mimi’s arms. “Kyoumon wouldn’t know. Kyoumon only knew _three_ Humanmons and only _one_ of them was a princess. Ryo was a cur and Keiko was a queen, so K-chan was the princess.” He climbed on to her shoulder to stand there, seemingly weighing nothing at all, as he puffed up and put his hands on his hips while doing his best scowling impression. “Keiko’d go _stop this foolishness or I’ll destroy you_ and then they’d give back K-chan, and then he’d take off the dress and make everyone promise never to talk about it again or he’d _die_.” Kyoumon nodded sagely. “So Kyoumon didn’t.”

Neemon nodded with a bright smile on his face. “Nope! Kyoumon didn’t tell anyone ever! I heard it.”

“...You kind of just did,” Yamato muttered.

“So _K-chan_ was the damsel in distress and Keiko was his knight in shining armor?” Miyako asked, unsuccessfully stifling a snicker behind her hand.

“Yep!” Kyoumon said, cheerfully. “K-chan’s so kind, very very _very_ kind. He never did _any_ fighting. He always felt bad and would cry whenever someone got hurt.”

“Keiko killed almost allllll the Digimon for everyone!” Neemon said as he flailed his arms around in the air. “Sometimes she didn’t even need Nyamon for it either! And when Narakumon got mad, Keiko got _scary_ and talked like him and everything went dark around her and she was scarier than even the scariest Digimon ever!”

Tailmon narrowed her eyes before she glanced at Hikari. “Talked like him, and everything went dark… like how you’d glow when Tenraimon possessed you?”

“I guess it’d make sense,” Takeru said as he crossed his arms. “Tenraimon can possess Hikari, and Narakumon can possess Keiko…”

“Ryo’d help too!” Kyoumon offered, helpfully. “He made the decisions and everything, and Keiko was always _I don’t care do what you want_ and so Ryo and K-chan would, and Keiko’d follow them while pretending she wasn’t.”

“Ryo made friends with everybody after K-chan did it because Ryo was the hero and Keiko was the killer and K-chan was the cutie!” Neemon squealed.

“...Hey, so why are you calling him ‘K-chan’ instead of his first name?” Yamato asked. “You don’t do that for Ryo or Keiko.”

“Because Kyoumon’s doing it,” Neemon declared, matter-of-factly.

“And you never asked why?” Jou asked, blinking.

Neemon stared at Jou with a blank look on his face. “Nope!”

Yamato frowned before he turned to Kyoumon. “So, why are _you_ calling him K-chan?”

“Because FlaWizarmon and Witchmon told Kyoumon to,” Kyoumon replied. “They told Kyoumon that Kyoumon has to say K-chan, or Keiko will be mad. So Kyoumon will make sure to only say K-chan!”

Yamato scowled. It made perfect sense that the two Digimon would try and protect the Digimon Kaiser’s identity. The fact that they’d take advantage of someone who was clearly not able to see the connection or even question their intentions made his blood boil. “But what’s K-chan short for?”

Kyoumon shrugged. “Kyoumon can’t spell.”

“I always assumed it stood for _Kaiser_ -chan,” Takeru said as he glanced to Hikari. “But I bet it actually stands for _Kindness_ -chan.”

Tailmon nodded. “It’d make sense. FlaWizarmon called Hikari ‘Light Darling’, after all.”

“Oh, oh!” Kyoumon waved his paw. “FlaWizarmon always called Keiko ‘Lady Darkness’!” He paused before he lowered his paw. “Or M’lady, or ma’am.” The puppet then beamed brightly as he turned to look at Hikari. “Kyoumon just called Keiko ‘Keiko’!” He then shifted his eyes to Tailmon. “And _Rudemon_.”

“I guess that confirms it, doesn’t it?” Jou asked as he adjusted his glasses.

“Which means his name could be _anything_ ,” Yamato grunted before he looked at the two Digimon. “But you _do_ know it?”

“Yep!” Kyoumon said, brightly.

“Yep, yep!” Neemon agreed.

“Can you tell us what it is?” Koshiro asked eagerly.

“K-chan,” Kyoumon replied.

“No, his _real_ name,” Koshiro said.

“K-chan is K-chan!” Kyoumon declared. “Until Keiko says he isn’t~!”

Koshiro blinked. “Huh?”

Kyoumon turned to look at Hikari, beaming. “Right, Keiko~?”

Mimi glanced at Hikari as a particular glint appeared in her eyes. “So, you’d tell us if ‘Keiko’ said it was okay?”

“No,” Hikari said, the word coming out without hesitation. She hated the fact that they were playing along with Kyoumon’s misunderstanding and the suggestion was just too much for her. “I… no. I won’t do this.” She turned away from the others, folding her arms across her body as she felt a terrible chill that made her all the more aware that she was wearing the clothes of a girl whose death she played even a small part in.

Taichi went to Hikari’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hikari? Are you okay?”

“Don’t ask me to pretend to be her,” Hikari whispered, her voice strained as she tried to keep herself composed. “I can’t…”

“I agree,” Iori said, with a sharp nod. “There are some things that simply shouldn’t be done.”

Taichi frowned and looked over at the others. “We’re leaving. The rest of you can stay ask more questions, but Hikari and I are going home.”

A small part of Hikari wanted to protest, knowing how important it was to get the Digimon Kaiser’s name, but all she could think about was Keiko’s body burning up without flames right in front of her.

Mimi frowned before she turned to Neemon. “Well, could _you_ tell us, Neemon?”

“Eeeeehhhh?” Neemon gasped, recoiling to the point that he nearly fell over backwards. “I can’t break a promise to _Keiko_!”

“ _You_ didn’t make the promise,” Mimi insisted.

“But Kyoumon promised!” Neemon squeaked.

Mimi let out a frustrated huff. “But you didn’t!”

Neemon flailed his arms. “But Kyoumon did!”

“That’s _right_ ,” Kyoumon said, with great authority. “Kyoumon _promised_!”

“We’re about done here, I think,” Takeru said with a heavy sigh, touching his forehead before he glanced around at the other Chosen. After a moment, he approached Kyoumon - much to his brother’s obvious discomfort. “We’re counting on you, Kyoumon. Make sure no one messes with Keiko’s Digimental. It’s not just important to Keiko, but K-chan as well.”

Kyoumon perked up immediately, saluting at Takeru like a soldier. “Kyoumon will do his best! Kyoumon will make Keiko _happy_!”

“Good,” Takeru said with a nod before he smiled. “We’ll see you later, okay?”

“Be good, and we’ll definitely come visit you,” Sora said, her smile gentle as she turned to the Digimon. She hesitated before she reached over to pat the puppet on the head, then felt relief at how he brightened up and squirmed happily under the touch.

“Neemon will visit too!” Neemon said, nodding his head so that it bobbled. “We’ll keep each other company~!”

“Okay, _okay_!” Kyoumon said, raising both hands up in an energetic gesture. He then hurried over to the monument, sitting down beside the Digimental as it glowed softly. “Kyoumon will show how dependable he is! Just watch, Keiko!”

Hikari did her best to smile in spite of circumstances and waved back when Kyoumon waved to her, though she noticed that the movement glitched for just a second, creating an unnatural effect that strained her expression. She could only hope that by draining the Darkness from this place, it might help Kyoumon as well. “Goodbye, Kyoumon.”

“Bye bye, Keiko~!” Kyoumon said, continuing to wave even as the bright light of the Digital Gate appeared, sucking away the Chosen in an instant and leaving him and Neemon alone in the desolate wasteland surrounding them.

 

\---

 

Ken paced the throne room of his palace, dressed in complete Digimon Kaiser regalia. His footsteps stomped against the floor hard enough that each one echoed like thunder off of the high ceiling as he marched back and forth from one end of the room in an endless parade, his cape fluttering dramatically in an arc behind him when he swiftly turned on his heels to go back the way he came. To his side, the countless monitors showed his holdings in the Digital World, but none of them were focused on the one place that consumed all of his thoughts.

Wormmon could feel Ken’s body faintly quake from the tension as he traveled the length of the room in his partner’s arms. He ached, not from Ken’s almost too tight grip, but from the obvious torment that played across his Chosen Child’s face and the occasional mutter that escaped Ken that was mostly unintelligible save for a chilling word or two. “Ken-chan…”

In spite of the tension in the room, FlaWizarmon leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed in a relaxed fashion as he arched an eyebrow. “You keep that up, an’ yer gonna wear a trench in the floor.”

Ken stopped short, the soles of his shoes shrieking as they scraped against the well polished floor, and whipped about to face the scarecrow Digimon. “You! When did you get back!?”

“Just now,” FlaWizarmon said with a casual shrug. “Just in time to see ya blazin’ a trail on the floor.”

With a whirl of black that unfurled into a cloak, Witchmon appeared above the throne, floating sidesaddle on her broom. “You seem a bit on edge, dearie. Did something happen while we were away?”

“Don’t even start!” Ken snapped as he shot Witchmon a glare, his patience strained to its absolute limit. “Well!? What happened!?”

FlaWizarmon glanced over to Witchmon, smirking slightly. “You could’ve watched yerself, y’know.”

There was no answer at first as Ken stood rigid like a statue, his goggles dark enough to obscure his eyes. Only Wormmon could feel the tremor that ran through his body ever so faintly like the aftershock from an earthquake.

“No,” the Digimon Kaiser said, his voice low and hard as stone. “I was far too busy for that nonsense.”

“Yeah, we can see that.” FlaWizarmon said as he reached up to tug on the rim of his hat, pulling it down over his eyes.

“Relax,” Witchmon said as she leaned back. “Kyoumon was a good boy and only called you K-chan like he promised and everyone made nice so no one got hurt.”

Though it was slight, the tension began to ease and Ken fidgeted, taking a moment to compose himself even as he squeezed Wormmon tight against his chest. “Of… course. As if there was a doubt.”

Wormmon ignored his discomfort, refusing to ever reject a hug from Ken even if it was painful, and gently patted his partner’s arm in return.

“‘course not,” FlaWizarmon said. “So there was no reason to worry.”

“I wasn’t worried!” Ken snapped as he whipped about to glare at FlaWizarmon. “I just didn’t know if Kyoumon’s brain was so addled that he’d _forget_ -”

“Well, he didn’t,” FlaWizarmon said, cheerfully. “So all’s well that ends well, right?”

Ken went quiet at that before he let out a derisive snort. “Whatever. I’ve got better things to do.” He hefted readjusted his grip on his partner to a more comfortable hold as he stalked past FlaWizarmon to exit the throne room. “Let’s go, Wormmon.”

FlaWizarmon watched as Ken left in a huff before he let out a dry chuckle, leaning against the doorway as he crossed his arms. “Glad to put yer mind at ease, K-chan.”

Ken offered no verbal response, instead walking swiftly away. In his hasty retreat, he totally missed the shared look between FlaWizarmon and Witchmon as their cheer melted away.

Wormmon, however, noticed it immediately. He cast the duo a concerned stare, which they returned with a shake of their heads just before the door to the throne room shut automatically behind them. His stomach churned with dread, as he knew whatever else the pair found out was not something for Ken to hear; he would have to ask them later, after he did his very best to soothe his partner as best he could. “Ken-chan...”

“I’m fine,” Ken said, stiffly. “I don’t care about them _or_ their stupid plans. I have no use for that stupid Digimental, so they can do whatever they like. It changes _nothing._ ”

“They care about you, Ken-chan,” Wormmon said gently. “Whether it’s as Ken-chan or the Digimon Kaiser, they want to help you, and they even managed to make friends with Kyoumon even though he’s so sick. Maybe it’s time to tell them everything.”

Ken faltered, his footsteps uncertain for a moment before he came to a stop. He had the same thought more than once, but it was always all too fleeting, nothing he considered for more than a moment. Hearing it from Wormmon gave him cause to pause and consider it once again, but the reasons for rejecting it flooded in all at once and brought him back to the same answer.

“No,” Ken said, his voice low. “it won’t do any good. They think I’m _sick_ \- they still don’t see why what I’m doing is _necessary_.”

Wormmon’s gaze fell to the hands holding him so close, which he patted gently. “Isn’t that more reason to explain it to them? If they know why it’s necessary then they’ll want to help you.”

“Or they might shut me down and refuse to listen to me,” Ken muttered. _“Or worse_ , they try to get involved and…” His throat constricted, choking the rest of his words before they could escape. “ _No_. This is _my_ burden. _I_ have to do this. I’m the only one who can.”

Wormmon’s antennae drooped as he remembered vividly the day that was no doubt repeating in Ken’s mind yet again. “Isn’t that more reason to tell them? Especially now that they know what can happen to them?”

“No,” Ken replied. “They’re still such… children. They’d never understand.”

“Maybe,” Wormmon muttered, “but Miyako seems mature enough to understand that you’ve been through a lot, so she warns you when they’re going someplace… bad. Hikari wants to be your friend even as the Digimon Kaiser and didn’t let anything stop her from trying, not even being hurt. And Daisuke has been talking to you every day and is so much fun to be around. I think they all care enough about you that they’d want to understand so they can help you.”

Ken hesitated. There was chaos in his mind, a terrible war of feelings that left him at a standstill as he met Wormmon’s hopeful gaze through the darkened lenses of his goggles. If nothing else, he had to hand it to his partner for maintaining such a single minded determination to make friends with everyone even after everything they had gone through, even if his skin practically crawled with dread.

As much as Ken wanted to keep shooting down Wormmon’s suggestions and shut down the conversation completely, he couldn’t dismiss the fact that he had the same thoughts more than once with increasing frequency as of late. The more he got to know the rest of the Chosen, the more he felt like perhaps they might understand him if he at least attempted to explain himself. If those foolish children would stop getting in his way, then there would be nothing to stop his quest; they might even join forces with the Digimon Kaiser and help him save the Digital World.

_Before he got them all killed._

A horrible chill crawled along Ken’s spine from the back of his neck to the tips of his fingers, which twitched in reflex. He nearly dropped Wormmon before he caught himself, though he still made a small gasping noise as he felt as if he had been physically punched in the stomach. He took a deep breath, sucking back in the air that had forcibly exited his body. He ignored his partner’s concerned gasp as he took the time to collect himself and calm the storm inside him.

“No,” the Digimon Kaiser said, his voice as unyielding as steel. “Absolutely not.”

A quiet sigh escaped Wormmon; he expected such an answer, but he knew he had to try anyway. “Ken-chan… don’t be afraid. We won’t let them kill anyone else.”

“I said no,” Ken said, his tone and expression utterly devoid of warmth. “End of discussion.” With that note of finality, he resumed walking, his footsteps heavy and stiff as he stormed down the hallway once more.

“I’m sorry,” Wormmon whispered before he closed his eyes and submitted to the Digimon Kaiser’s will.

 

\---

 

Even though it was summer vacation, Daisuke rarely had the opportunity to relax at home. Sleeping in was impossible when he had a sibling that was determined to make his life miserable and would spare no opportunity to get Daisuke roped into chores by suggesting to their parents that responsible boys shouldn’t be ‘loafing around’. While he could enjoy his Sundays when school was in session, ironically his breaks forced him to be up and out the door practically at the crack of dawn to avoid Jun’s shenanigans. Many a summer vacation had been spent playing soccer by himself, or hitting up the arcades when his allowance allowed.

More than anything, he was thankful for Hikari. Not only were those lonely days gone, but thanks to her, he had been introduced to even more people who actually gave a damn about him - people he could actually consider friends.

And that bright morning, he had plans to meet up with one of them - a very special friend, Ken Ichijouji.

Daisuke fidgeted anxiously as he readjusted his duffle bag until Chibimon was comfortably hidden inside. While he had sent emails to Ken each and every day, this was the first time he and Ken were going to see each other face-to-face after the rather disastrous visit to the cathedral. Although Daisuke hadn’t had a lot of friends, he noticed Ken was significantly more distant after that, and after the bomb was dropped that one of the Chosen Children had died years ago. It wasn’t something he felt comfortable thinking about, so he tried not to dwell on it. He could tell Ken wasn’t interested in discussing it either after he made the mistake of bringing it up one time.

After that, it had taken Daisuke a while to muster up the nerve to ask Ken if they could hang out again, and he noticed that his idol didn’t make any effort to suggest it. He was afraid that Ken would turn him down, but, much to his delight, his friend accepted the invitation eagerly. Now, all Daisuke could feel was nervous excitement as he finished getting ready far earlier than their arranged meeting time.

He wasn’t about to let this chance go to waste.

Daisuke relaxed a little as he saw Jun’s door was closed. If luck was with him, she would be taking her post-breakfast nap and he could slip away before she could try anything. He was careful not to let his keys jingle when he locked his bedroom door and kept his steps light as he made his way to the entryway.

Where Jun was waiting for him, lounging against the front door.

“Sneaking off again, Daisuke?” Jun asked with one eyebrow arched with suspicion.

Daisuke cringed. “I-I’m not sneaking off! I’m just heading out to practice soccer.”

“Funny,” Jun said lightly, “I don’t see your ball, just that big bag you’ve been lugging around everywhere lately.”

Instinctively, Daisuke shifted his stance to put himself between Jun and his bag. “It’s in the bag, and some snacks and stuff for later.”

Chibimon bristled from within Daisuke’s bag, tense. He knew he had to stay quiet, but he didn’t like it. He wanted nothing more than to growl at the girl who never ceased tormenting his Chosen. “Go away, go _away_ … why do you even care, anyway!?” he thought, his ears canting back.

“Riiiiight,” Jun said as she sauntered closer to Daisuke, who backed up in response. “You’ve been skipping lunch here and even dinners off and on.”

“So?” Daisuke retorted as he eyed the door, plotting his escape. “You skip meals for those fad diets or a hot dates and junk.”

Jun’s eyes widened almost innocently as she tapped her chin. “Gosh, funny you should mention hot dates. I’ve heard that it’s been awfully crowded at Hikari’s place lately, always full of guys. She’s pretty popular isn’t she?”

Daisuke’s mouth puckered like someone had shoved a moldy lemon in his mouth. “No thanks to you and those shitty rumors you’ve been spewing at school. Hikari-chan isn’t like that! ‘Sides, you don’t even know where she lives, so you’re just talking out your ass - _like always_.”

Jun struck the side of her fist down upon Daisuke’s skull faster than he could react, sending him almost toppling over with a yowl. “Are you calling me a liar, you jerk? And don’t you know better than to swear in front of a lady?”

Daisuke backed up, hissing out a whine of pain as he rubbed his head and muttered under his breath. “Like you’re a lady.”

“What was that?” Jun asked with a sharp gaze as she held up her fist.

“Nothing!” Daisuke said quickly as he held up his hands. “I was just saying that Hikari-chan has nothing to do with you, and she doesn’t even come over anymore, so why don’t you forget about her and go find another guy to add to that scrapbook of yours?”

The tip of Chibimon’s tail twitched as he bared his teeth. He had to constantly remind himself that it’d hurt Daisuke more if he attacked Jun, or else he would’ve already bit the girl well over a dozen times by now.

“I might, except for one thing,” Jun said in a low, dangerous tone. “I know what you’ve been up to.”

Daisuke froze as a cold sweat broke out across his skin. “Up to? I’m not up to anything!”

“Hah!” Jun jabbed her finger against Daisuke’s chest. “You call _me_ a liar after such an obvious lie like that? Don’t you think I’ll let you get away with what you’ve been up to just because I’m your big sister.”

“Why would I think that?” Daisuke asked flatly as he rubbed where Jun poked him.

“Careful, little brother,” Jun said, her voice as deadly as the edge of a knife, “you’re already on thin ice with me.”

Daisuke went rigid as he began to break out in a cold sweat. There was only one thing he could think of - Jun had seen Chibimon at some point. The very idea made his stomach churn, as Jun was the last person he wanted to know about his partner. He tried to think of when or how it could have happened, and how he could resolve the situation _without_ Jun ruining everything. “That’s…”

Jun stomped forward, her voice low and dangerous as she waved her finger at Daisuke like she was brandishing a weapon. “Breaking my stuff, trashing my room, and don’t think for one second I’ve forgotten about the time you soiled my underwear and threw it on the street!”

Just like that, Daisuke’s fear evaporated so abruptly that he was left gaping at Jun. “Buh, wha?”

Jun’s eyes narrowed and she jabbed Daisuke’s forehead. “Don’t think just because you used cooking with Mom as an alibi all the time would make me think for one second that you’re innocent. Did you really think you could get away with that shit without me seeing right through you?”

“Why would I touch your nasty underwear?” Daisuke asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he rubbed his brow. “And so it’s not okay to swear in front of a ‘lady’ but you can swear all you want at me as long as Mom’s out shopping and Dad’s at work?”

Though Daisuke expected it, he knew better than to dodge when Jun hit him on the head again.

“Don’t be a smartass!” Jun snapped. “You know, after all the shit you’ve done and now talking with you, it’s pretty clear that you’ve forgotten how to respect your elders.” She seized Daisuke and wrestled him into a headlock. “So listen up and listen good - I know you’ve made friends with Ken Ichijouji, and if you want out of the punishment that’s coming, you’ll give is a _fantastic_ introduction. Got it?”

Daisuke choked around Jun’s arm as he struggled to get air and sputter out the only answer Jun would accept. “I g… got it!”

“Good,” Jun said sweetly as she let go abruptly, letting Daisuke tumble to the floor. “And I want _more_ than just an autograph from him; I want his phone number and email, and the same goes for the rest of those hunky guys that you’ve been hanging out with. I heard one of them is in a band!”

Daisuke rubbed his neck as he scrambled to his feet before darting past Jun before she had a chance to grab him again. “I got it, I got it!” He threw the door open, letting it slam against the wall as his feet flew across the floor to freedom.

“Don’t you dare forget!” Jun shouted after Daisuke. “Or you’ll regret it!”

Daisuke didn’t stop running until he was on the street and several blocks from home. Only then did his adrenaline began to wane, leaving him leaning against a brick wall panting for air.

Chibimon peered his head out the duffle bag, snorting. “As if we’d _ever_ let _her_ meet _Ken_!”

“R-right,” Daisuke muttered breathlessly. “I just had to say that, or she’d never let us out of there.”

“I knooow,” Chibimon said, scowling. “I wish I could _bite_ her. She’s so _awful_.”

Daisuke rubbed Chibimon’s head with a wan smile. “It’s okay, Chibimon, I’m used to it. Whatever Jun does to me is fine as long as it doesn’t get you or the others dragged into it too. It’s not like she can wreck my life worse than she already has, right?”

“I guess,” Chibimon said, sullenly. He didn’t like it at all, or Jun for that matter, but Daisuke meant the world to him, and if it’s what Daisuke wanted, he’d do it. He sighed and spent a moment more fuming about that hateful girl before he perked up. “Forget about Jun, then! Let’s go meet up with _Ken_ and _Wormmon_!”

Daisuke’s smile strengthened as he started to relax. “Yeah, if we hurry we might still make it there early!”

 

\---

 

Ken stood outside the train station entrance in plain view, but away from the crowd as people arrived and departed the shopping district for other areas of the city. With his backpack containing Wormmon at his feet and his cellphone in hand, he waited as patiently as he could even as his anxiety slowly grew with each passing minute. It would be the first time he saw Daisuke in person since his little incident at the cathedral, and he wasn’t certain how it would go. Everyone seemed to have let the matter drop after he made it clear that he didn’t want to discuss it, and Daisuke was no different, but it still didn’t help his nerves as he awaited the goggle boy’s arrival.

As the time they were supposed to meet ticked ever closer, Ken tried breathing exercises to steady himself, but before he could entertain the notion of leaving, he spotted Daisuke rushing through the crowd a full five minutes early.

“Hey, Ken!” Daisuke said with enthusiasm, sounding breathless by the time he reached Ken. “Dang, I thought I’d beat you here this time.”

Ken straightened up as he turned to face Daisuke, struggling for words for a moment. He wondered if he should even offer an excuse for his absence and what had happened back at the temple. In the end, he decided not to say anything at all - if Daisuke didn’t bring it up, he wouldn’t. It was better to just let it go without comment, if he could.

“Sorry,” Ken said sheepishly as he offered the other boy a lopsided smile. “I guess I arrived a bit earlier than usual.”

Despite feeling minorly disappointed that he didn’t reach the meeting place before Ken, Daisuke beamed. “I guess it shows how much of a genius you are to know to come earlier to beat me when I’m trying to be early.”

Ken chuckled, his smile strengthening in spite of himself. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it.” With the anticipation waning, he felt almost relieved as he hefted his backpack  and carefully secured Wormmon to his back. “Shall we go?”

Daisuke noticed the particular care Ken took in his movements, and readjusted his hold on his own bag to ensure that he kept Chibimon comfortable inside. “Yeah!”

It didn’t take long for the two boys to arrive to their destination - a colorful pizza parlor with a built-in arcade. As Daisuke looked around, Ken checked in with their reservation before the two of them headed to the private party area. While the duo got looks for registering an entire room for just two people, Ken pointedly ignored the odd looks before closing the door behind them.

Once inside, Ken opened his bag and set Wormmon on the floor as Daisuke did the same for Chibimon. “We can order the pizza and have it delivered whenever you like.”

“This place is so cool,” Daisuke said as he craned his neck to keep looking around at the flashing lights. “I didn’t know there was a pizza place in this area, let alone that it had an arcade in it. It’s just like those pizza party restaurants they’ve got in America, isn’t it?”

Ken nodded before he smiled at Daisuke. “The owner’s American, so that probably had something to do with it. I’m certainly not complaining.”

“Maybe they’ll have American-style portions!” Daisuke said as he threw his arms open wide with enthusiasm. “I heard their food is _huge_!”

“Enough for even a Digimon, I’d think,” Ken said, chuckling.

“I get to have piz-za with Daaaisuke!” Chibimon said in a sing-song voice as he burst out of the dufflebag. “And Ken, and Worm-mon!”

Daisuke jerked as Chibimon hopped onto the table. “H-hey, someone might see you!”

Ken chuckled, smiling wryly at Chibimon’s enthusiasm. “It’s fine. Outside of the staff coming to take our orders, no one should bother us. Besides, there are mostly children here.”

Daisuke pulled Chibimon protectively against him. “Yeah, but kids are grabby and could blab about Chibimon to their parents.”

Ken paused at that before he frowned. “...That’s a good point.”

“There’s a ton of brats out there,” Daisuke grumbled with a scowl as one particular person came to mind. “They won’t leave you alone and don’t care if you tell them not to mess with your stuff and try to get you in trouble when you tell them to knock it off. No way I’m going to let Chibimon have to deal with that.”

“...There’s no way I’d allow that,” Ken said, his voice going surprisingly sharp as he looked down at Wormmon. “It’s not even a possibility.”

Wormmon looked back at Ken as he wordlessly patted his Chosen Child’s hand.

Daisuke blinked, startled for a moment, before his brow furrowed. “Oh yeah, I guess when you’re a genius you can outsmart any brat that tries to pull any crap on you.”

Ken paused before he quickly schooled his features, replacing his dark scowl with a sheepish smile. “Well, it’s more… I will do everything to protect Wormmon, and neither bratty child nor parent will stop me.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Daisuke muttered as he rubbed Chibimon’s head. “I’d punch Jun out again if she tried doing to Chibimon what she did to Hika… yaaaa… waaaaah…” His words fell apart, strangling out of his throat like water from a wrung cloth, as he remembered just how badly Taichi and Yamato reacted when he badmouthed his sister. It left him frozen, staring at Ken with wide eyes like a deer staring down a speeding semi.

Ken glanced at Daisuke, silent for a moment before he looked back down at Wormmon. His years of acting allowed him to keep an unassuming face, even as he focused in on Daisuke’s slip of the tongue with the accuracy of a viper. “Is… _Jun_ the reason you can’t call me from home and have to send me emails instead?”

Indecision held Daisuke in a merciless hold, rendering him unable to speak for fear of Jun doing serious damage to yet another of his friendships. It took almost half a minute before he could force the lump down his throat and come up with something to say. “I-it’s nothing, ya know? I just… uh… don’t get enough privacy at home?” His gaze slid to Chibimon, his eyes silently begging for help before he realized that his partner was probably not going to help him salvage the moment.

Chibimon scowled at the mention of Daisuke’s sister, his ears canting back as a small growl echoed deep in his throat. He wanted nothing more than to tell Ken all about Jun and how nasty she was, so that he could sympathize with Daisuke. However, he also knew that ever since Taichi and Yamato had reacted _like jerks_ , the goggle-boy had been anxious about bringing it up with anyone. “Daisuke can’t really call _anyone_ at home. That’s why he uses his D-Terminal so much!”

Wormmon’s eyes crinkled at the corners in sympathy before he looked up at Ken.

Ken was silent as he looked at Chibimon, then Daisuke. It didn’t take much to be able to tell that something was amiss. And it similarly didn’t take a genius to know what the connection was between the two. Still, he didn’t want to dredge up anything that would taint the moment, as it was the exact _opposite_ of what he intended. He had enough sense to know when to let a matter drop. “Well, regardless, I assure you that I won’t allow anything to happen. Chibimon and Wormmon can enjoy themselves in the room playing the handhelds I brought, or they can go out and play the arcade games with us. Either way, no one will be allowed to bother us.”

Slowly, Daisuke’s muscles unclenched as relief rushed through him. That had been way too close. He managed a smile of his own, though it was still strained a bit at the edges with lingering traces of worry. “O-of course! You’re the greatest genius in all of Japan. No bratty kids or bullies can take you down. Just forget I said anything about Jun, okay?”

“Consider it forgotten,” Ken said, coolly.

Daisuke hastily grabbed the menu before peering down at it. “So, uh, you’ve had American-style pizza before, right? Got any suggestions?”

“They offer both American and Japanese, so if you feel uncomfortable, you could just stick to the regular options,” Ken said, before he glanced at Daisuke and smiled. “Though you’ll be surprised to know that the Americans actually consider _our_ toppings to be the strange ones.”

Daisuke blinked. “Huh? Why’s that?”

“You won’t find much fish on their pizza, beyond anchovies,” Ken said with a shake of his head. “Certainly no squid ink or eel. Even mayonnaise is considered bizarre as a topping. You might come across some pineapple, but that’s as far as they’ll go with fruit. I got the strangest looks when I ordered strawberries on mine the last time I went to America.”

“So they don’t got any dessert pizzas there?” Daisuke asked, baffled. “I thought pizzas and cheeseburgers were America’s favorite foods and they had them for every meal.”

Ken giggled. “Well, it’s true that they’re very popular, but they simply use different toppings - and have different ideas on what _should_ be a topping. It’s just cultural, that’s all.”

“Look, Daisuke, look!” Chibimon said excitedly as he pointed at the menu. “Shrimp pizza! They have shrimp pizza!”

“Hey, yeah, that looks great!” Daisuke said, grinning. “Let’s get that one.”

“What would you like, Wormmon?” Ken asked as he turned to his partner.

“All of these look so tasty,” Wormmon said as he looked over the menu. “I can’t decide, so you choose one, Ken-chan.”

“How about we just get one super huge pizza,” Daisuke said, leaning over towards Ken as he tapped at the menu. “Look, look! They’ve got American sizes!”

“Alright,” Ken said, with an easy-going smile. “We can always order more if Wormmon and Chibimon are still hungry.”

Daisuke looked down at Chibimon. “What do you say, Chibimon? Ready to take on American-sized food?”

Chibimon raised his tiny paws. “I’ll do my best, Daisuke~!”

Ken chuckled before he looked up, noting a waitress approaching the door. He smiled at the teenage girl in an apron as she slipped in to the room. Chibimon instinctively ducked down under the table, but Wormmon remained where he was, looking at the woman calmly as if it were perfectly natural for him to sit in a chair beside his Chosen. The waitress’ eyes darted over Wormmon and Chibimon before seeking out Ken’s smiling face.

“Hello, and welcome to [Slice Of Heaven] Pizzeria!” she said, speaking the english words with the skill of a well-rehearsed script. “What can I get you to drink?”

“I’ll take a Pepsi, please,” Ken Ichijouji said. He glanced to Wormmon, his smile widening. “Root Beer, as usual?”

“A big one!” Wormmon said cheerfully.

Daisuke couldn’t help but feel uneasy, but he tried to act casual so as not to look awkward in front of Ken. “I’ll have a Pepsi too, and, uh…” He looked over the edge of the table at his partner. “Chibimon, I think it might be okay if you ask yourself this time.” His eyes darted to Ken, who nodded ever so slightly.

Chibimon peered over the edge of the table at Daisuke, his ears canting back. He glanced at the waitress before looking at Daisuke. His Chosen _seemed_ okay with him addressing the strange girl, so he slowly straightened up. “I’ll have a… a root beer too! Just like Wormmon!”

Ken nodded, still smiling, before he pointed at the menu. “And we’d like the American extra large meat-lovers, with shrimp added, please.”

“You got it!” the waitress said cheerfully. “I’ll be right back!” She turned on her heels and promptly left the room, with a swing of her ponytail.

Ken watched the woman leave before he turned to Daisuke, his smile turning reassuring. “It’ll be fine. It’s mostly crowds that you have to worry about… and people with cameras. Most of the time, people just assume he’s a toy or wearing a costume, and then move on.”

Daisuke watched the waitress leave with no small amount of befuddlement. “Yeah… I guess so. Yamato’s partner was a drummer in a band… and me and my family got kidnapped by this giant vampire I found out later was named Vamdemon and my mom and dad bought into the news’ spheal that it was some weird terrorist group even though we saw floating ghosts up close! Jun was convinced it was a real vampire looking for a bride and was majorly disappointed that he picked another girl instead, or some dumb junk like that. I don’t know if she still thinks that anymore though.”

Ken arched an eyebrow before he looked down at Wormmon. “...Yes, that sounds about right.”

“That must’ve been scary,” Wormmon said softly. “I’m glad you and your family are okay.”

Daisuke shrugged, not wanting to admit that at the time he had been terrified enough that he even clung to Jun for support. “Yeah, but they’re not anything like the stuff we’ve seen in the Digital World.” With that he paused for a moment, brow furrowing with concern. “Uh, that reminds me… How are you feeling, Ken?”

Ken paused at the question. After a moment of silence, he turned to look at Daisuke with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, thank you. I know I haven’t been of much use recently, but… I’m doing much better now.”

Daisuke shook his head. “Hey, no, don’t think like that! We’ve been through tons of crap lately, so no one’s mad or anything. You’re one of us, you know?”

Ken’s expression softened. “Daisuke… thank you.”

A shy smile appeared on Daisuke’s face. “Hey, I’m just doing what you would do for me. We’re friends after all, right?”

Ken felt his heart twist for some reason he couldn’t identify, but he met Daisuke’s shy smile nevertheless with one of his own. “Of course, Daisuke.”

Just like that, Daisuke shook off his nervousness and beamed, his heart feeling lighter than ever. “Right! So let’s have fun today!”

“Right!” Ken agreed.

True to Ken’s assessment, the waitress proved to be no problem for them or the Digimon. She brought them their drinks without fuss, setting the glasses in front of Chibimon and Wormmon with a courteous smile and the barest of stares. By the time she returned with their pizza, whatever confusion she had felt was over, and she seemed more at ease with the strange creatures as she didn’t even so much as blink as she set the food down in front of them.

“She most likely thinks they’re costumes, and just really small children,” Ken said quietly as he helped himself to a slice of pizza. “That’s the usual assumption.“

“Works for me!” Daisuke said as he grabbed a slice himself, before taking a big bite.

Chibimon chewed noisily as he squirmed in place, his smile bright and cheerful. “Yum, yum, _yum_!”

Ken turned to Chibimon and smiled down at him. “You really like shrimp, don’t you, Chibimon?”

“ _Especially_ on _pizza_!” Chibimon said, happily. “Jun always picks the shrimp off and eats them all herself, but she’s not here so I can eat _aaaaall_ the shrimp I _want_!”

Ken paused and he noticed Daisuke choke on his food before eying the genius anxiously, waiting to see his reaction. Ken kept his expression calm and unassuming as he smiled. “Good for you, Chibimon! Eat as much as you like!”

“You bet!” Chibimon chirped, happily.

Daisuke let out a sigh of relief and cleared his throat with a sip of soda. “We don’t get pizza all that often, and it’s never as great as this is. I’m going to have to sneak off with Chibimon to eat here again sometime.”

Ken turned to smile at Daisuke. “Just wait until you try the _games_.”

Daisuke’s eyes lit up brighter than an arcade console screen.

With their meal done, both Chosen and their Digimon ventured in to the arcade itself. Given the overall acceptance of their waitress, Daisuke only needed a little encouragement before he boldly entered the public play area with Chibimon in tow. Both Digimon and Chosen gawked about in excitement as Ken watched in amusement before they hurried to their first game.

There were all sorts of games - fighters, shooters, racing, dancing, and everything else in between. Ranging from small arcade machines to large and elaborate set-ups, there was something for everyone, and plenty of people enjoying them.

A giant plastic mole with a hardhat and a thick mustache popped up out of his hole, only to promptly get smacked back down by Chibimon’s tiny paws. The Digimon scurried across the large hole-filled top, striking at the moles as they appeared with immense enthusiasm and gusto. “Take _that_ , and _that_ , and _that - that - that_!”

Daisuke laughed merrily at Chibimon’s enthusiasm. “Yeah, you got it, Chibimon! You’re gonna break the high score!”

Ken chuckled as he covered his mouth. “I’m not sure that’s how it’s _supposed_ to be played, but I guess it doesn’t matter so long as he has fun.”

Daisuke shrugged as he glanced at Ken. “Eh, it’s fine. It’s not like he can hold that giant mallet as Chibimon, and as Fladramon, he’d destroy the machine with one swing.”

Ken paused at that before he looked thoughtful, tapping his chin with his right pointer finger. “You have a point.”

“Go, Chibimon, Go!” Wormmon cheered from the edge of the machine, out of the way of Chibimon’s frenzy of attacks.

As the time on the game finally ran out, Chibimon came to a stop and threw his paws up triumphantly as the machine flickered and chimed out his score. “I did it~! I got them _all_!”

“Good job, Chibimon!” Ken said, smiling brightly.

Daisuke applauded wildly before pumping his fist in the air. “Alright! Way to go, Chibimon!”

“You did it!” Wormmon cheered, waving his digits about.

Chibimon turned to grin at his friends, his tail wagging. “Heeheehee~! I did _good_ ~!”

Spotting a machine out of the corner of his eye, Daisuke grinned and tugged on Ken’s arm. “Hey, come on, let’s do this one next!”

Ken made a quizzical humming sound as he followed Daisuke’s lead, before his eyes fell in the machine in question - a large dancing machine, with a two-person step pad on the floor. The genius blinked before he quirked a smile. “Ah _hah_. I haven’t done one of _these_ in quite some time.”

Daisuke wasted no time in racing to the dance machine, putting money in for the two of them. “I know just the level we can play.”

“Oh, really?” Ken asked as he moved to stand by Daisuke, glancing back to confirm that the two Digimon were following them. “Which one?”

An almost diabolical grin appeared on Daisuke’s face as he selected one of the most popular and yet most difficult song arrangements available on the machine. “Megalovania.”

Ken’s eyebrows shot up as he stared at Daisuke in silence for a moment before he turned to the screen. “...I have to admit, not many people _willingly_ choose that song.”

“It’s my favorite,” Daisuke said gleefully. “I’m the best there ever was at it!”

“Is that so?” Ken asked, cheerfully, before he pointed at the list of high scores as they flashed across the screen. At the very top, taking up the first five high score slots, was a user with a short handle - KEN-I. Ken turned to flash Daisuke a cheeky, playful grin. “The high score list says otherwise.”

Daisuke jerked, stunned, but only for a moment before a glint of almost manic glee came to his eyes. “Alright! You’ve got the high score on this machine. I’ve got the one at the arcade near my house, so now we can see who can win in a Megalovania war!”

“You’re on,” Ken said, still smiling as he took his place on the machine. “Don’t hold back, Daisuke!”

Daisuke practically vibrated with anticipation as he waited for the song to start. The instant the music began to play and arrows and colors flew across the screen he was moving, stomping on the arrows at his feet on cue. To his delight, he noticed Ken was doing the same and then turned all his attention to the screen to show his idol just how good he really was.

The song had a quick tempo, and the steps came hard and fast with very little warning. Daisuke and Ken both moved with the grace of familiarity and practice, which granted the benefit of knowing what was coming. With the stamina to meet the demands, the dance became the fusion of mind and body set to music.

“Go, go, go, go!” Chibimon cheered as he waved his paws, wiggling his body back and forth. “Dance, dance, dance, dance!”

“Do your best!” Wormmon said as he clapped.

Ken glanced at Daisuke out of the corners of his eyes as he kept moving, easily hitting all the commands as his feet joined Daisuke’s in a thumping beat that matched the tune they were dancing to. The goggle boy seemed very focused on the screen, a massive grin plastered across his face.

It had been quite some time since Ken last played against someone else. All of his high scores were old, by about several years. They had remained all this time, no one able to beat them. They stood as a silent reminder, and nostalgia flooded him - bringing with them memories, whether he wanted them or not.

Ken felt his heart clench before he returned his own attention to the screen.

Daisuke missed the play of emotion across Ken’s face, oblivious to the war churning inside of the dark haired boy. All he felt in that moment was excitement as the fast-paced song came to its dramatic climax.

Ken was thankful for the distraction, focusing on the screen as he pushed out all other thoughts. He allowed his mind to empty of everything except for the song before him, and his body moved to match.

By the time the song finished, Ken achieved yet another high score - and so had Daisuke. While Ken took a new slot, Daisuke’s name appeared with it, pushing down three of the boy genius’s other scores so that the goggle boy’s name appeared neatly between them.

Ken stared as he felt a wave of irritation, though he managed to school his expression to keep it from bleeding through. Instead, he let out a sheepish laugh and touched the back of his head. “Looks like I couldn’t beat my last high score… I guess I got a bit rusty!”

“That was awesome!” Daisuke cheered as he jumped into the air. “I beat my all time high score, _and_ I got it while playing with you!”

Ken paused as he stared at Daisuke, before he turned to look at the screen. He couldn’t help but feel bewildered by the goggle boy’s enthusiasm. Even though he lost their little duel, Daisuke couldn’t have been happier.

Before Ken could brood further, Daisuke suddenly snagged his arm, dragging the boy genius out of his thoughts and away from the machine.

“Come on!” Daisuke shouted as he made his way across the arcade at top speed. “Let’s try the alien gun game. I heard no one has ever made it past the final boss, but I know we can beat it together.”

Ken stared at Daisuke even as his body obediently followed the goggle boy. It felt surreal, and yet familiar. Just for a moment, the boy genius had flashes of a different brown-haired boy before him.

_Ryo turned to smile back at Ken as he held the younger boy’s hand, radiating confidence and reassurance. “Come on, Ken! Let's go!”_

Ken felt his heart clench tightly, and he unthinkingly gripped Daisuke’s hand. The boy genius tightly held on to the other Chosen’s hand like a vice. As he did so, Ken’s other hand reached up to grip the front of his shirt - directly over his aching heart.

“That’s right,” Ken murmured. “We can do anything… Daisuke.”


	32. Chapter Thirty One

Daisuke was late, and his mother’s insistence that he eat a full breakfast before he left for the day wasn’t helping. He silently cursed himself for getting so excited by the fun he had with Ken yesterday that he robbed himself of the sleep he needed for today. He barely noticed when Junko chided him on his poor manners as he gobbled down his rice in record speed and left the table with more than a few grains decorating his cheeks. “Thanks for the meal!”

Junko let out a long, suffering sigh before she shook her head. “Boys will be boys, I suppose.” She then brightened, smiling at her son as he grabbed his duffle bag from his room and rushed for the door. “Have a good day, and be back before supper~!”

“Riiight!” Daisuke yelled as he shoved his feet into his shoes and scrambled out the door.

Jun waited for the slam of the door before she left the breakfast table with far more grace than Daisuke, but not that much slower. “Well, I’ll be going out for a while too. See you later, Mom~!”

“Alright, dear,” Junko said as she proceeded to pick up the dishes, carrying them to the sink. “Don’t stay out too late, alright?”

“Don’t worry~!” Jun practically sang as she hurried out the door.

Junko chuckled as she shook her head slowly, washing the dishes as she stood at the sink. “Ah, kids…”

The second Jun was outside, she sprinted to catch up with Daisuke before he got too far for her to track down. She smirked as she noticed that he wasn’t even looking behind him or trying outrageous random routes to shake any potential pursuit anymore; it was clear to her that he wasn’t thinking about being followed at all.

As Jun suspected, Daisuke was rushing to meet up with Hikari in front of some apartment complex. Before she could wonder if he had finally led her to where Hikari lived, she noticed a cute blond boy she remembered seeing with her brother once or twice. Although a little young for her taste, she had a thing for blond hair that made him quite charming; though the dopey looking plush doll on his head was so childish. _What’s that supposed to be anyway; a hamster crossed with a bat and a pig?_

Jun carefully inched closer so that she could overhear what they were talking about, sticking close to walls and anything she could hide behind. She wanted to make sure Daisuke and his friends didn’t were unaware that they had an audience for as long as possible.

At seeing Daisuke jolt, Jun ducked behind a nearby corner and crouched down low to lessen the chance of her being spotted as she peered through a small gap between the bricks at the corner. She expected him to turn immediately, but he was focused on his bag. She also noticed that the cute blond was paying attention to his doll and Hikari was focused on her gaudily decorated cat. Jun barely had a moment to realize that she hadn’t seen the cat a second ago before Daisuke whirled around with a murderous expression.

“What do you want, Jun?” Daisuke shouted, his body completely tense and ready for an altercation.

Jun debated if Daisuke was merely playing the odds and trying to flush her out without knowing for certain if she was there or not. However, when she saw that his gaze was unwaveringly focused in her direction, she knew he wasn’t bluffing this time.

Still, Jun wasn’t about to let Daisuke feel like he had gotten one over on her so easily. Rather than step out immediately, she straightened up and stretched, yawning in an exaggerated fashion before she casually strolled around the corner. “Oh, Daisuke? You’re here too?”

“Don’t give me that,” Daisuke snapped. “You followed me again, didn’t you?”

Jun sighed with a shrug as she approached the group. “Sheesh, little bro, you can be so paranoid sometimes. You make it sound like I have nothing better to do with my time than follow you around. I was just out for a nice walk, and I happened to notice this cute guy over here.” With a sly smile she moved in close to Takeru. “Hey, what’s your name, cutie?”

Takeru raised his eyebrows as he stared at Jun, though his expression remained pleasant. “Who, me?”

“That’s _our_ friend Takeru,” Hikari said, an undercurrent of tension tightening her voice.

“Yeah,” Daisuke said, “so don’t go hitting on him or asking him to sign your bra or nothing!”

Jun skewed her expression in distaste before she pointed at Daisuke. “First of all, I only ask for signatures from my favorite pop idol bands, and that’s only on my t-shirt, not my underwear. I know you like thinking about girls’ underwear all the time, but don’t be such a pervert about your own sister, Daisuke.”

Heat flooded Daisuke’s cheeks. “I don’t think about girls’ underwear!”

“You don’t have to lie,” Jun said as she pouted. “Everyone on our block already knows that you stole all my underwear and did who knows _what_ gross stuff with them and threw them around on the streets for every pervert to get your sloppy seconds. It was so gross, I can’t even see why you have any friends left at all.”

Chibimon twitched from within Daisuke’s duffle bag, fury taking over his tiny form. He had noticed Jun from the very start, but only managed to get Daisuke’s attention once they arrived. He wanted nothing more than to challenge her on her _lies_ , but he couldn’t - he promised Daisuke he wouldn’t let Jun see him.

Jun slid closer to Hikari and lowered her voice into a faux whisper. “I’d count all my underwear if I were you. Knowing my little brother, he’s probably taken a souvenir or two or peeked on you while he was over at your place.”

Hikari took a sharp breath and let it out slowly to control herself, but she couldn’t keep a quiver of anger from her voice. “Really? You _really_ think after everything you’ve done, I’d ever believe anything you said about Daisuke again?”

Jun flashed a thin lipped smile at Hikari before stepping back. “It’s true, you know. Everyone believes it. I’ll bet even this cutie here has heard about your reputations by now, right?” She turned to Takeru and flashed him a cuter smile. “You _have_ heard about it, right?”

“Just because ‘everyone’ believes it, doesn’t mean it’s true,” Takeru said, with a bright smile on his face. “People believe some _stupid_ things sometimes.”

“Of course they do,” Jun giggled. “I’ll bet my perverted little brother and his _girlfriend_ here have told you all sorts of things about me, haven’t they?” She slid her gaze sideways to Daisuke with an overly dramatic sigh. “Little brothers sure love picking on their sisters, don’t they?”

“G-girlfriend!?” Daisuke sputtered, his cheeks glowing red. “M-me and Hikari-chan?”

“On the contrary,” Takeru said, cheerfully. “Hikari and Daisuke have never talked about you _at all_.” He then gave a casual shrug. “I guess they didn’t think you were important enough to mention.”

Jun raised her eyebrows briefly before her expression brightened. “Oh _really_? Daisuke never mentioned he had a cute big sister, did he? Well, Daisuke never told me he had such a cute guy as a friend either. Or knew a celebrity hottie like Ken Ichijouji. You wouldn’t happen to be his friend too, would you?”

“Yep!” Takeru said, still smiling. He remembered the argument between his brother and Daisuke over the few things the other Chosen had said about his sister, but that was all he knew about Jun. But now that he was face to face with her, he immediately knew far more about her - the way Hikari and Daisuke acted around her spoke volumes. Words weren’t even necessary. If Jun thought she was going to get anywhere with him, she was _completely_ mistaken. “Daisuke introduced us.”

“Really?” Jun gasped. “You introduced your new friend to someone as important as Ken Ichijouji, but not your own _family_? Mom and dad are going to be so hurt you kept it a secret.”

Daisuke grunted. “Look, just get whatever you’re planning to do over with already. Tell Takeru a few more bad things about me then go bug _your_ friends or some guy or whatever.”

Jun held her hand over her chest as she let out a small gasp as though pained by the accusation. “I just wanted to be a good big sister and spend a little time with my little brother. You’re so mean, Daisuke!”

Daisuke wasn’t falling for Jun’s mock hurt, no matter how sincere it appeared. “Yeah, whatever.”

“I really don’t understand how Hikari put up with you for so long,” Jun huffed before flashing Hikari a grin and moving to whisper in the younger girl’s ear in a sing-song tone. “Hey, if you’re not planning on dumping my brother for this cutie, I’ll date him.”

Hikari’s entire body quaked for a moment before she went rigid and took a large step backward so that she was closer to Tailmon than Jun. “No, you won’t. Takeru and I have been friends for a long time and nothing you say is going to change that.”

“Oh?” Jun asked as she slowly cocked an eyebrow. “Are you thinking of telling him some awful lies about me to make him hate me? I thought you learned by now that bad mouthing other people, especially if they’re older than you, was a _really_ bad idea.”

Hikari gritted her teeth, but when she felt Tailmon’s paw on her leg, she managed to calm down slightly.

“Hey!” Daisuke shouted as he ran to grab Jun’s arms and pull her back. “Get away from Hikari-chan!”

Jun shrieked and covered her chest with one arm before she slapped Daisuke’s cheek, leaving behind a red imprint of her hand. “Pervert! Don’t think I didn’t notice you copping a feel while you were grabbing me!”

Daisuke gawked at Jun, his mouth hanging open. “C-copping a… I didn’t even touch you there!”

“Liar!” Jun huffed, her cheeks a rosy hue. “You thought you were being sneaky and doing it so fast that no one would notice, but you got a feel of your own sister right in front of your friend and girlfriend! You’re such a shameless pervert!”

“Are you done yet?” Takeru asked, his friendly tone still present despite his burning desire to drop it. “We were actually in the middle of something important.”

Chibimon let out a low growl from his position in Daisuke’s duffle bag, which was thankfully muffled by all the soft padding Daisuke had placed in to make it more comfortable. He wanted nothing more than to jump out and _bite_ Jun for daring to strike Daisuke, but he knew he couldn’t. But just because he couldn’t get his retaliation _now_ didn’t mean that he wouldn’t retaliate _later_ \- he would _remember_.

Jun let out a huff as she folded her arms over her chest. “ _Well_. I guess it’s obvious now why you hang out with Daisuke and Hikari despite their reputations; you’re probably a pervert just like they a-”

A loud slap of Hikari’s hand across Jun’s cheek ended the accusation instantly. The Chosen of Light’s eyes were bright and angry even as her expression was so very tired. “That’s _enough!_   I’m tired of you spreading lies about Daisuke; I’m tired of you using me and those rumors you spread about me to hurt him, and I’m not about to let you do the same thing to Takeru too!” She took a step back and balled her hands into fists. “If you want a fight, then fine, I’ll give it to you, but don’t think I’ll let you use it against Daisuke like last time.”

Jun’s face darkened with severe shadows as she held her cheek and quaked in rage. “Why you… _you…_ ” Her eyes drifted to Takeru and Daisuke, who were the only witnesses she could see nearby. She noted that it was a pity that such a cute blond guy was involved in this, but she decided he wasn’t really her type anyway before she lashed out at Hikari. “You bitch!”

Hikari tried to dodge backwards, but was slower than she thought she’d be, as fighting hand to hand was an entirely foreign concept to her. She bit back a cry of pain as Jun’s sharp manicured nails dug into her cheek as the older girl’s hand slammed into her face.

“Hikari-!?” Takeru cried out, startled at the sudden attack on the Chosen of Light right in front of him.

“Hikari-chan!” Daisuke shouted, immediately seeing red. He charged, but Hikari suddenly held up her hand to ward him back.

“Wait!” Hikari said breathlessly. “Don’t hit her. Remember what happened last time.”

Tailmon immediately rushed to Hikari’s side before whirling to stare at Jun, her blue eyes blazing with anger as her ears canted back. It took everything in her power to not strike the human in front of her, an act that she knew wouldn’t help the situation.

Daisuke staggered in his steps, his fists falling limply to his sides as his body practically vibrated with helpless anger.

“Happened last time…?” Takeru repeated, furrowing his brow in confusion even as his anger flared up inside him.

“I’m sick of this,” Hikari said, her voice low and rough as she balled her hands into fists and readied herself for the next attack. “I’m sick of not saying anything and just waiting for you to change and be a better sister to Daisuke. I’ll make a deal with you - if I win this fight, you stop tormenting Daisuke. If you win then-”

Jun’s fist collided with Hikari’s chest, forcing the younger girl to stagger back with a pained coughing fit. “Are you retarded or something? This isn’t one of those stupid anime for dumb babies you and my idiot brother watch together.”

Hikari had no chance to catch her breath and retaliate before another punch came flying towards her head, but someone else stepped in at the last second to take the blow for her - Takeru.

The punch to his cheek hurt, but it was nothing compared to when the Digimental of Darkness burned away the taint. Takeru instead glared at Jun, holding his arm out protectively as he shielded Hikari from the teenage girl. “ _Back off._ ”

Patamon had been flung off Takeru’s head from the sudden attack, though the Digimon did his best to impersonate a ragdoll when he hit the ground. It took all his willpower maintain the act when his Chosen Child was under attack.

Jun jerked back a step, her arms going up defensively before she quivered, her eyes widening in fear. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those boys who’d hit a _girl_.”

Takeru paused before he tentatively reached up to touch his cheek, feeling the tender, reddening skin before he let out a wry chuckle. “Well, you’re pretty lucky this didn’t happen a couple days ago-”

Jun didn’t give Takeru a chance to finish before she threw another punch that slammed into his stomach. “Eek! You brute!”

“Takeru!” Hikari shouted as Takeru staggered back into her.

“ _I’ll bite you_ -!” Chibimon shrieked before he was immediately silenced by Patamon, the Digimon lunging to push him back down in the duffle bag.

“Keep down!” Patamon hissed at the squirming and thrashing baby Digimon. “We can’t let her know about us!”

“ _What the hell are you doing to Hikari?!_ ”

The sudden outraged yell came from the nearby apartment complex, specifically the balcony to Koshiro’s apartment where Taichi leaned far enough over the railing that he was practically halfway over it. Only Yamato and Sora held him back from trying to scale the outside of the building to reach his little sister.

No one in the apartment was prepared for what happened next - the sight of Ken Ichijouji leaping out of the balcony. A strangled scream escaped Sora as she released the stunned Taichi to scramble to where Ken had jumped, only to stare down in surprise at the sight of the boy genius landing gracefully on the balcony below. He lept from balcony to ledge all the way down to the ground floor, his feet impacting only long enough to spring him forward towards the fight with the grace of a panther.

Jun barely had a chance to cock her fist back in another intended strike before Ken was on her, lashing out with lightning reflexes to grab the girl’s fist. Twisting her arm, he handily flipped Jun as if she weighed nothing at all before slamming her in to the pavement. He swiftly placed his knee in the small of her back, holding her downward as he forced her arms behind her back.

“Do not move,” Ken commanded, his voice cold and authoritative. “Understand?”

Jun couldn’t do much but writhe against the concrete, shrieking in pain.

“Hikari-chan, Takeru!” Daisuke shouted as he hurried over to his friends. “Are you two okay?”

Takeru coughed before he rubbed his stomach, glancing to give Daisuke a weak grin. “I’m f-fine. Just a little surprised, th-that’s all.”

“I don’t know how our brothers can get into fights all the time so easily,” Hikari said, barely keeping her words from coming out as a pained moan as she rubbed her tender chest; she had no doubt that she was going to see a bruise in the mirror when she took a bath later.

Tailmon gripped Hikari’s arm, trembling slightly as she whispered. “I’m sorry, Hikari. I should have stopped her.”

Hikari shook her head slightly. “No,” she whispered. “Thank you for trying to leave things to us. It would’ve been a lot harder on all of us if Jun found out about Digimon; she would’ve blackmailed Daisuke again or worse.”

“Hikari!”

“Takeru!”

The other Chosen rushed towards the scene, with Taichi and Yamato leading the way. The stairwell proved to be a much longer route than the one Ken had taken, but they managed to join the others soon enough.

Takeru glanced up to see his brother rushing to his side, with Yamato immediately grasping his shoulders to steady him. “Hey.”

“O-oh, goodness,” Sora said shakily as she placed her hand over her heart. She glanced to Hikari, Takeru, and then Ken as she searched for signs of serious injury. “Is everyone okay?”

“W… we’re fine,” Hikari said as she focused on Ken and Jun where the former was still holding the latter pinned.

“Where… did _he_ come from?” Takeru asked as he rubbed his stomach. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, but… how did he get here so fast?”

“...Over the balcony.” Yamato said.

Takeru paused and turned to stare at his brother, eyes widening. “Huh?”

Yamato pantomimed a curved arch with his hand, followed by a straight drop downward.

“You’re joking,” Takeru said, and his eyes widened as Yamato shook his head slowly. “He jumped over the balcony!?”

“It was exceedingly reckless, to say the _very_ least.” Iori said, his expression disapproving as he moved to place himself between Hikari and Jun, despite the fact that Jun was currently immobilized on the ground, for all the good her squirming did her.

Hikari held her hand over her mouth. “That’s…”

“ _Awesome_!” Daisuke shouted with stars in his eyes. “Ken must’ve figured out how to use his Chosen powers like Iori does in the Digital World in the real world! He’s a superhero now! That’s so cool!”

Ken paused at that before his face turned pink. “It… it’s not a big deal. I-”

“ _Don’t talk so casually like I’m not even here_!” Jun shrieked as she thrashed, only to find Ken’s grip unbreakable. “ _Get off_!”

Ken returned his attention to Jun, the blush disappearing as his face became hard. “No.”

Jun let out a shrill scream as she bucked, desperately trying all that she could to break herself free only to hurt her arm more in the process. “Help! I’m being molested by a pervert!”

Instead of being flustered by the accusation, Ken jerked Jun’s arm upwards, forcing it further up her back so that her attempts to struggle only served to cause _pain_. “Enough.”

Jun yowled as her struggling only served to cause herself pain as her arm ached in protest. It had no room to bend or twist, so each jostle sent a jolt through her, discouraging her from moving. “Y-you little bastard-” Movement caught Jun’s attention, heavy footsteps drawing her eyes to someone’s approach. She turned her head to see an adult male in a black uniform walking towards them. Hope swelled within her as she turned to face the newcomer. “H-help! I’m being-”

The man wasn’t a bystander or some other adult come to rescue her, as she hoped - it was the man known to the Chosen as Ken’s driver. The driver silenced Jun with a disapproving stare, his expression was anything but sympathetic to her, before he turned his attention to Ken.

“Sir,” the driver said as he held up his phone. “Should I call the police?”

“That is a good question,” Ken said lightly as he looked down at Jun. “ _Should_ we call the police?”

Jun gawked at Ken, though she couldn’t see more than glimpses of his stern expression out of the edge of her vision. “Are you serious?”

“Oh, quite serious,” Ken said, his tone still deceptively light. “After all, _assault_ is a very serious offense.”

“Says the guy pinning me down!” Jun shouted, her voice going shrill. “Let me go!”

“My name is _Ken Ichijouji_ ,” Ken said, his voice stone cold. “And I see no reason to release someone who just attacked two of my friends in front of me.”

Daisuke was caught in the moment, watching the scene play out as though it was one of his fantasies come to life. The only thing he could manage to utter was a quiet, “Whoa…”

Ken barely resisted the urge to smirk at Daisuke’s awe, instead keeping his expression neutral. “Hikari, your thoughts? Considering you were the one she targeted initially.”

Everything had escalated so fast that Hikari was left feeling unsteady on her feet. After a moment’s hesitation, she managed to shake her head once she collected her thoughts. “I don’t think involving the police would be a good idea for anyone.”

Ken hesitated before he turned to his driver, the two locking eyes for a moment. After a significant pause, he nodded before he slowly released Jun, stepping back away from her. “I understand.”

The instant Ken let go, Jun scrambled to her feet and put as much distance between her and the boy genius as she could in a handful of seconds. The presence of such a crowd seeing her at her worst and glaring at her or standing ready to join in on the fight left her with little chance to recover. She backed up another step or two. “ _She_ attacked _me!_ ” Her piercing gaze met Hikari’s eyes. “Don’t think just because you fooled them with your innocent act means that you’re not a violent tomboy!”

There was no chance for Hikari to deliver any sort of retort before Jun ran off.

Daisuke let out an annoyed grunt. “Jun always has to get the last word in, doesn’t she?” he grumbled to Chibimon under his breath.

Chibimon growled, appearing out of Daisuke’s back with all his teeth showing. “I should’ve bitten her! I don’t care if she knows about me or not!” Hurting Daisuke’s friends, _especially_ Hikari, was unforgivable - it was just as bad as hurting Daisuke. And since Jun always hurt Daisuke, that meant she was even _more_ unforgivable.

“Who the _hell_ was that?” Taichi demanded as he glared after Jun’s retreating back.

“Jun,” Hikari said, “Daisuke’s older sister.”

“What?!” Taichi blurted out as he gawked at Hikari before turning to Daisuke. “Why the hell was your sister attacking my sister?”

Daisuke almost responded, but the memory of the last time he badmouthed Jun in front of Taichi was still fresh in his mind, leaving him unable to do more than mumble half-formed words that couldn’t come together.

“She’s done it before,” Hikari said tiredly. “Only last time, she did it to get Daisuke in trouble at school. He almost wasn’t allowed to come back to our school this year because of it.”

“Wait, _what_?” Taichi asked as he turned back to Hikari. “When did this happen? And why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was back in March,” Hikari muttered. “I didn’t want to trouble you or anyone else about it, especially not after how easily Jun used what happened against Daisuke.”

“Maybe if you had actually listened to Daisuke instead of yelling at him for saying bad things about Jun, you’d know!” Chibimon snarled as he lunged out of the bag, pointing a little paw angrily at Taichi. “But _instead_ , you _defended_ Jun! You defended Jun and she just punched Hikari _again_!”

Taichi was unable to do little more than stare at Hikari, completely at a loss.

“You gonna defend Jun now!? Huh? _Huh_!?” Chibimon demanded, refusing to let Taichi go without an answer. He whirled to glare at Yamato, who similarly stared at them with a dumbfounded expression on his face. “You gonna defend her _now_ and yell at Daisuke again!?”

“W-wait, wait!” Yamato protested as he raised his hands defensively. “We didn’t know-!”

“Did you ask!?” Chibimon asked, tail lashing and ears canted back. “Did - you - _ask_!?”

Yamato paused at that before he lowered his hands, turning to stare helplessly at Taichi. “I… guess we didn’t...”

“Could you tell us _now_?” Sora asked, her voice gentle. She looked down at Chibimon before turning to Hikari and Daisuke. “Let’s go inside, okay? No more yelling, and everyone will listen this time.”

Hikari met Daisuke’s gaze and saw the uncertainty in his eyes. “I think it’s long overdue, don’t you?”

Daisuke glanced at Taichi and Yamato before he scooped up Chibimon from his bag to hold his partner to his chest. “Okay, Hikari-chan.”

 

\---

 

It didn’t take long for the Chosen to arrive back at Koshiro’s apartment, and for Ken’s driver to return to the boy genius’ parked limo. Tension saturated the atmosphere so that even Koshiro’s mother noticed something was amiss, despite not having seen the altercation. She hovered about in the kitchen, anxiously glancing back at the Chosen as they situated themselves in her son’s room, feeling helpless to do anything but be there if she was needed.

“Right, so,” Yamato said as he flopped down in a chair, then turned to look at Daisuke and Hikari. “What, exactly, is going on?”

Daisuke sat on Koshiro’s bed, shoulders hunched and fingers anxiously fidgeting. Normally he would be thrilled to be seated beside Hikari like this, but the way the others stared at him expectantly to relive one of his worst days only created a pit of lead in his stomach that wouldn’t fade. “Well… uh…”

“Jun is awful and bullies Daisuke and Hikari!” Chibimon declared as he shot both Taichi and Yamato a critical stare. “And _you_ didn’t care until _now_.”

Hikari placed her hand gently atop Chibimon’s head. “It’s okay, Chibimon,” she said softly before she turned her gaze to the others; she made sure to steadfastly avoid meeting her brother’s eyes. “Last March, at the end of the school year, Jun showed up at our school to make problems for Daisuke. Again.”

Daisuke glanced up at Hikari before returning his attention to Chibimon in his lap. “Yeah… whenever Jun doesn’t have anything better to do, she likes to make trouble for me, and she’d been bugging me for months before that about Hikari and me being friends and…” His cheeks turned red as he vividly recalled the countless times Jun teased him for finally having a ‘girlfriend.’ When she realized he really did have a crush on Hikari, it just made Jun even more relentless, but he didn’t dare tell anyone about that part. “A-and ya know, stuff.”

“Jun always goes after anyone that tries to be friends with Daisuke, and anyone that stands up to her!” Chibimon said, sulkily. He was somewhat mollified by Hikari’s touch, but still wasn’t entirely willing to let go of his anger towards the two elder siblings. They had caused Daisuke a lot of heartache, whether they meant to or not. “Hikari did both, so Jun went after her.”

Takeru felt a wave of anger as the memory of Jun attacking Hikari flashed through his mind. “So that’s why…”

“It was near the end of the school year,” Hikari repeated, slowly. “When Jun came to harass Daisuke, I confronted her about her behavior and told her I wasn’t going to let her bully Daisuke anymore.”

Daisuke cringed at the memory. “Jun… doesn’t like it when you talk back to her, so…”

“She punched me,” Hikari said, her expression darkening. “She punched me in the stomach and knocked the wind out of me so I couldn’t talk to defend Daisuke when she framed him for doing it, and for attacking her.”

An uncomfortable heat rose to Daisuke’s cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck and refused to meet anyone’s gaze. “Actually… that part about punching Jun was true. When I saw her go after you, Hikari-chan, I… kinda lost it.”

Hikari reached out to place her hand on Daisuke’s arm, sympathy shining in her eyes. “The point is that she attacked me knowing that it’d upset you, so when she started screaming, it got people’s attention, which is how she could convince everyone you were responsible for it all.”

Iori stared at Daisuke and Hikari for a moment before he turned to Miyako. “...That would explain the rumors at school.”

“Rumors?” Sora turned to stare at Iori. “What rumors?”

“Rumors about Daisuke being a violent delinquent,” Takeru said, anger twisting his expression. He still remembered the boys that had accosted him, and the things they had said about both Daisuke and Hikari. “And Hikari… well. They say things about her, too.”

“What did they say about Hikari?” Taichi asked as he looked sharply at Takeru.

Takeru hesitated before his jaw clenched. Somehow, even talking about it felt vulgar and offensive. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, the words like bile on his tongue. “...Compensated dating.”

Taichi jerked ramrod straight. “ _What!?_ ”

Sora’s eyebrows shot straight up as she got to her feet instinctively. “Who-!?”

“Our classmates,” Takeru said, his tone cold.

Daisuke’s expression darkened. “You haven’t heard even half of the shit Jun spread around about Hikari.”

“It’s not that big a deal,” Hikari said as she held up her hands. “I don’t care what people who don’t know me say about me behind my back.”

“I do!” Taichi snapped. “We’re going down there and setting them straight right now!”

Hikari sighed as she rubbed her forehead. “And this is exactly why I never told you about the rumors in the first place. Denying them isn’t going to stop people from believing in them if they don’t care about how I feel about it.”

“ _You_ ’re not denying it, I am,” Taichi said, jerking his thumb against his chest. “No one calls my sister a wh… no one calls Hikari stuff like that and gets away with it! I’m putting a stop to it right now!”

“And how, pray tell, do you intend on doing that?” Miyako asked as she crossed her arms, quirking an eyebrow. “By telling every student in our school to line up in the auditorium so you can give some grand speech on stage about the purity of Hikari’s maidenhood?”

Heat rose to Taichi’s cheeks, and he sputtered for a moment before he could reply. “That… no, but… They can’t just get away with lying about Hikari like that!”

“Miyako has done a considerable amount of good in clearing not only Hikari’s reputation, but Daisuke’s as well,” Iori said as he glanced between the two Yamagi siblings. “Instances of bullying have dropped considerably, and the teachers no longer believe that they are delinquents that deserve supervision. Or, at the very least, not _continuous_ supervision.”

“Huh?” Daisuke turned to stare at Iori, before shifting his attention to Miyako. He was thunderstruck by the words leaving Iori’s mouth, as if the other boy was speaking in a foreign language. “What?”

Miyako smirked as she reached up to adjust her glasses. “Well, I can’t take _all_ the credit. Ever since he became a Chosen Child, Motomiya’s been a lot more standoffish than he used to be… probably because he’s trying to keep people from finding out about Chibimon.” Her smirk widened as Daisuke blinked. “Between that and Hikari never being in trouble a day in her life, the teachers finally started to pay attention less to what _they_ were doing and more to what _everyone else_ was doing.” She gave a flippant shrug. “After the incident with the bucket, the school became far more interested in keeping things _quiet_ than acknowledging they were _wrong_ , which works for us.”

“Incident with the bucket?” Yamato repeated slowly. “ _What_ bucket?’

“A bucket attacked Daisuke!” Chibimon said as he gripped his partner’s arms tightly. “But Iori saved him!”

“Some idiots tried to dump water on Motomiya, and dropped the bucket instead,” Miyako said as she crossed her arms. “Thankfully, Iori caught it before it could cave anyone’s head in.”

Sora paled. As bad as Rie had been, the Chosen of Love had mostly suffered barbs and snide comments. The very thought of Daisuke on the ground with a severe head injury made her blood run cold. “And the school didn’t do anything?!”

“Oh, the school _did_ give out detentions,” Miyako said. “But they probably haven’t told anyone, not even Motomiya’s parents. They just want the whole incident to go away at this point.”

Daisuke rubbed his head, his skin crawling from the thought that he could’ve been killed not from an epic battle to save the world, but a prank gone horribly wrong. “Yeah… That’s what I expect from adults. Don’t wanna ruin their reputation and all that junk.”

Ken’s hands gripped his knees, his knuckles turning white from the tightness. He said nothing, his jaw clenched so tightly his teeth hurt.

Taichi stared at Daisuke, agog. “Why didn’t you tell anyone about all this?”

“Because Jun would’ve made it worse,” Daisuke muttered. “The entire reason she went after Hikari was because I told her. I guess I just can’t keep my big mouth shut when it comes to Jun being a jerk.”

“And when he _did_ , he got _yelled_ at!” Chibimon said as he glared at Taichi. He absolutely refused to let either of the elder brothers forget about what they had done - even if Daisuke had forgiven them. “So Daisuke stopped talking about it so he wouldn’t get yelled at again!”

Yamato grimaced. While he wanted to protest that it was never their intention, he could see the Digimon’s point. What had started as an outburst ended up coming back to bite them in the end - not just literally but figuratively as well.

Taichi frowned at Chibimon before he turned to his little sister. “Hikari… this has got to stop! I know you never want to bother me with whatever crap you’re going through, but this is driving me crazy! How can I help if you won’t tell me anything?”

Hikari opened her mouth to reply, but Taichi held up his hand to cut her off.

“And don’t tell me I can’t help you even if you do tell me,” he said quickly. “I know I lose my cool sometimes, and you don’t want me to protect you, but… I just…” He brought his hand to his face, which contorted in an exquisite blend of pain and agony. “I gotta know. Even if I can’t do anything about it, I gotta know when something is bad is happening to you. You’re my little sister, and I love you, and all this stuff with you not telling me anything drives me crazy wondering just what crap you’re going through that you don’t want to tell me.”

Hikari felt her heart clench at seeing her brother in so much pain because of her. She threw her arms around Taichi’s neck and hugged him tight. “I’m sorry, big brother…”

Taichi returned the hug before letting out a wry chuckle that held very little humor. “Look, if I promise to try not to fly off the handle, can you promise to at least tell me about what you’re going through from now on?”

With only a moment’s hesitation, Hikari nodded. “Alright… I know I should’ve at least told you about how bad Jun is… but I was afraid you might pick a fight with her, and she’d do to you what she did to me and Daisuke and ruin your reputation.”

Taichi let out a quiet snort. “Like that’ll stop me from punching her teeth in next time she shows her face around here. No one beats up my little sister and gets away with it!”

Hikari straightened up from the hug with a disapproving frown. “I’d rather let Tailmon go after her and have Jun find out about Digimon than let you do that. You don’t know just how bad Jun can get. She nearly got Daisuke expelled from our school… and it isn’t the first time she’s got him into that much trouble.”

Daisuke awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve had to switch schools about four times over the years because I pissed Jun off or she got bored or whatever. I’ve never been able to keep a friend longer than a month before Hikari-chan.”

“...She definitely tried to put an end to that, too,” Takeru muttered as he rubbed his stomach. “That explains why she went after me, saying all that crap.”

“Maybe we should have pressed charges after all,” Sora said, with a disapproving frown on her face, which only deepened as Hikari shook her head.

“She’d find some way to twist it in her favor, to get Daisuke in trouble.” Hikari said, before she sighed. “As it is, I’m sure she’s already thinking of ways to punish him for what happened.”

“I won’t let her!” Chibimon said as he raised his paws, flailing them about. “I’ll get her _first_!”

Koshiro ran his fingers through his hair and let out a whoosh of breath as he took the entire situation in. Computers he understood, but intricate social situations were far out of his league. “Okay… so what do we do about her? Short of letting Chibimon get her and letting her find out about Digimon, I mean.”

“She hasn’t found out about me, and she’s not gonna,” Chibimon said, with a snort. “I’m way too smart for stupid _Jun_.” He perked up with mischief in his eyes, grinning wide. “She never even saw me when I pooped on all her stupid clothes and threw them out the window~!”

Taichi covered his mouth, but the laughter he tried to suppress escaped his nose with an inelegant snort.

Daisuke didn’t try to hide his laughter as he rubbed his partner’s head. “I figured that was you.”

Hikari smiled faintly as she tucked a stray hair back into her hairclip. “I don’t know what we can do about Jun. She only ran because we outnumbered her, and there was an adult nearby.”

“Not to mention it’s our word against hers,” Jou said, with a grunt. “It’d be hard to get the authorities on our side.”

“I guess all we can do for now is go forward,” Sora murmured.

Miyako’s expression deadpanned. “That, and we can tell all our parents that she’s a manipulator so they’ll at least be on our side.” When she noticed the looks sent her way, she cocked an eyebrow. “What? It’s not like we can’t tell on bullies.”

“Not to mention, they’d probably be a bit annoyed if we _didn’t_ tell them and tried to hide it.” Takeru said as he glanced at Taichi and Hikari.

Taichi nodded sharply as she gave Hikari a pointed look. “Right. We’re going to tell Mom and Dad about _everything_ that’s been going on, and maybe we can all go tell Daisuke’s parents too.”

A hot flush of panic sent Daisuke to his feet, knocking Chibimon off his lap as he flailed his arms about. “No! Bad idea! _Major_ bad idea!”

“Look, if all of us go-”

“You don’t know Jun like I do,” Daisuke said quickly, cutting off Taichi. “She’ll find a way to turn it around and make herself the victim, she always does, and then she’ll make my life hell. You’ve got no idea what I had to go through to talk them into letting me get a lock installed on my door with a key.” His cheeks turned a vivid shade of crimson at that particular memory. “Just… let’s just wait, and she’ll get bored after picking on me for a while and find some hot guy to fall all over themselves for her like she usually does.”

Sora looked at Daisuke, frowning. “...Well, you know your sister better than we do. We should still tell our own parents, but we’ll avoid confronting her until she tries something else.”

“That seems to be the most sensible,” Iori said. “Meanwhile, Miyako can continue to clear Daisuke’s and Hikari’s name at school and minimize the damage there.”

Daisuke hesitantly looked over at Miyako, his expression uncertain. “You’re… you’re really doing that for me, Inoe?”

Miyako leaned back, arms folded in front of her. “You sound so surprised, I think I’d be more insulted if it wasn’t coming from you, Motomiya. Just because you hate me _doesn’t_ mean I hate you. We’re all on the same team now and that means looking after each other even when one of us is being a jerk.”

Daisuke stared at Miyako for a long, lingering moment, too dumbfounded to speak until he finally plopped back down onto the bed. “So you _don’t_ think I’m some dumb slacker delinquent out to ruin your reputation as class president?”

Miyako adjusted her glasses, the light glinting off the lenses. “I know you like basing your opinions off anime character tropes, but believe it or not, I’m not obsessed with my class president image to lord it over everyone.”

“So why are you so uptight at school, then?” Daisuke asked.

A smile full of wicked glee stretched across Miyako’s face. “Because no one suspects you’re up to anything against the rules if you act like you’re doing your best to enforce them. Ever since Koshiro told me that Hikari and I would be going to the same elementary school, I knew if I was going to be any help to the Chosen Children, I would need to have a cover in place in case I needed to, you know, give a convincing lie to the teacher for why she went missing during a weird incident like a Digimon attack.”

Daisuke gawked at Miyako. “Seriously?”

Hikari blinked slowly, in awe at the violet haired girl. “You did all that… for me?”

“Well, for you and to help out,” Miyako said as she readjusted her glasses. “Seriously, between a vampire’s ghost army kidnapping tons of people, planes going down in the ocean, the sky ripping itself apart, and a _nuke_ coming down on the city… Even if I didn’t luck out and find out I was a Chosen Child, I’d still be trying to save the world.”

“Please do not underestimate Miyako,” Iori said, with a sly smile. “It would be an enormous mistake.”

Yamato sighed as he reached up to run his fingers through his bangs. “I’m not really happy about leaving her alone, but… I guess we really don’t have a choice. We don’t want to make things worse for Daisuke than we already have.”

“Too late!” Chibimon snapped, glaring at Yamato.

Yamato paused before he turned to Daisuke. “...I’m sorry, Daisuke. I shouldn’t have flipped out on you. I wasn’t thinking and I didn’t know the whole story. I was wrong.”

Heat creeped up the back of Taichi’s neck, but no amount of rubbing eased his discomfort away. “Yeah… I’m really sorry, Daisuke. I guess I just was reminded of how I used to act about Hikari back when I was kind of a brat with her, so…” He shook his head to dismiss unpleasant memories. “Yamato and Chibimon are right, we should’ve given you a chance to explain why you had a problem with your sister.”

Daisuke smiled hesitantly at first as he held Chibimon to his chest. The relief he felt was reluctant to come in spite of himself, but it was a soothing balm all the same. However, after it fully settled in that everyone gathered in this room was on his side and wouldn’t believe Jun’s lies about him, his grin stretched from ear-to-ear. “Thanks, Senpai.”

Chibimon’s tail wagged as he had a smile that mirrored Daisuke’s own. All the tension and animosity melted away, happiness flooding the little Digimon as he squirmed eagerly in the boy’s arms. He knew how much the apology meant to his Chosen, and that alone vindicated all of Chibimon’s efforts. “Yay, Daisuke~!”

After a moment’s hesitation, Daisuke looked sheepishly at Miyako. “And _I’m_ sorry I’ve been giving you a hard time, Ino… Miyako. I thought you believed all the rumors about me and hated me and wanted to kick me off the team.”

Miyako relaxed into an easy smile. “I accept your apology, Daisuke. Lucky for you, I’m way too jaded to accept anything at face value without getting all the info I can get about it.

“I’m just glad that this happened _after_ we cured Takeru,” Yamato said as he glanced to his brother.

Takeru paused before he let out an awkward laugh, reaching up to rub the back of his head awkwardly. “Yeah, I agree. Even _without_ knowing all this, I probably would have punched her when she attacked Hikari. Knowing what I know _now_? I… probably would have put her in the hospital.”

“And then you’d be going to jail,” Yamato said with a frown. “Over _her_.”

Takeru nodded, his smile wane. It was rather frightening to think about, to think of what he would have done had he still been affected by the taint. While he would like to think he wouldn’t have done something so completely out of character, deep in his heart he knew that the darkness would have been there and _anything_ \- specifically the worst - was possible. “Yeah, exactly.”

“Should we… tell Mimi about what happened?” Jou asked as he glanced towards Koshiro’s laptop.

On the laptop’s screen, the Chosen Children could clearly see Mimi sitting on some rubble rocking back and forth as she clapped her hands in time to Kyoumon’s guitar playing. The monochrome Digimon sat beside her, his guitar in his lap as he strummed along cheerfully and swayed in perfect sync with the bubbly Chosen of Purity. Nearby, Palmon twirled and danced to the music with wide sweeps of her arms and twirls that fluttered her petals, as if in a majestic ballet.

“I’ll tell her later,” Sora said as she placed her hand over her heart. While she knew it was important that everyone knew about this situation as soon as possible, she didn’t want to ruin Mimi’s good mood after so much misery she had been forced to endure. Mimi hadn’t smiled quite so brightly in a long time. “For now, let’s just push Jun out of our minds and focus instead on what we _can_ do.”

Ken gripped his knees tightly as he stared at the floor, not daring to raise his eyes lest any of the other Chosen Children see the darkness swirling within them, his gray eyes turning deep black. Anger bubbled inside him like magma, his fingers digging in his flesh as he struggled to contain it. Even Wormmon’s concerned gaze and gentle touch to his arm did little to satisfy the darkness within him.

“‘Focus on what we can do’,” Ken murmured, his voice low and rough like the rattle of a snake. “I completely agree, senpai.”

 

\---

 

It took some time for the Chosen Children to eventually get back to business, as they were still reluctant to let what had transpired to pass. But in the end, they had no choice but to get down to business and start focusing on their other duty - the Digital World.

Most of the Chosen able to fight had already gated back in to the Digital World, joining Mimi with Kyoumon - not only to check on him but the Digimental of Darkness as well. Once there, it was just another standard foray in to controlled territory to reclaim as much as they could.

Back in the real world, the partnerless Sora, Taichi, and Yamato watched the proceedings from Koshiro’s laptop. Without anything else to focus on, they were left to stew and send moral support - and not much else. After all, they could neither help their friends and family fight, nor assist the geniuses in their own tasks. It was a sombering fact, but unavoidable.

Towards the back of the room, with three laptops spread between them, were Miyako, Koshiro, and Ken. Tentomon and Wormmon kept their distances, watching the children as they worked. Despite being made of code, neither knew enough to do more than offer moral support.

Ken glanced over at Miyako and Koshiro out of the corners of his eyes. He immediately noticed that they were currently in their chat room, talking with the other supposed allies assisting the Chosen Children.

The very thought of it made Ken want to roll his eyes. The existence of the chatroom was one of many secrets that the Chosen had inadvertently alerted their supposed enemy to. And while it was admittedly rather vexing at first, the boy genius rather quickly learned how completely useless it was. As soon as he gained access to the chatroom, he was immediately bombarded with curiosity - and _jealousy_. In the end, it was nothing more than children pretending to be Chosen, living vicariously through the _actual_ Chosen.

Ken had enough of _that_ for a lifetime, so he was perfectly content to let Koshiro and Miyako entertain their little fanclub while he did actual work - like examining Koshiro’s precious code to see how it worked.

The code wasn’t nearly as juvenile as Ken had expected. While it was nowhere near as sophisticated as his own, the boy genius had to acknowledge that it was functional and surprisingly clever. Koshiro didn’t have access to the information Ken had, but still managed to figure out a method to manipulating the Digital World. And from what Ken had gathered from Miyako’s little database of information, everything Koshiro had learned was through his own efforts of trial and error. Ken had been pointed in the right direction from the very start, while Koshiro had somehow managed to blindly stumble through the darkness until he found his way. In the end, comparing their intelligence was pointless - it was like comparing apples to oranges.

“I suppose he isn’t a _total_ idiot,” Ken thought.

“If you have any questions about the code, let me know,” Koshiro suddenly said, snapping Ken back into awareness of the fact that two people were in the room and could see what he was doing.

Ken paused before he smiled at Koshiro. “I’ll do that, thank you,” The boy genius turned his attention back to the laptop. “Though I’m having no trouble with it so far, I’ll let you know if I have any issues.”

Koshiro nodded before he returned to his work, or at least appeared to. He continued to glance back at Ken, watching the boy genius for his reaction. It was the first time Ken had decided to actively look through his code rather than join the others in the Digital World, a decision that he understood quite well - far better than any of the other Chosen. Unfortunately, it was also the first time the boy genius had gotten a truly good look at his code, and it was frustrating to see how serene the other boy’s face was, making it impossible to read Ken’s thoughts. Even worse, Koshiro couldn’t simply outright _ask_ ; it seemed so insecure to seek the boy genius’ approval, especially when Ken was so much younger than him. Besides, it was entirely possible that the code he had worked so hard on was in fact a complete mess and Ken was simply too polite to mention it unless prompted.

Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately - for the Chosen of Knowledge, Miyako had no such issues holding her back.

“So, what are your thoughts?” Miyako asked as she moved to stand beside Ken. “I know my notes have all the basics written down, but there are probably some things I didn’t think to add. It’d be nice to get a genius’ point of view.”

“Hm?” Ken looked up, before he smiled. “Oh, I’m very impressed. Not just with how functional the code is, but how Senpai was able to create it in the first place. It’s no wonder he’s the Chosen of Knowledge.”

“What do you mean?” Sora asked, curiously.

“Well, the very fact that he was able to deduce not only the language code but figure out how to arrange it in a usable format is really quite brilliant,” Ken said, turning his attention back to the laptop. “It’s no small feat by any means. While I can see why the Digimon Kaiser was able to maneuver around it, that in no way diminishes how incredible of an achievement it is.”

Koshiro’s eyes darted to Ken. “You figured out how the Digimon Kaiser was overriding my coding?”

“Oh, yes,” Ken said as he turned to Koshiro. “It’s not anything wrong with the code itself, it’s simply that your code works on a different level than the Digimon Kaiser’s.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Yamato asked as he approached the group, crossing his arms. “A different ‘level’?”

Ken paused as he felt a spark of irritation at the interruptions which he quickly smoothed over with a thoughtful expression. “Well, to put it in terms that everyone can understand… imagine that the code of the Digital World is like a deep ocean. Senpai’s code affects the surface of the water - the waves, the tides, things like that. In contrast, the Digimon Kaiser’s code is situated deep under water, perhaps even at the deepest depths of the ocean itself - the very currents that move the water across the world.” The boy genius lifted left hand to point his index finger to point at Sora, who had a blank look on her face. “This means that the Digimon Kaiser’s code affects everything above it, which _includes_ Senpai’s code. Senpai, on the other hand, is only manipulating the surface and can’t touch the Digimon Kaiser’s code. It’s still very impressive, but it’s not going to prevent the Digimon Kaiser from doing whatever he likes.”

Koshiro’s mind raced at the analogy, and he immediately turned to his computer, his fingers flying across the keys as he scrutinized his code in a new light he never considered before.

“He really _is_ playing on a different field than the rest of us, isn’t he?” Yamato muttered, with a frown.

“At the very least, he knows the Digital World far better than we do,” Ken said, trying to keep his tone light even if he was boasting about himself in the third person. “To manipulate the code like that, he must have a lot of experience doing it. It’s no wonder he’s been able to get away with so much for so long.”

“Which makes it all the more horrible,” Sora said as she placed her hand over her heart. “He should know better, more than any of us.”

Ken felt another twinge of irritation before he dismissed it. He shouldn’t have expected any praise from the Chosen Children, not that he wanted any in the first place. It was only natural that they’d ignore his genius in favor of their childish views.

 “So all we’ve got to do is dive deeper into the code than he is, right?” Taichi guessed, though he couldn’t quite reconcile the analogy beyond a literal interpretation. “Like Yamato and I did with War Greymon and Metal Garurumon during the battle with Diablomon.”

“ _If_ that’s even possible,” Ken said. The very idea was ludicrous, but he wasn’t about to voice that thought. If they wanted to waste their time trying to outdo a genius, then it only served to benefit _him_. It kept them out of his hair and grasping at straws. With that in mind, Ken turned to smile at Koshiro. “But it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Koshiro’s eyes never left the lines of code he skimmed at breakneck speeds. “Ken doesn’t mean it the way you’re thinking Taichi, but it does give me some ideas.” He didn’t elaborate, knowing that Taichi, Yamato, and Sora would be utterly lost on the jargon. Fortunately, he had a chat room full of people who would be more than prepared to help him flesh out his new ideas.

Before Koshiro could even begin to formulate the words he wanted to type in to the chatroom, his thoughts interrupted by a sudden message from one of its members - none other than his genius friend from America.

 

CheerfulHeaven: Good news and bad news!

CheerfulHeaven: I finally managed to recover the data that was wiped at Factory Town.

CheerfulHeaven: We can now see what he was building there.

 

Koshiro’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“What’s going on?” Yamato asked as he moved over to stand by Koshiro, his eyes darting across the screen.

“My friend in America managed to recover the information the Digimon Kaiser had deleted back at Factory Town,” Koshiro said as he leaned forward, typing away at his keyboard. “Remember? When he took the place over, then wiped everything clean - including the original programming.”

Ken glanced at the Chosen, furrowing his brow. After a moment’s hesitation, he switched his attention to the chatroom and the sudden conversation happening within it.

 

@Koshiro: That’s great news!

Bunnyhop: So if thats the good news

Bunnyhop: What’s the bad news

CheerfulHeaven: Take a look for yourself.

 

In the chatroom, a link appeared. Koshiro paused as he furrowed his brow and glanced to Miyako, who had also turned her attention to the chatroom. The two Chosen shared a look before accessing the link on their laptops at the same time, uncertain of what they’d find. The link immediately brought up a reconstructed image of a schematic. It was immediately recognizable as a tube with various machinery attached to it - the very containment tubes the Digimon Kaiser had used to create his bizarre experiments.

Yamato blinked slowly before he frowned, a wave of disappointment flooding him. “It’s… a tube.”

 

GODHACKER: Real impressive, Mister AMERICAN GENIUS.

GODHACKER: You spend months trying to recover the data…

GODHACKER: And all you did was tell us what we already know!!!!

GODHACKER: Great work there!!!

 

Taichi quirked an eyebrow before he tilted his head. “That guy’s an asshole, but he’s got a point. We already knew he had a bunch of those things. All this does is confirm that he used Factory Town to mass-produce them. What’s the big deal?”

Koshiro furrowed his brow before he began to type. He didn’t get a chance to finish his response before CheerfulHeaven responded.

 

CheerfulHeaven: Look at the dimensions.

CheerfulHeaven: Or better yet…

CheerfulHeaven: Here’s a nice little comparison for you.

 

A second link appeared in the chatroom, which prompted an immediate response from the other occupants of the room.

 

GODHACKER: OMFG

Bunnyhop: OMGOMGOMGOMG

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: uh

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: shit

 

Koshiro blinked before he clicked the link. Right away, the Chosen of Knowledge was greeted by a new addition to the schematics - Omegamon. An image of Omegamon had been placed beside the tube as a frame of reference. In reality, the fused Digimon was rather large, big enough to carry both Yamato and Taichi on his shoulders with ease. It wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch to say that the Digimon was the size of a bus, or even a small house.

But when placed next to the tube in the schematic, Omegamon barely came up to the top of the tube’s base. The tube itself stretched onward ever upwards, at least ten times the size of the Digimon next to it.

Miyako’s expression was stone even as she began to type.

 

@RainbowBuilder: You’re SURE about this?

CheerfulHeaven: As sure as death.

@RainbowBuilder: Well.

@RainbowBuilder: That’s cheerful.

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: omg ru sris a pun how can u joke bout this???

@RainbowBuilder: Pun not intended.

Sailormoon96: werdeadogddmt

@RainbowBuilder: Pardon me while I stare at a wall for a while.

 

“Is that… is that _Omegamon_!?” Yamato asked as he pointed at the screen. “Is that to scale!?”

“It would seem so,” Ken said, his tone neutral. “If the schematics are to be believed.”

“So, wait,” Taichi said slowly with dawning horror. “That’s a tube for those Dark Ocean creatures, right? Tell me I’m wrong.”

Koshiro’s face took on a sickly pallor as he combed over the recovered schematics and the data that came with it. He barely took note of the chatroom exploding with reactions, mostly disbelief and horror as they all realized the same thing. “Whatever the Digimon Kaiser is using this tube to create… it’s going to be bigger than the Tokyo Tower.”

 

@Koshiro: At maximum height, this tube has the potential to create something over 350 meters.

CheerfulHeaven: If the past tubes are anything to go by...

CheerfulHeaven: Whatever he’s going to make will take up anywhere from 50% to 75% of the tube.

CheerfulHeaven: The rest will be liquid.

 

“That’s still as big as a damn skyscraper!” Yamato yelled as he gripped the back of Koshiro’s chair. “So it’s _five_ or _six_ Omegamons instead of _ten_! What consolation is _that_!?”

 

GODHACKER: HOW IS THAT BETTER!!

GODHACKER: DO I NEED TO REMIND YOU THEY’RE ALL LIQUID

GODHACKER: ALL THOSE FAKE DIGIMON IN FACTORY TOWN BECAME A HUGE DIGIMON

GODHACKER: IF ALL THE DIMENSIONS ARE FILLED UP IT COULD BE LIKE AN EGG HATCHING SOMETHING GODDAMED BIGGER!!!!!

CheerfulHeaven: It’s entirely possible, yes.

Sailormoon96: omg hesgnna destry tokyo like gozilla

Sailormoon96: ^gojira

 

“That must be why we haven’t seen him for so long,” Yamato said as he turned to Taichi. “That little punk’s been working on his _monster_ all this time!”

The muscles in Taichi’s body clenched hard enough to make his fist quake at his side. “What the hell is he trying to do?”

“He can’t… he can’t bring that thing to the real world, can he?” Sora asked as she held the front of her shirt with both hands. She remembered how Vamdemon and his minions had to use a special gateway, using special cards, in order to wreak havoc on their world. “Not that it helps the Digital World any…”

“At this point…,” Koshiro said, his voice shaking. “At this point, I don’t think we can rule anything out. This is way beyond anything we thought he was capable of.”

“We’ve got to stop him.” Sora whispered, breathlessly.

Taichi nodded sharply. “ _Before_ whatever he’s making hatches.”

Ken kept his face neutral as he quietly drank in the reactions of the Chosen Children and their ‘allies’. While he was admittedly rather perturbed that they had managed to recover the data he had tried so hard to erase, it still took them several months to do it. Because of that, his plans had progressed far beyond the point that they could do anything to halt them. In the end, their efforts were futile - and hilarious.

“So much for the ‘American Genius’,” he thought, smug. “In the end, he’s still _nothing_ compared to _me_.”

Their talk was only that - _talk_. None of their bluster or posturing mattered, and there was no way they’d be able to stop him. Even their knowledge of his ace in the hole didn’t diminish its potential in the slightest.

Ken was going to save them, whether they wanted him to or not.

 

\---

 

Daisuke dreaded coming home that night. He stayed out purposefully late to avoid whatever Jun had planned for him as long as possible. Unfortunately, he eventually had no choice but to return to his apartment. He could have asked a friend if he could spend the night, he supposed, but they were already worried enough about him as it was. The feeling was a nice change, but he still needed time to get used to the idea that so many people were on his side.

If only it did anything to ease his fears about what sort of revenge Jun had in store for him.

Dinner had come and gone and it was well past when his parents would usually be in bed when Daisuke quietly unlocked the front door. He cringed as the hinges creaked despite how careful he was when he eased the door open. Peering through the crack into the gloomy entryway, he found everything was still and silent.

He slipped inside silently and waited for a moment, half expecting Jun to jump out from behind the corner, but all he heard was the whirring of the air conditioner struggling to keep the apartment cool despite the late summer heat. With no small reluctance, he closed and locked the door behind him, still on edge. Although everything seemed peaceful, it felt to him as though the entire world was holding its breath.

Not daring to turn on the light, Daisuke squinted to see through the darkened gloom after exchanging his sneakers for slippers and creeping his way to his room. When he reached his door with no sign of Jun, he allowed himself to dare for one glorious moment to hope that perhaps his sister had been so upset she went out on a date and hadn’t yet returned home.

Then he flinched at the sound of his keys jangling when they refused to go into his lock.

The fresh hot flush of panic set in as Daisuke tried to align the key with the hole blindly in the dark, only to fail each time. He felt around for the lock only to jerk his hand back with something slimy and sticky clinging to his fingers as well as the key.

“What the hell?!”

The hallway light flicked on, but before Daisuke could do more than squint at the sudden bright light, a hand snatched at the strap of his dufflebag and used it to wrench his arm behind his back. A pained cry escaped him, only to be cut off as his head was slammed into his bedroom door.

“Shhhh…,” hissed a familiar voice that sent the hairs on the back of Daisuke’s neck on edge. “Let’s not wake Mom and Dad up. Don’t you know what time it is, little brother?”

Daisuke bit down hard on his lower lip and swallowed curses that wanted to fly freely. In the light he could see gobs of gum, the goopiest he had ever felt, covering the lock on his doors with slimy tendrils attached to wads on his fingers and keys. Knowing that Jun had snagged him in her trap, he kept his insults internal and went limp, knowing that it was better to just let whatever she had planned happen. “Gross… You plugged my lock with used gum? That’s going to take me hours to clean out.”

Chibimon tensed within Daisuke’s dufflebag, his ears canting back as his lips curled up in to a snarl. He listened, crouched and ready to pounce on Jun. Digimon or no Digimon, if Jun took it too far _this_ time, she was going to _pay_ for it.

“Actually that looks more like _your_ favorite flavor if I’m not mistaken,” Jun whispered in a low voice as smooth as silk. “Wintergreen, right?” She clucked her tongue disapprovingly. “You really need to be careful where you shove those wads, little brother. It must be so gross getting gum and whatever else you cram into your mouth and spit back out all over you.”

Daisuke gagged as he felt his skin beneath the goop crawl. He ached to wash his hands almost as much as his shoulder ached to be released from Jun’s painful hold. “Okay, fine, you got me good, Jun. It’ll probably take me days to clean up ‘my’ mess and Mom and Dad are going to give me the responsibility lecture or whatever. You win. Happy?”

Jun’s laughter was sharp in Daisuke’s ear, close enough to make him wince even though she kept her voice down. “What, you think _this_ is going to make us even for you having your friends _publicly humiliate me_ this afternoon? Not a chance.”

Despite the pain, Daisuke had been ready to just let Jun keep him pinned when he felt Chibimon shifting in the bag against him. Panic flooded him as he imagined his partner getting ready to defend him and exposing himself; he had to act first, forcing himself out of Jun’s hold. “Okay, fine!” he snapped as he grabbed his bag back and hugged it close, taking only the tiniest of satisfaction in seeing Jun’s surprise at seeing him fighting back. “Go ahead and tell people at school I beat you up again or whatever. Just don’t go after Hikari-chan again, okay?”

The brief surprise that flickered across Jun’s face cooled instantly into a mask of ice as she lunged forward, slamming her hands on either side of Daisuke’s head and boxing him against his bedroom door. She loomed closer, bending down to glare into his eyes and reminding him silently just how much older and larger she was than him. “Don’t you tell me what to do, Daisuke. I’m your older sister. Don’t think just because you’re a boy and have friends now means I can’t-”

“Jun? Daisuke?” a groggy voice came from down the hallway, causing the two children to jump and turn to stare. Junko peered out of the master bedroom, wearing her bathrobe and looking barely awake. “What’s going on? Doesn’t school start up again tomorrow?”

Jun was sunshine and rainbows as she smiled at her mother. “Sorry for waking you, Mom, but Daisuke was sneaking in wayyyyy past his curfew, and he locked himself out of his room because he got _gum_ in his lock before he left. I was just trying to help him get it unstuck while reminding him that he really needs to take more responsibility around here.”

Junko blinked slowly before she sighed, exasperated. “Daisuke, we’ll talk about this in the morning. For now, just go to sleep, alright? You can’t be tired on the first day back.”

“Right,” the children said as one, though Daisuke’s voice came out as a grumble while Jun’s voice was bright and cheerful.

Satisfied with their response, Junko covered her mouth as she let out a yawn before disappearing back in to the master bedroom. “Good night, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Mom,” Jun said as she sauntered off to her room. “Goodnight, Daisuke. Pleasant dreams~!”

Only Daisuke saw the glare Jun shot him before her door closed -  a silent promise that she wasn’t finished with him yet by a long shot. He waited until he heard the click of door sealing shut behind her before he shuffled off to the bathroom. Once he got the slime off his hands, he was going to email his friends and see if any of them were still awake and had any ideas about how to clean gum out of a lock. “Night, Mom.”

 

\---

 

Images flashed across the multitude of screens that lined the Digimon Kaiser’s throne room. However, instead of the usual pictures of the Digital World and all the land he held, the screen showed something entirely different. Lines and lines of text were displayed on every screen, along with the occasional anatomical diagram. Medical textbooks, journals, and research logs covered the screens, as words such as ‘syphilis’, ‘herpes’, ‘chlamydia’, and ‘gonorrhea’ were on full display - both their symptoms and standard treatments.

Sitting on his throne, Ken was focused on the screen directly in front of him, where an official-looking doctor’s form hovered in view. Typing away at his keyboard, words manifested on the document, filling in the information with great care.

Right at the very top of the document, next to the ‘patient’ disclaimer, was a name - Jun Motomiya.

FlaWizarmon and Witchmon stood in the doorway, watching the Digimon Kaiser with open confusion. They glanced at each other before returning their attention to the tiny tyrant and his activities.

“Doin’ some late night homework, are ya?” FlaWizarmon asked, as if he hadn’t seen the text prominently on display. “Don’t you usually get yer summer work done early, like _on the first day_?”

Ken didn’t respond, engrossed in his work. He typed away at the computer, filling the document before him.

Witchmon furrowed her brow. “Dearie, is everything okay?”

Ken tapped on his keyboard with a flourish. The screen flickered before it turned sideways. Before the Digimon’s very eyes, bits of white paper began to fall downward to the floor, one after another. Each page had the same information as what was on the screen, a perfect physical replication of what had been generated.

FlaWizarmon tilted his head before he picked up a stray piece of paper, regarding it with a cocked eyebrow. “Hum.”

Ken turned to another screen, where a prescription label was displayed. Reaching up, Ken peeled the screen back as if touching a real label. Miraculously, the label pulled up off the screen, becoming physical beneath his fingertips. With another flourish, the Digimon Kaiser wrapped the prescription label on a bright orange bottle with a white screw top.

After smoothing out the label, making sure there were no creases or tears, Ken then popped open the top and held the bottle under yet another screen. The third screen was filled with images of small white pills, which immediately dropped down to fill the orange bottle with a clatter.

“Self-medicating now, are ya?” FlaWizarmon asked with a slight quirk of his mouth that only barely managed to hide the uncertainty that lurked beneath it.

Witchmon frowned, glancing at FlaWizarmon before turning her concerned gaze on the Chosen Child. “K-chan, we-” She gave a small jump as Ken turned to face her, holding out the bottle towards her. Only then did the two finally see the Digimon Kaiser’s face, and the wicked smirk plastered there.

“I trust you two aren’t _busy_ ,” Ken said, his smile widening to show off his teeth. “I’ve got a _very important_ job for you.”

FlaWizarmon and Witchmon simultaneously blinked before they began to smile themselves, their expressions just as malicious as the Digimon Kaiser’s as they spoke in unison.

“You got it, K-chan~!”


	33. Chapter Thirty Two

Sora sighed as she made her way to her classroom. It felt like their summer break had ended far too quickly, though they had done their best to use it wisely. But in the end, as much as they had accomplished, there was always still more to do and never enough time to do it.

The developments with the Digimon Kaiser still weighed heavily on her mind. The revelation had badly shaken the Chosen and their confidence. Up until that point, they had been moving forward, freeing up both Digimon and the land itself. They thought they had already faced the worst the Digimon Kaiser had to offer in the form of their controlled friends. With the new potential threat looming over their heads, it only became all the more obvious how little the Chosen Children actually knew - and how little they were really accomplishing.

“I guess we all took it for granted,” Sora murmured before she furrowed her brow as thoughts of Keiko, Ryo, and even Gennai flashed through her mind. “...We took a lot of things for granted.”

The Chosen of Love slipped in through the open door to her classroom and approached her desk. She was just about to sit down when she noticed something was sitting on it, the sight of which caused her to pause and stare.

It was a white lily in a small pink vase.

Sora blinked as she stared down at the flower, her mind registering what she was seeing. She was used to finding graffiti etched on her desk, either in pen or pencil, or having tacks or chewed gum in her seat. Sometimes, her chair would be missing entirely, forcing her to either search for it or get a new one.

But no matter how irritating, obnoxious, or childish as such pranks were, none had really escalated to such a point as the lily on her desk. Its meaning was even more obvious to her, given her mother’s florist shop.

In Japan, it was customary to put a single flower on the desk of a student who had died - a small memorial to remember a dear classmate who had tragically passed. But to put such a flower on the desk of a student who wasn’t dead, the meaning was loud and clear.

 _I wish you were dead_.

Sora could barely register the stares she was getting as her classmates waited to see her reaction, one pair of eyes particularly gleeful and eager. Rie sat in her desk, smirking as she watched Sora rather openly as the girl found the flower on her desk. There was no attempt to hide it, to disguise the rather obvious bullying attempt from their classmates or even the teacher. Instead, the spiteful girl waited to enjoy Sora’s reaction at such a hateful gift.

Sora blinked slowly. She should’ve been upset, horrified even, that someone would leave such a thing on her desk. Instead, the Chosen of Love felt befuddlement that Rie - as she had no doubts who it was - would think it was acceptable. Whatever her reasons were, none of them would ever justify such a horrible sentiment.

When Jijimon had asked the Chosen so bluntly if they intended to kill the Digimon Kaiser, the Chosen had been struck silent. While what the Digimon Kaiser was doing was truly awful, it in no way justified even _considering_ murder as an appropriate response. And that’s what it would have been - murder. While someone else might argue that it was justified, that his actions meant he deserved the same treatment as any of the other evil Digimon they had dealt with in the past, none of the Chosen agreed with such a thing. No matter how awful the Digimon Kaiser acted, he didn’t deserve death.

The very idea that Rie thought that _Sora_ deserved to die was completely and utterly _asinine_.

Sora blinked again before she let out a tiny snort of laughter, reaching up to cover her mouth from such an unlady-like giggle. It was just so childish, so inane, that she couldn’t help but laugh.

“ _Honestly_ ,” Sora said between giggles as a small smile appeared on her face.

Ignoring the bewildered stare at Rie sent her way, the Chosen of Love reached down to pluck the white lily from out of its little vase. Carefully, Sora brushed her hair back and placed the stem of the flower behind her ear, so that the delicate white petals could stand out against her red hair.

At that moment, Taichi entered the classroom. As he went to his desk, he paused when he noticed the flower in Sora’s hair. “Oh, hey. Lookin’ good, Sora!”

Sora giggled as she smiled at Taichi. “Thank you~!”

As the Chosen of Love sat down in her seat, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of pleasure at Rie’s irritated scowl. Sora knew it was petty to derive enjoyment from such a thing, but she figured it was forgivable given the circumstances.

The Chosen of Love felt much freer than she had in a long time - free from Rie and from her own emotions. She had real friends, people who loved and would never wish death on her - even in hyperbole - for any reason.

Rie could be as jealous as she liked, say or do as many hateful things as she liked; it wouldn’t change anything. Sora was a Chosen Child, and nothing was going to change that or destroy the bonds she had with people who actually cared.

 

\---

 

Jun was already off to a bad start. For whatever reason, her alarm hadn’t gone off that morning, even though she was certain she had set it the night before; instead she her mother was the one to wake her up a full half hour late, once Junko was aware that she hadn’t left her room.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Whether she had forgotten or she had been so tired that she didn’t realize she had turned it off, Jun was still running late - and quite literally at that. After gulping down breakfast and getting dressed in record time, she had to sprint out of the apartment and to the school in order to make it before the last bell.

Jun didn’t allow herself a chance to catch her breath until she had passed the gates, putting her firmly on school property. The absence of any school bells was a welcome relief as she bent forward forward, bracing her hands on her knees as she gulped down breaths of air.

“F-finally… how does that little idiot _do_ this _every_ morning?” Jun panted out as visions of Daisuke racing across the soccer field like a moron played through her mind. She shook thoughts of her little brother aside, as they brought her back to the humiliation from the other day and straightened her back. With a sigh that was nearly a yawn, she stretched her weary muscles before sauntering her way to class.

Jun hadn’t even gone two steps before she noticed that the front doors were blocked by many student bodies. “Huh?”

A large crowd had gathered just inside the entrance of the school, filling the lobby despite the fact that classes were just about to start. It was very unusual, especially in such large numbers, but no matter how strange, it still provided Jun with a golden opportunity.

“Lucky~!” Jun thought with a smirk as she approached the crowd. “I can just blame them for being tardy. And with so many still out here, the teachers might overlook…”

It was the staring that made Jun pause. Once she approached the entrance, the closest students stopped to stare at her, some poking at another teen to hiss something that she could only tell was anxious. The shift was like a domino effect, as the ones on the outskirts noticed her first, which alerted those ahead of her presence. Within moments, all eyes were upon her, staring at her.

The whispering began just as Jun felt a wave of dread wash over her, followed by a dark prickling of anger. Someone made a move against her - Ami, Hinako, Nene… the list of suspects was too long to tell from the silently laughing eyes of a crowd that had already gobbled up some juicy piece of gossip about her.

Jun kept her feelings masked, save for a tiny pout of disapproval as she made her way to the front of the crowd. To her surprise, people made way for her when they saw her, some lunging aside so suddenly they crashed into others. A tiny twitch of an almost smile quirked at the corner of her mouth, as she felt a small rush of pleasure at the fear and respect she commanded as she made her way to what she realized was the bulletin board. If she didn’t try so hard to maintain the image of a cute maiden, she might have considered this reaction a favor to her, but instead she feigned innocent confusion.

“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice syrupy sweet before she managed to cast doey eyes on the papers pinned to the board.

Covering the bulletin board were medical documents, as if written by a doctor during an examination. In this particular case, the header identified it as a document from a gynecologist’s office. At the very top of the documents under the patient’s name, for all to see, was Jun’s name.

Jun’s eyes widened, both her expression and her mind going blank as she gaped at the strange documents in front of her. She had never seen them before, and yet her name and measurements were written all over them.

Jun barely noticed the gasp that escaped her, or that her bag had slipped from her limp fingers until she heard it hit the floor. The clatter of her things tumbling out of the bag caught her attention, bringing her gaze to the floor just in time to see a bottle of what could only have been prescription medication rolling out into the accusing gaze of the crowd watching her every move.

Jun completely lost her composure at the sight of her name on the label and the shocked outcries echoing from all around her. “What the hell is that!?”

“Oh my god, it’s _true_!” one of the female students nearby blurted out before she turned to her friend. “She really _is_ diseased!”

“Oh gross, oh _gross_!” the girl’s friend covered her mouth with both hands, her face twisting with disgust.

In an instant, the crowd had abandoned whispers, their volume rising along with their excitement levels.

“What _else_ is she growing down there!?”

“Are you really _surprised?_ With all the _dicks_ she’s had up there...”

“Probably at the _same time_ , too!”

“So her brother’s a punk and _she’s_ a whore. How much you wanna bet he’s screwing her on the side, and he punched her ‘cuz he was jealous?”

“Jealous or pissed off at all the crap she got on him?”

“What a fucked up family…”

A scream erupted from Jun, animal and feral, as she lunged at the bulletin board to tear down each lie that hung tauntingly before her. She was deaf to the increasing chatter and mocking laughter as she whirled to face the crowd, her eyes alight with a feral frenzy that promised utter destruction to the culprit behind framing her. “Who did this? Who put up all these lies about me?! Who hid those pills in my bag?!”

Instead of an answer, she was greeted with more disgust - and jeers.

“Seriously, she’s gonna deny it? Her meds fall out of her bag, and she’s still denying it?” one of the female students asked rhetorically, a smirk on her face.

“I always knew there was something wrong with her.” a male student said with a snort.

“Don’t get near her. Who knows how _infectious_ she is?” another female student said, fanning her hand in front of her nose.

“ _Why the hell didn’t you tell me_!?” a new voice thundered, as a male student rushed through the crowd to Jun. Panic and rage flooded his face as he shoved students aside without a care. He held another one of the medical papers, flashing it in Jun’s face. “What did you give me!?”

Jun gaped at the male student, her face going pale. The sight of her boyfriend’s anger was quick to take the fire out of her own outrage. “Ma… Mako?”

“Who gave you this!?” Mako demanded as he jabbed his finger at the paper. “It sure as hell didn’t come from _me_!”

“What!? No! I-it’s not true!” Jun protested. “I didn’t-!”

“ _Don’t give me that shit_!” Mako screamed as he furiously wadded up the paper before throwing it on the floor in front of Jun. “You lying, filthy _whore_!”

Pandamonium erupted, as students could no longer contain themselves. Mocks, jeers, and insults flew as Mako screamed his rage at Jun, the crowd antagonized him further. The gathered students had become a mob, the sound outright deafening in the halls.

Everything was coming unraveled before Jun’s eyes as more students arrived carrying copies of the medical papers. It didn’t end with just this bulletin board; it was all over school. Even teachers began to arrive, carrying entire stacks of what could only be the offensive slips of paper. As the adults yelled at the rowdy students who had gathered to get to their classes and threatening punishment for their tardiness, they kept glancing at Jun out of the sides of their eyes - with suspicion and _judgment_.

There was no coming back from this.

Anger gave way to a wail of grief as Jun fled from her peers, not faking her tears this time as she escaped her perfect little world crumbling all about her.

 

\---

 

School couldn’t end soon enough for Daisuke, although he dreaded what might be awaiting him after the final bell. He had been on edge the entire day, his eyes never straying far from the window to catch a glimpse of the gate, expecting _some_ form of fall out after the incident with Jun. Once classes were over, he raced to the streets, leaving his friends confused in his wake. He had barely heard the offer to walk him to Hikari’s house for the meeting, but he wasn’t about to risk Jun doing something terrible to any of them.

It was a bittersweet feeling racing home, knowing that Jun would no doubt take some shots at him there, but so long as Daisuke took some abuse at home, she was less likely to follow him again. If he was lucky, giving her the chance to make him miserable many times in small ways would satisfy her and spare him whatever terrible revenge scheme she was no doubt brewing.

Now the only problem was limiting how much Jun would do to him at a time before Chibimon snapped and attacked her directly.

“I’m home!” Daisuke said as he rushed inside, moving quickly to minimize his exposure to Jun. However, he barely finished switching out his shoes for slippers when he noticed something amiss. He couldn’t say for sure what was wrong, but there was an oppressive tension in the atmosphere that was all too familiar to him, and he knew Jun had done something.

Daisuke hesitated in the doorway, wondering if it was better to just leave, but he had already resigned himself to his fate. However, before he could start to wonder what Jun had told his parents this time, he noticed a pile of letters hastily left on the small table by the umbrella stand; on the topmost envelope was his name in neatly typed font with no return address.

The uneasy feeling in Daisuke’s stomach bubbled over. Normally, his mother would have dealt with the mail right after it arrived and would slide any letters to him under his bedroom door, as per his request - even if she refused to accept the notion that Jun was the type of person to snoop through his mail. The fact that a letter for him had been left carelessly in plain view left him feeling unsettled. What was even more troubling that Jun hadn’t done anything to his letter - at least as far as he could tell.

“She must not have seen it,” Daisuke thought as he grabbed the letter and slid it into his bag with Chibimon. He felt his partner’s small paws brush against his hand to take the letter from him and gave Chibimon a faint smile as the little dragon hugged the envelope tightly. From the look on Chibimon’s face, Daisuke could tell that he was on edge as well.

“Be careful, Daisuke,” Chibimon whispered, his ears canting back.

“I know,” Daisuke muttered. “Jun’s obviously-”

At that moment, Daisuke’s train of thought was promptly derailed when a noise caught his ear, one that he hadn’t been expecting. It was the sound of intense, choking sobbing coming from Jun’s room.

Furrowing his brow, Daisuke dared to venture deeper into the house. He passed by Jun’s closed door, pausing only briefly to verify that the sound was in fact coming from her room, before he sought out his mother in the kitchen. He opened his mouth to question Junko when he noticed how haggard she looked, an out of place frown creasing her face as she stared through dishes she was mechanically cleaning. She didn’t seem to notice her son when he stood right next to her until he cleared his throat, which made her jump.

“Oh!” Junko yelped before she paused, then placed a hand over her breast. “Daisuke... I didn’t hear you.” It was a visible effort for her to bring a smile to her face. “Welcome home, honey.”

Daisuke frowned. He rarely ever saw his mother so troubled; usually she was off in her own little happy world. Between this and the faint sobbing he could still hear coming from Jun’s room, he couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of doom. “Did, uh… did something happen?”

Junko faltered before she did her best to smile reassuringly at her son. “Jun just… had a bad day at school today. Don’t worry, your father and I are taking care of it.”

Relief rushed out of Daisuke in a breath. If Jun was embroiled in some sort of high school drama, like her boyfriend broke up with her or something, then she would be far too distracted to focus on getting revenge on him and his friends. He was more than happy to leave Jun to her own devices, though he tried his best not to act like he was pleased by this turn of events in front of his mother. “Sure, Mom.”

Junko watched her son as he headed to his room, her smile weakening. It was only after he fished out his keys that she spoke up again. “Daisuke?”

Daisuke paused and turned to look at his mother. “Yeah?”

“If… something had happened at school, you’d let us know, wouldn’t you?” Junko asked, her voice tentative. “If people were picking on you, or saying awful things about you… you’d tell us?”

The question froze Daisuke in his tracks and his mother’s worried eyes kept him pinned there. On instinct, he looked in the direction of Jun’s room; though her sobbing continued on, he still felt on edge, as though she was listening and ready to pounce if he tried once again to tell his parents about her bullying.

The tension mounted, and Daisuke finally had to turn his gaze to the front door. His skin crawled every time he considered lying to his parents, no matter how inevitable it was. He readjusted his bag, taking comfort in the fact that Chibimon was by his side, before he took a calming breath. “I’m a man, and a man fights his own battles,” he muttered, nearly quoting verbatim what his father had told him more than once.

Junko stared at Daisuke, her eyes widening. “What?”

Daisuke squirmed under his mother’s stare before he finally forced himself to turn completely away from her. He was already on thin ice with Jun as it was, and he didn’t want to do anything to redirect her frustrations back onto him. “I-I’ve gotta go. My friends are waiting for me and… stuff.”

“Wait!” Junko said as she suddenly drew closer, panic clear on her exhausted face. “No! That’s… that’s not what we meant! That’s not what we meant _at all_!”

Daisuke jerked his head back around. “Huh?”

Junko looked to be in tears as she gripped her son’s arm. “Jun told me… about how you were being bullied in school, and talking to _her_ about it instead of going to us. And that it was the same reason she didn’t come to tell us about the bullying _she’s_ been going through, until today.”

The world tilted sharply on its axis beneath Daisuke’s feet. “Wait… _what?!_ ”

“Your father and I… we didn’t want you to think that you couldn’t come to us if you had problems, or to think that we’d side with the school over you,” Junko said, her voice wavering as she fought back her tears. She was clearly putting a lot of effort in to remaining strong in front of her son. “We never intended… we want to be there for you, Daisuke. And for Jun. We’re your _parents_ , and we’ll always support you.”

Daisuke worked his mouth for a moment before he could finally get words out. “ _Jun_ said I was being bullied… and I was complaining to _her_ about it?”

Junko nodded as she reached up to wipe her eyes. “Please don’t be angry at her, she’s… she’s had a rough day. I’m sure she didn’t intend to betray your confidence in her.”

“Betray confidence… in _Jun_ ,” Daisuke repeated slowly.

Junko sighed heavily as she composed herself, then looked at Daisuke with furrowed brow. “If something’s happening to you, I… I want to know. I promise I’ll listen, and do everything I can to help you.”

“Is… is this a trick?” Daisuke blurted out before he realized who he was talking to. “I-I mean… yeah… I’m… stuff sucks, but you and Dad always believed stuff everyone said about me and… and I…” He hesitated for a moment. “I’m not like that. I’m not what Jun… what everyone says about me.”

Junko trembled and she looked about ready to cry again, but she managed to catch herself. “I’m so sorry, sweetie… I...”

Daisuke felt his heart give a painful twist, and he quickly gave his mother a hug. He wanted to tell her that it was alright, it didn’t hurt him, but the lie was just too big and prickly for him to force it out his throat. All he could do was the next best thing. “I… I’m not mad at you, Mom.”

Junko reached out to wrap her arms around her son, holding him tightly as she returned the hug. “I should have… given you a chance to talk about this. I… I had no idea that… it’s no _wonder_ you lashed out at Jun when your father and I failed so you badly...”

Daisuke winced, his teeth gritting to hold back bitter words that fought to escape him. He knew it wasn’t his mother’s fault that Jun had played both his parents like instruments. “I can’t believe Jun _told_ you about what’s going on at school.” He knew she had to have some sort of angle to her benefit, but what it was, he had no idea.

“She told me all about the bullying you two have been facing, that we haven’t been protecting you from,” Junko said, holding her son tightly to contain her own trembling. “We’re going to do what we can to help Jun, and we’re going to help you, too. We’re going to get everything straightened out, I promise!”

Daisuke blinked. “Wait, _Jun_ is being bullied too?!”

Junko nodded before she stepped back to look Daisuke in the face, though she kept her arms around her son. “Once your father gets home, we’re going to go straight to the principal and talk about it. And we… we can go to your school too.”

Despite his chaotic feelings and confusion, Daisuke managed a small smile. “Thanks, Mom. It… it’s actually not too bad anymore. I’ve got a ton of friends now who’re looking out for me, and even the class rep is on my side and helping me with the rumors… but I’m glad you and Dad want to help stop them too.”

“Good… that’s… that’s good,” Junko said as she struggled a small smile back. “I’m relieved.” She paused before furrowing her brow. “But if anything else happens, please… tell us. We’ll do everything we can to get it stopped.”

Daisuke hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “Okay, Mom. If anymore bullying happens at school, I’ll tell you and Dad about it.”

Junko sniffled and she reluctantly released her son to reach up and wipe at her eyes with the back of her hands. “T-thank you, dear…”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, okay?” Daisuke said with a halting smile. “I mean, it’s not like you knew kids were gonna prank me and almost crush my head with a bucket or some…”

Daisuke slapped his hand over his mouth as he realized what he blurted out was the absolute opposite of reassuring.

Junko’s eyes went wide as she stared at Daisuke. The goggle-boy hadn’t been quick enough in silencing the words. “A… bucket!?”

Daisuke forced out a laugh that was painfully fake. “I-it’s actually not as bad as it sounds! Iori saved me - he’s my friend you see - and those kids were just trying to dump water on my head again from the classroom window, and it wasn’t like they were trying to kill me or anything, really! The worst they do is try to beat me up or talk shit about Hikari-chan or put crap in my locker or write ‘die’ on my desk.”

The way Junko stared at Daisuke, horror on full display on her face, made it abundantly clear that his backpedaling and explanations were having the exact _opposite_ effect than intended. She opened her mouth and closed it several times before she found her voice, which rose several decibels. “ _What_!?” Her own outburst seemed enough to snap her of her stupor, and rage quickly replaced confusion. “And the teachers have done _nothing_ to stop this!?”

Daisuke grimaced, feeling off balance by his mother’s anger. His eyes fell to the floor as he rubbed the back of his head. “Uh… well… Miyako, the class rep, got the teachers to give the kids with the bucket detention at least, since it was just a prank gone wrong. She’s also sorta got them believing me about not starting most of the fights.” He winced briefly. “Though, I gotta be honest there, I did punch some guys first sometimes, but only after they called Hikari-chan a whor… a lot of really awful things first.”

“This is… _no_! Detention isn’t good enough! They could have hurt you - _or worse_!” Junko said as she clenched her hands in to fists. “This is… this is _completely_ unacceptable!” The matron of the Motomiya family whirled on her feet, storming towards the phone as she grabbed the phone book.

Daisuke stared at his mother, unable to do much else. The fact that she was defending him for once, and so passionately too, just made everything that happened since he walked in the door completely surreal.

Junko flipped open the phone book, running her fingers across the pages as she searched for her target. After several seconds, he found what she was looking for and promptly yanked the phone off its receiver. She pushed in the buttons before placing the phone to her ear, her face a mask of simmering rage. She was silent for several moments, waiting for her call to get through.

Though Daisuke couldn’t hear it, someone must have picked up on the other line as Junko suddenly straightened up. “Ah, yes. Hello? This is Junko Motomiya. May I speak with Principal Ashikaga?” After a tense moment of silence, a thin smile devoid of all her usual friendliness darkened her face. “Oh, I just wanted to know when he planned to tell me that my son had been attacked with a _bucket_ while on school property.”

Junko’s smile widened, but it only grew more fearsome, reflecting boiling anger bubbling and hissing beneath the surface. “Oh, by all means, go _find_ him. _I’ll wait_.”

As Daisuke stood listening to his mother thoroughly verbally eviscerate his school’s principal for _his_ sake, he slowly started to accept that this was really happening; no longer were his parents brushing him aside and telling him to to deal with his own problems. It filled his heart with light so bright it shined in his smile for all to see.

 

\---

 

“You should’ve seen it!” Daisuke gushed as he waved his hands for emphasis, practically bouncing in his seat on the couch in the Yamagi living room. “I’ve _never_ seen her like that, and the way she ripped in to the principal over the phone… it was _amazing_!”

“Awesome!” Taichi said, grinning. “Maybe this’ll be the beginning of the end of all the bullying for you and Hikari.”

“It certainly doesn’t hurt anything,” Sora said, with a smile. She wasn’t quite so optimistic that it’d _end_ everything, given her own experience with bullying. Rie never seemed to let go, not even years later. If someone had a mind to be cruel, they’d do it with or without support. If anything, they’d just make things up.

“I’m glad your parents realize what’s going on now,” Hikari said softly. “But I still can’t believe Jun admitted what she was doing.”

Daisuke shrugged. “Actually, she didn’t, not really. I mean, she told them about all the bullying, but she played it up like I was spilling my guts out to her instead of her being responsible for all the crap going on.”

“She must’ve had a reason,” Takeru said, with a frown. “That could’ve exploded in her face. It’s way too risky to be anything but a desperate action.”

“Indeed,” Iori said. “And it may still have, given that Daisuke’s parents are now openly protecting him.”

“Maybe Jun was afraid Ken would call the police after all?” Jou asked.

“I don’t think so,” Yamato said, with a shake of his head. “Her attacking Hikari and the bullying at school aren’t obviously connected. I mean, we know what happened and why, but there’s nothing the police would take seriously.”

“So why…?” Takeru began as he glanced around, as if searching the other Chosen’s faces for sudden inspiration. His eyes settled on Chibimon seated beside Daisuke on the couch, still holding Daisuke’s precious letter tightly in his stubby arms despite having left the duffle bag. “Huh? What’s with the letter?”

Chibimon blinked before he smiled brightly. “It’s _Daisuke_ ’s letter! I’m protecting it for Daisuke!”

“Oh, right, I probably should look at that,” Daisuke said as he snagged the letter from his partner. He was about to return to the topic when his eyes snagged on a small detail he hadn’t paid much attention to before “Huh. No return address.”

Takeru frowned. “... _That’s_ suspicious.”

Daisuke grimaced as he held the letter out at arm’s length, as wary as though it had suddenly started ticking. “It might be some prank from Jun.”

“Only one way to find out,” Yamato said before he extended his hand to Daisuke. “Want me to open it?”

“I’ll do it!” Chibimon said as he suddenly lunged to snatch the letter out of Daisuke’s hand. He darted away from the group before anyone could stop him, ducking under a table. “I’ll protect Daisuke!”

Daisuke yelped as he reached after his partner, but he was too slow to catch the little Digimon. “Wait, Chibimon, don’t!”

Chibimon bravely tore open the envelope, then paused. He frowned as he stared at the words covering the sheet of paper inside, then turned to head back towards Daisuke. “There’s just paper inside! No poop or glitter or bad stuff.”

Daisuke let out a sigh of relief and bent down to look under the table. “Thanks, Chibimon. I’ll take it from here.”

Chibimon held the envelope and paper out to Daisuke, grinning from ear to ear. “You got it, Daisuke~!”

Once Daisuke was back on the sofa, his eyes scanned the first paper, only to cross a moment later. “Uh… wha?”

“What’s wrong?” Takeru asked.

Daisuke slowly tilted his head before he raised the papers in defeat. “This is for Jun, and I can’t read half the words in it.”

Miyako bent over the back of the sofa and snatched the papers out of Daisuke’s hands. “I’ll take that.” She readjusted her glasses before scanning the neatly printed text before her.

A moment later, her jaw dropped. “What the hell? How can _anyone_ catch so many STDs all at once?”

Daisuke stared blankly at Miyako. “What?”

Miyako slapped the papers before waving them around. “These look like medical records to me, and they’re saying Jun has crabs, the clap, syphilis, you name it!”

“What!?” Jou stood up before he extended his hand to Miyako, who passed him the paper. He adjusted his glasses as he scanned the documents, frowning. “This… it definitely looks real, but… why was it sent to _Daisuke_? That’s a direct violation of patient-doctor confidentiality!”

“And no return address, either,” Yamato said, crossing his arms.

Koshiro frowned. “Could they be faked?”

“If it _is_ a fake, it’s an _amazingly_ well-made fake,” Jou said. “They would have put a _lot_ of effort in to it.”

“Maybe it’s what has Jun so upset,” Mimi asked as she moved from her seat to peer over Jou’s shoulder at the papers. “The only reason she admitted to the bullying _was_ because she’s being bullied at her school. Maybe Daisuke isn’t the only one who got a letter like this.”

“That’d make sense,” Takeru said, his eyes widening. “Obviously someone wanted Daisuke to see this, so what if they wanted everyone at her school to see it, too?”

“Which means it _must_ be fake,” Iori said, with a nod. “No doctor would be so vindictive towards a patient, nor would any of the nurses. They have nothing to gain and everything to lose.”

Daisuke thought back to the sobbing coming from Jun’s room. He expected a stab of guilt or some glee of vindication at the news that someone had ruined his sister’s life like she had his, but neither came.

“She pissed off the _wrong_ person,” Yamato said as he flopped back down on to the couch. “This goes beyond bullying. This kind of effort… it’s going for the _throat_.”

Hikari cringed and looked away from the papers. “Whoever did it is cruel.”

Sora felt a pang of sympathy in her heart. Even if Jun had been awful, the Chosen of Love didn’t want to wish suffering on anyone. “...Well, it’s for Jun and Daisuke’s parents to deal with. I’m sure they’ll do everything they can to get this resolved.”

“Yeah,” Daisuke said, his voice distant. “After hearing my mom on the phone earlier, she’s probably already gone after Jun’s principal twice as hard.”

Mimi glanced over at Daisuke before turning to the others. “Maybe we should talk about something else now. Talking about this has me feeling gross.”

“I agree,” Sora said, softly.

“Yeah,” Yamato said with a nod before he turned to Koshiro. “So how about we get down to business, and you tell us what you were so excited about earlier.”

Koshiro snapped out of his own thoughts. “Oh? Oh! Right.” He moved to the dining room table where he had placed his laptop and slid into the seat in front of it. “I may have figured out a way to find Ryo!”

“What?!” Taichi shouted before scrambling over the back of the sofa to stand behind Koshiro. “That’s great!”

“It’s all thanks to Ken,” Koshiro said as he typed at his laptop. “I’m a little disappointed that he couldn’t make it for this, but I really owe him. Ken was the one that realized the flaw in my coding. I’ll have to thank him later.”

“Well, he _is_ a genius,” Yamato said with a shrug. “I guess geniuses just think differently.”

Miyako slid into the chair beside Koshiro. “So how does it work?”

“It’s actually very simple,” Koshiro said. “You know how there are all sorts of maps, that track everything from water currents, temperature, topography, and things like that? That information exists in the Digital World’s code too. But there’s one other element that can be tracked that _doesn’t_ normally exist in our world.” The Chosen of Knowledge glanced at the group, a big grin on his face. “ _Our crests_.”

Jou stared at Koshiro, his expression blank. “Our… crests?”

Koshiro nodded as he returned his attention to the screen. “That’s right. Do you remember how Narakumon said that his altar was a sort of natural focus point, and would only charge his Digimental to its normal capacity? And how all the other temples act the same way? Well, check this out!” With a flourish, he tapped a button and the map of the Digital World appeared on the screen.

Unlike the usual map, the screen was flooded with fifteen different colors. They swirled about like currents on the screen, save for a big black blotch at the far corner - dark and oppressive. In separate areas of the map, dual colors appeared side by side - deep orange and blue, red and yellow, purple and silver, cyan and dark green, pink and light green, light orange and deep purple. And at the very center of the map was a swirling vortex of colors, with a triad of points of black, white, and gold.

“See anything familiar?” Koshiro asked, before he typed without waiting for an answer. Suddenly, labels appeared on the map. “How about _now_?”

The big blotch of black was immediately identified as the Battlefield Memorial by the text that appeared over top of it. Meanwhile, the rainbow at the center was identified as the cathedral where they had met Jijimon and Babamon - the Digigod temple, as identified by Koshiro’s label.

“Wait, so… those are…” Yamato began, gaping at the screen.

“ _This_ is the temple where we found your and Taichi’s Digimentals,” Koshiro said as he pointed at the deep orange and blue splotches. His finger then moved over to tap at the screen where red and yellow were the most visible. “And _here_ is where we found Sora’s and Takeru’s. And _this!_ ” Koshiro gave a definitive tap at the purple and silver area. “Is the temple of Knowledge and Honesty!”

Sora stared at the screen before her eyes widened. “This… this means we now know where all the temples are!”

“So no more random walking around!” Taichi said, with a cheer. “We can just gate right in, no problem!”

Jou frowned as he stared at the screen for a moment, then furrowed his brow. “I’m… still confused.” He thought back to the massive mural at the god temple. It was the same thing then, with the crests very clearly arranged in an obvious pattern. “I thought our crests were within us - they’re a part of us. So how can they be a natural part of the Digital World, too? How can there be… _crest currents_ or whatever it is we’re looking at?”

“...He has a point,” Sora said as she placed her hand over her heart. “We shape our crests, which exist within us… but at the same time, they’re _also_ a force of nature?”

A loud chime rang from the D-Terminals, drawing the Chosen’s attention to it. Koshiro paused before he grabbed his device, placing it on the counter by his screen and flipping it open to display the message for everyone.

 

_You speak as if they are mutually exclusive. Did it not occur to you at any point that **you** are the source of the phenomenon you are currently looking at?_

 

“Wait, what!?” Jou’s eyes widened as he stared at the message, then pulled out his D-Terminal so that he could confirm the message himself. “ _We_ are? How is that even possible!? We’re just-”

With the D-Terminal open so that everyone could see, words began to appear beneath Narakumon’s previous message, as if it were being typed before their very eyes.

 

_There was a reason that I did not want you in the Digital World. **This** is why._

 

“You didn’t _want_ us?” Takeru repeated slowly.

 

_I was very much against allowing you all in to our world. However, it was never up to me. Try as I might, I cannot keep you out._

 

“I think you’ve mentioned this before,” Hikari said as she tapped her chin. “It’s why you can’t keep the Digimon Kaiser out, and why you need our help.”

“Why _is_ that?” Yamato asked as he quirked an eyebrow. “You can keep other humans out. So what’s stopping you?”

 

_How do you keep out the wind?_

 

“Keep out… the wind?” Mimi repeated, slowly.

 

_You are a force of nature in the Digital World - you are just as much a part of its very essence as the wind, the water, and the earth itself._

 

“Wait, so you’re saying,” Koshiro turned to stare at the laptop. “ _We’re_ responsible for this? This is _our_ energy we’re seeing?”

 

_Unfortunately._

 

“So we’re basically… a part of the Digital World,” Miyako said as she adjusted her glasses. “And the Digital World is a part of _us_.”

“That kind of… makes us sound like _gods_ , doesn’t it?” Taichi muttered, frowning.

No text came in response to Taichi. Instead, the message closed entirely, giving them a view of Koshiro’s desktop on his D-Terminal.

Yamato blinked slowly before he turned to Taichi. “...I don’t think he liked that.”

Taichi rubbed the back of his head. “No kidding.”

“But I guess this explains things, doesn’t it?” Sora asked as she glanced at Jou.

“I… guess so?” Jou said as he looked at the others, then returned his attention back to the laptop. If anything, it opened up even _more_ questions than it actually answered. Furrowing his brow, he let out a low hum. “So this is what it means to be a Chosen Child…?”

“This is all well and good,” Iori said as he tilted his head. “But let’s get back to the matter at hand. How does any of this help us find Ryo?”

“Because I _should_ be able to hone it in even further than this. Watch!” Koshiro said, typing away. Suddenly, the screen went dark except for a pulsating black spot right over the splotch that marked the Battlefield Memorial. “See? I just found the Digimental of Darkness. I can filter out what I’m looking for, and detect the largest concentration of crest energy. In this case, it’s the Digimental of Darkness. I think that the Battlefield Memorial has actually charged it to be even more powerful than Keiko’s crest at this point - even if it’s only temporary. Which means… if I can focus in on _Ryo_ ’s crest, I should be able to find _him_!”

“That’s great!” Hikari said, feeling her spirits rise. “Let’s locate him right now. You can scan the Dark World, right?”

Koshiro nodded. “Right! All I have to do is tell it to find me the highest concentration of Miracles and it’ll scan both worlds! Just like _so_!” The Chosen of Knowledge tapped at his keyboard before a sudden, bright golden beacon appeared on the screen - in a crop of mountains in the Digital World. Koshiro paused, staring at his screen. “That’s… not the Dark World.”

“I thought the Dark Ocean was in the Dark World, not the Digital World,” Sora said, with a frown. “And especially not in the _mountains_.”

“Did you see any mountains in your dreams, Hikari?” Mimi asked, turning to the youngest Yamagi.

Hikari shook her head slowly. “No, just ocean… and sandy beach along a ruined city. I never saw any mountains.”

“Did Ryo _escape_ -!?” Jou began.

“No,” Tailmon said, cutting off the conversation. When all eyes turned to stare at her, she met them with a cool stare of her own. “That’s not Ryo.” She shook her head at the befuddled expressions on the assembled Chosen. “Remember? Narakumon said that Ryo doesn’t have his crest - the _Digimon Kaiser_ does.”

Koshiro grimaced before he looked crestfallen. “Damn, I… forgot about that.” Sheepishness flooded his features, as did disappointment. “I really thought this was going to work-”

Takeru stared hard at the screen for a moment as he suddenly moved to grip the back of Koshiro’s chair. “Hey, Koshiro.”

“Huh?” Koshiro blinked and turned to look at Takeru.

“Find the highest concentration of _Kindness_.” Takeru said, his eyes intently focused on the blip representing Miracles.

“Kindness?” Koshiro repeated, his expression blank.

“Yes,” Takeru said, firmly. “ _Kindness_.”

Koshiro blinked slowly before he furrowed his brow. He returned his attention to the laptop before he typed away, and a bright pink emblem suddenly appeared - directly next to the golden one.

Takeru’s expression became triumphant, even as his smile turned grim. “We found him.”

“Found… him?” Jou repeated. “Found _who_!?”

“The Digimon Kaiser.” Takeru said as he straightened up.

“That’s right,” Hikari breathed. “The Digimon Kaiser has Ryo’s and Keiko’s, and _his_ crest is _Kindness_.”

“Which means… we can track _him_!” Yamato said, his eyes going wide.

“He has Ryo’s crest on him _right now_!” Taichi added. “And Keiko’s too, I’ll bet!”

“We could spring a trap on _him_ for a change,” Miyako said, her eyes alight. “And we can get my partner back from him.”

“And Piyomon, Gabumon, and Agumon too!” Mimi said, beaming. “We can save everyone with this!”

“ _And_ we can find that giant tube he made!” Jou said, shakily adjusting his glasses.

“ _Before_ the Digimon it creates can hatch!” Koshiro said, his hands practically trembling with excitement. “It’s all thanks to Ken!”

As Daisuke peered over the back of the couch at the computer screen, he forgot about Jun and school; he had other things to think about that brought a devious smile to his face. “Well, what’re we waiting for? Let’s go say ‘hi’ to Tiny Tower.”

 

\---

 

Ken hummed to himself as he sat in his computer chair within his lab, wearing his full Digimon Kaiser regalia as he propped his legs up on the computer console in front of him. A wide variety of images were displayed on the numerous screens - everything from various schematics for his Evil Rings, research data on his Dark Ocean creatures, and even the biometrics for Piyomon, Agumon, and Gabumon.

He wasn’t paying attention to any of them, instead munching rather happily on the food that was _also_ spread across the console without concern - a bag of taiyaki, a little carton of octopus balls, various bags of potato chips, and even a full case of Pepsi cans, minus one that sat open on the top of the box.

The Digimon Kaiser was in a surprisingly good mood, feeling far more pleased with himself than he had for a long time. It was the reason he was only partially paying attention to the data in front of him, only half-watching the video feed of Birdramon as the controlled Digimon swooped through a canyon at amazing speeds, twisting about back and forth to maneuver between the nooks and crevices with an agility that belied her size.

“She’s gotten a lot faster,” FlaWizarmon said, even as he watched Ken’s face rather than the bird Digimon in her acrobatics. “And a lot more agile. She’s really coming along great.”

“That she is.” Ken said, cheerfully, before he chomped down on an octopus ball.

FlaWizarmon quirked an eyebrow at Ken before he glanced over the human child’s head to toss Witchmon a smirk. “Yup. That she is.”

Witchmon hid a sharp grin behind her hand before she let out a satisfied hum. “She’s nearly at Friendship and Courage’s levels. Quite an impressive feat without borrowing energy from others, don’t you think?”

“Yes, something like that,” Ken said, somewhat absently. He sat up to grab a cup ramen that had been sitting to the side, peeling back the lid to check its contents.

“She should at _least_ be able to do what we need her to do,” FlaWizarmon mused as he tapped his chin. “We’re _finally_ just about ready.”

Witchmon giggled. “At least whenever K-chan finishes floating over the moon over his latest victory.”

“Or stuffing his face with _victory junk food_ ,” FlaWizarmon added, smirking as he eyed the boy genius.

Ken paused at that before he shot the two an annoyed glare, even as he used his chopsticks to guide the food to his face, giving a soft slurp as he sucked up the noodles in to his mouth.

A burst of light interrupted the Digimon Kaiser, and he turned  just in time to see a Digital Gate form directly behind him seconds before the Chosen Children appeared. Takeru, Hikari, Daisuke, Iori, Mimi, Koshiro, and Jou all appeared along with their partners, as the group of three suddenly became a crowd.

Ken stared at the Chosen Children, his expression visibly blank even through his glasses as he remained frozen, noodles dangling from his mouth as he held the cup and chopsticks still in position. “...Mmf?”

Daisuke flashed the Digimon Kaiser a huge grin. “Hey, Tiny Tower. Up for a chat?”

Ken’s eyes widened before he choked, sputtering. He gagged as FlaWizarmon gave him a harsh whap to his back, dislodging the noodles so that he could stop choking and spit them back into the cup.

“Well, well,” FlaWizarmon said as he watched Ken gulp down his Pepsi to purge the rest of the food out of his throat, though he made sure to watch the Chosen out of the corner of his eyes. “Dontcha know it’s pretty rude to drop by unannounced? Ya’ll been raised in a barn or somethin’?” He spoke loudly, far louder than necessary, so that Wormmon could hear his voice and know not to enter the room under _any_ circumstances.

Batting his eyelashes with a goofy grin, Daisuke spoke in a squeaky voice. “No, but Princess Tiny Tower was probably raised in a castle to wear frilly pink dresses.”

Ken was in the middle of a gulp when Daisuke’s words sent a jolt through him that sent his soda spraying out of his mouth onto his chair, lap, and floor in equal measure before he broke out coughing.

FlaWizarmon let out a ‘snrk’ noise before he glanced over at Witchmon, arching an eyebrow as he struggled to keep the smile that wanted to form off his face. “I-is that so.”

“Uh oh~!” Witchmon giggled, her voice sing-song. “Someone’s been spreading gossip again.”

“I knew it!” Daisuke shouted as he pointed at Ken. “This proves it! You really _did_ dress in drag as a princess, didn’t you?”

The Digimon Kaiser wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand as he whirled to glare at Daisuke, his face bright red. “T-the hell I did! That’s… who told… _it’s all lies_!”

“That’s not what your face is telling me,” Daisuke said with a smug grin. “You’re busted and you know it.”

“My face is telling you to _shut up_ , you _idiot_!” Ken snapped, pointing his finger furiously at Daisuke. “You… you _can’t_ believe a word Kyoumon tells you!”

“Ah hah!” Daisuke leaned in closer. “How could you figure out who told us unless it was true! Tiny Tower wears lace and stockings and calls himself a princess!”

“Princess Tiny Tower!” V-mon chanted as he raised his fists. “Princess Tiny Tower!”

Ken jerked back at that, realizing immediately what he had done. “What!?”

“Actually, I think Kyoumon said the ‘Chessmon’-” Takeru began, with a smirk, before he jerked back as the Digimon Kaiser whirled to point at him.

“ _You stay out of this_!” Ken snapped, his pointer finger trembling with anger and embarrassment.

Takeru held his hands up defensively. “Fine, fine, if you want everyone to think you did it _willingly_ , then that’s fine by me!” His grin widened. “Far be it from _me_ to clear the air for you!”

Patamon snickered, covering his mouth with both his paws as he sat on Takeru’s head.

The Digimon Kaiser paused at that before he threw his half-empty can of soda on the ground between the intruding Chosen Children and himself, splattering the rest of its contents on the formerly pristine floor. “Shut up, shut up, _shut up_! It never happened, so _shut up_!”

Jou reached up to adjust his glasses before he turned to look at Iori. “Um… is it me, or did we kind of forget why we came here…?” he whispered, keeping his voice low.

“I don’t think we actually decided _what_ we were going to do once we arrived,” Iori said, his voice equally quiet. “We didn’t formulate much of a plan at all.”

Koshiro sighed as he rubbed his forehead as his eyes skewed shut. “When we said we were going to confront him, I didn’t think it’d be about _this_.”

Tailmon’s ears canted back as her expression deadpanned. She glanced over to her partner, with a sigh. “Diplomacy never had a chance, did it?”

Hikari could only groan in frustration as she covered her face with both hands.

“Don’t worry about it~!” Gomamon said, cheerfully. “We’re getting to the _really important_ stuff - like if he was a regular ol’ princess or a _pretty pretty_ princess?”

“ _Neither_!” Ken shrieked. “It never happened, you… you bloated seal!”

Mimi scanned the Digimon Kaiser up and down with a critical eye, her arms folded in front of her as she pursed her lips in a pout. “I still can’t see why he’d make a cuter princess than _me_.”

Witchmon failed to stifle a giggle behind her hand. “You’d be surprised how irresistible K-chan can be.”

FlaWizarmon nodded, sagely. “No one can keep their hands off him. Lemme tell ya, it’s a full time job, beatin’ the creepers off with sticks.”

Ken’s cheek twitched as his blush deepened, and he whirled to glare at both FlaWizarmon and Witchmon. “You stay out of this!”

Koshiro’s attention drifted away from argument and instead focused on the screens behind the Digimon Kaiser. Everything from glimpses of the Digital World and the inner workings of the fortress to plans and countless layers of data were on display across the dozens of monitors. His eyes eagerly devoured the data in front of him, attempting to piece together what he was seeing and what it might mean for the Chosen and the Digital World. “Is this your research lab? What are you-”

Ken jerked before he whipped about, slamming his hand down on the console, uncaring how he sent the rest of his snacks toppling to the floor. Only after the monitors turned to black did he whirl back around to snarl at the invading children. “ _Mind your own business_!”

“I’m pretty sure whatever you’re up to _is_ our business,” Takeru said, arching an eyebrow. “ _Especially_ when it involves the rest of our friends.”

Ken grit his teeth as he glared at Takeru through his glasses. “The _hell_ it does!”

“Hey, now, no need to get your _panties_ in a wad,” Daisuke said, cheekily, as he raised his hands in an exaggerated shrug.

Ken’s cheek twitched before he whirled to face Daisuke, pointing his finger harshly at the other Chosen as if he were jabbing him. “ _No panties were involved_!”

“Oh yeah?” Daisuke asked, his tone deceptively light before his expression grew devious. “But you _do_ admit it happened. You just went commando while doing it. Hope there wasn’t a strong breeze blowing your skirts or your subjects would’ve gone blind.”

Ken paused before clenched his fists, shaking them in frustration. Mentally, he visualized himself strangling Kyoumon, even if he knew he could never bring himself to do such a thing. He couldn’t blame the addle-brained Digimon for letting it slip, not when Kyoumon was decaying day by day from the Dark Ocean’s poison. Still, for the moment, the image brought him just as much schadenfreude as the one he had of taking his whip to Daisuke until the other boy shut his damn mouth for good.

“ _Stop_!” Ken snarled like a savage beast, his temper dangling on a fraying thread. “Stop _talking_ about it! I _forbid_ it!”

“Yes, please, let’s stop teasing K-chan,” Hikari said, looking from her friends to the Digimon Kaiser. “We’re really here because we want to talk to you. We know why you’re doing all this now.”

All it took was a word and Ken’s world was rocked on its axis, jolting him from his rage and shattering his dark daydreams. Something as simple as a nickname, one used only by his oldest friends, was used by Hikari while he was stood before her as her enemy, the Digimon Kaiser. It brought all his thoughts to a complete halt, leaving him unable to do little more than stare at her with wide eyes. “Ah? Um…”

FlaWizarmon quirked an eyebrow before he turned to grin at Ken. “Y’hear that? She called you _K-chan_.”

Just like that, a little bit of teasing brought the heat of anger flowed through the Digimon Kaiser’s veins once more. He bristled and whirled to glare daggers at FlaWizarmon, his face red. “I-I heard, I don’t need you pointing it out!”

“Just sayin’,” FlaWizarmon said, with a shrug and a grin. “That’s a big improvement from what they normally call ya.”

Witchmon clapped her hands together gleefully. “This is such a huge step forward, don’t you think?”

Ken grunted and mentally dismissed his cohorts and their nonsense entirely before he turned to face Hikari with a sour expression, his face still scarlet. “W… what makes you think I want to talk to _you_!?”

Hikari only spared a moment to hold her arm in front of Daisuke to silence him when she noticed the look on her friend’s face promised that he had another teasing comment dancing on the tip of his tongue. When she caught Daisuke’s gaze and was assured he wouldn’t speak, she turned her full attention to the Digimon Kaiser. “Because I promised Keiko that I’d help you.”

Ken’s jaw clenched as he glared at Hikari, his cheek visibly twitching violently. He knew the girl meant well, but her words felt like a stab in his heart - one that he most certainly did _not_ appreciate. Before, he would have responded with a whip to her face. Things shouldn’t have been any different _now_ than they were _then_ , but he still found himself unable to make good on his instinct - yet. “... _Don’t_.”

There was a promise in that single word, but Hikari didn’t retreat from the unspoken threat, not when there was still so much needed to be said. “Okay. We won’t talk about her. Let’s talk about the real reason why you’re doing all of this - Millenniumon.”

The Digimon Kaiser turned his back to the Chosen, grabbing his whip off his belt and gripping it with both hands before snapping it repeatedly. Each crack of leather carried his anger and frustration, as if it were slipping through his body and into the weapon before being released into the air with each sharp sound. “You invaded my base to ask me _that_.”

“You’re doing all this to stop Millenniumon and save Ryo, right?” Hikari asked, her voice tight. “We want that too, but you don’t have to do it alone or by enslaving the Digital World. We can all work together to save everyone, including…” She stopped herself before uttering Keiko’s name again, sensing that if she did, all conversation would end completely at the lash of a whip.

Ken grimaced, thankful that his back was still to the Chosen Children so they couldn’t see his face. Ryo’s name acted as another dagger into his heart, and it was enough to send a tremor up his spine. It took everything he had to keep his breathing calm, and to not turn around and use the weapon in his hands on any of the other children. The vision of Hikari’s face covered in blood, like it had been back at the cathedral, was enough to cool his rage that it didn’t reach such a violent point. “Listen. Just what exactly do you think _any_ of you can do to help me? You think so highly of yourselves, but you-”

“ _Big words_ coming from someone who is using _everyone else’s_ partners instead of his _own_.” Daisuke growled, all mirth gone from his face.

Ken froze at Daisuke’s words, his eyes widening. “...What did you say?”

“You’re talking trash about Senpai and the others, but you’re using _their_ partners!” Daisuke said as he pointed at the Digimon Kaiser. “Where’s _yours_ , huh!?”

The Digimon Kaiser faltered, a tremor running through his hands. “My partner…”

FlaWizarmon and Witchmon quickly shared a worried glance. There was no doubt that Wormmon was hanging off of every word from behind the closed door. They knew he was too obedient to Ken to charge in without being called, but such barbs were dangerous nonetheless.

“Why aren’t you using _him_ , Princess Tiny Tower!?” Daisuke continued as he gave a sweeping gesture about the room. “Why are you using Agumon, Gabumon, and Piyomon, when you have your _own_ partner!? What’s wrong with _them_ that you can’t _depend_ on-”

Ken felt something break inside him, like glass shattering. In that moment, hot emotions flooded his body and he whipped about to face the Chosen Children with a mask of pure and unrestrained fury. He grabbed his dark Digivice and aimed it at the assembled group, as a scream tore out of his throat. “ _Don’t talk about my partner like that_!”

And in an instant, all the Chosen and their Digimon were hit by the darkness that leapt from the corrupt Chosen’s device, as if they had been physically struck by his anger before they appeared in a jumbled pile back where they had been when they first gated in - on the floor in the Yamagi residence’s living room.

“...I admit it,” Takeru muttered, his face pressed painfully against the wooden floor. “I forgot he could do that. Again.”

Daisuke grunted from his uncomfortable position at the bottom of a pile of bodies, his voice coming out boastful yet muffled. “He just kicked us out because he knew I was right and didn’t want to admit it.”

Miyako regarded the other Chosen Children from her vantage point at the other side of the room. She, Sora, Taichi, and Yamato barely managed to scramble away from the laptop in time to avoid the avalanche of children and Digimon. As Daisuke’s head popped out from beneath Koshiro’s knee, she made sure to catch his eye as she brought her hands up for a slow, methodic clap. “Bra - _vo_.”

Daisuke felt his cheeks go hot under Miyako’s accusing stare. “What? He had it coming.”

Miyako sighed as she shifted her gaze to Koshiro as he climbed off the pile. “Next time we confront a bad guy in his home to talk to him about the crap he’s pulling, let’s say we write up the speech we’re going to give ahead of time.”

Koshiro nodded to Miyako, feeling more than a little stupid for not taking better advantage of the situation before they all blindly rushed in. Stumbling to his feet, he cast an apologetic glance to Jou as he dislodged the older boy before rushing to examine his laptop. He looked into the screen and was startled to see that the view of the Digital Gate had changed from the Kaiser’s laboratory to a barren canyon. “What!?”

“What is it-” Yamato asked before he gave a start. “What the hell!? Where did the base go!?”

Koshiro didn’t reply as he zoomed the view out, and the Chosen Children were greeted by the sight of a massive black fortress floating in the sky. It was a large castle, complete with towers and what appeared to be cannons mounted on every nook and cranny. The floating fortress was rapidly drawing away from the canyon into the deep blue sky, moving at speeds that belied its size.

Yamato stared blankly at the screen for several seconds before he found the words to speak. “...It’s a floating fortress. He has a floating fortress as his base.”

“Whoa…,” Taichi murmured. “Did he build that, you think?”

“Probably,” Koshiro mused. “After everything he’s done so far, it’s not hard to imagine that he could.”

“It means his base is wherever he wants it to be,” Takeru said as he crossed his arms, sitting on the floor after righting himself. “And even if we want to find it, we’ll have to track him _every_ time.”

“Koshiro’s scanner should let us do that,” Sora said before she glanced at the others. “But maybe we should… wait before heading back. I don’t think he’s willing to listen right now.”

Hikari climbed onto the sofa and flopped over onto the cushions with a heavy sigh. Frustration gnawed at her, but she couldn’t begrudge Daisuke, her friends, or even the Digimon Kaiser for the fiasco. She just had to try again, that was all. She would have a better idea of what to say next time, and regardless of everything else shown during that display of temper, at least she knew now that the Digimon Kaiser cared for his partner. With their absence and what the fallen Chosen Child had been doing to the Digimon in his care - save for FlaWizarmon and Witchmon - she had been afraid that the Digimon Kaiser’s partner was suffering under sort of abuse or experimentation as well.

Or the Dark Ocean had touched his partner as well.

The thought sent a shiver of cold through Hikari, but she locked it away with all the other terrifying nightmares that place brought her. Fearing the worst wouldn’t help anyone, and it certainly wouldn’t help K-chan. She would just have to try harder, and not let a setback stop her from reaching out to him. She had to save him, she had to.

It wasn’t just about a promise to Keiko; Hikari wanted to save K-chan because it was her wish as well.


	34. Chapter Thirty Three

Time ticked onward, audibly clicking by on the analog clock in the hallway. It served as a constant, rhythmic annoyance that punctuated each passing minute on Koshiro’s laptop. The sight of the clock face and the numbers on the screen mocked him by making him painfully aware that it was currently 2:03 am and way past his bedtime.

It was a fact not lost on Tentomon, as well.

“Koshiro, you should go to bed,” the insect Digimon said as he sat on Koshiro’s bed.

Koshiro’s posture was slouched in his chair with the backing of his chair digging uncomfortably into the back of his head as his legs hung off the seat at awkward angles. He said nothing at first, staring balefully at his laptop as his tired mind sluggishly processed what his partner was telling him.

“Summer break has been over for several weeks now,” Tentomon continued, “so you can’t afford to have an irregular schedule. You are going to be exhausted.”

Koshiro let out a weary sigh and stretched the stiffness from his legs, groaning at the mild ache that ran through him. “I know,” he said around a yawn.. “I just… I need to know.”

Tentomon would have blinked if he had possessed eyelids, so he simply stared at Koshiro instead. “Know what?”

The seconds ticked by, almost mocking Koshiro and the thoughts running through his head. With a grunt and another sigh, he straightened up in his chair and rubbed the kink out of his neck. “My program… Ever since that day, it hasn’t worked. The Digimon Kaiser hasn’t shown up at all.”

Tentomon tilted his head. “I know. We have not seen him, though he is obviously still active in the Digital World.”

Koshiro nodded, his eyes focusing on the laptop screen that displayed the very program in question. Two vibrant splashes of color actively flowed through the Digital World, shifting against one another ever so slightly like pools of paint swirling in a cup of water. Though the filter had been set to show only Miracle and Kindness, the only gold and pink he saw were the natural ‘currents’ for both crests, plus two small beacons - one at the DigiGod temple and another at an as of yet unvisited temple.

It was the exact same scene Koshiro had been watching since he got home from school, much to his frustration. “He keeps taking back the land we’re freeing, so he’s obviously still going to the Digital World… but he’s not showing up anywhere.”

“Perhaps he learned how to block it?” Tentomon asked.

“Maybe, but…” Koshiro trailed off before he bit back a groan and ruffled his fingers through his wild hair before giving the strands a hard yank in frustration. “I can’t figure out how! You’d think there would be _some_ sort of clue… _something_ that would tell me _how_ he’s blocking it! But I can’t find anything… even _Ken_ couldn’t. Everything looks like it’s functioning just fine, and yet…!”

Tentomon stared at Koshiro for several moments before he finally spoke. “Koshiro, this is bothering you, isn’t it?

The question, so direct with such an obvious answer, gave Koshiro reason to pause. As his hands slipped back down to his lap, a rueful chuckle escaped him. “Yeah, it is. I mean, I’m supposed to be the Chosen of Knowledge, but…” Words failed him for a moment, and he shook his head slowly before lowering his gaze to the desk. “The Digimon Kaiser… he’s always so far ahead. It makes me feel so… stupid.”

“Please do not be discouraged, Koshiro,” Tentomon said. “There is a reason you are the Chosen of Knowledge. Don’t forget that.”

“I know,” Koshiro muttered. “But I was so excited when I first came up with this program. Even when we discovered it wouldn’t help us find Ryo, we still found a use for it. But now…” His tired gaze shifted to the little Digimon beside him. “Even now, it’s just not working and I can’t figure out why. I’ve looked and looked, and everything _looks_ right. It’s just driving me _crazy_.”

“Is that why you’re watching the Digital World tonight?” Tentomon asked.

Koshiro nodded before he sighed heavily. “I know it’s stupid, and hopeful thinking… but this is really the only other possibility I can think of, besides my own incompetence… that maybe it _isn’t_ flawed and he’s just-”

A loud beep cut Koshiro’s words off, and he turned just in time to see the golden and pink streams and small icons disappear from the screen. Instead, they were replaced by two large beacons points, side by side, in a large forest area.

The Chosen of Knowledge stared at the screen for several moments as realization dawned, and relief flooded his features as he leaned to flop back in to his chair. He chuckled awkwardly as he tilted his head and slapped the palm of his right hand over his eyes. “Oh, thank _God_.”

“Koshiro, it’s Miracles and Kindness!” Tentomon said as he flew over to the desk and landed before the laptop. “What does this mean?”

“It means my program still works,” Koshiro said, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hands, removing the moisture that had built up there unbidden. “The Digimon Kaiser hasn’t figured out a way to block it… he’s just avoiding us entirely, and going into the Digital World only after he’s certain we’ve gone home for the day.”

Tentomon stared at his partner before turning to look at the screen. “Should we email the others?”

“No, it’s fine,” Koshiro said, smiling in spite of his weariness. The relief was a soothing balm for the soul, but it made him far too aware of how much his body cried out for rest. “It’s late, and everyone else is asleep. Besides, he’s just going to kick us out again. We’ll leave it alone for now.” He paused to stretch his arms above his head as his mouth opened wide in a great yawn. “Besides, this just means that we’ll _both_ be falling asleep in class tomorrow.” He flashed his partner a wry grin as his arms dropped to his sides. “That’s a small consolation, right?”

“Yes,” Tentomon agreed. “Besides, this means that your program is preventing the Digimon Kaiser from doing whatever he likes. It is still very useful.”

“Right,” Koshiro said, still smiling as he stood up to shut off his laptop. “It’s still useful…” Even though the words referenced the program, deep down he knew it was more referring to himself than the program - _he_ was still useful. _He_ had not failed.

The Chosen of Knowledge was not inferior to another, especially someone many years his junior.

“Now you can go to bed,” Tentomon said before he spread his wings, flying over to the bed in question before landing by the pillow. “Get some rest, Koshiro.”

Koshiro nodded as he sat down on the bed, feeling it creak beneath him. “Yeah, I-”

A loud beep cut Koshiro off for a second time, though it came from his D-Terminal rather than his laptop. He only paused to share a glance with his partner before he snatched the device up from his desk and flipped it open.

Koshiro was greeted by the sight of an email. A quick glance quelled his fears that one of his friends was having some sort of emergency, as the sender was none other than Mystimon. His brow furrowed as he accessed the message, wondering if he what sort of news he would find.

The words he saw sent a jolt through his body, waking him up immediately and ensuring that he would get absolutely no sleep that night.

 

_Baihumon has agreed to meet with you._

 

\---

 

Nothing could prepare the Chosen Children for the monstrous stone fortress that awaited them upon arrival. As soon as the light of the gate faded, there was little but stone as far as the eye could see. It was nothing like Qinglongmon’s temple, whose charred remains at least hinted at something peaceful and full of grace. Baihumon’s temple was the complete opposite, with stone walls towering high in the sky, battlements and bartizans on each corner and curve, and towers strategically placed to allow patrolling Digimon the best vantage point.

It was from those vantage points that the Chosen noticed countless Digimon peering over, a myriad of eyes watching them as the human children stood in front of a massive drawbridge - pulled upward, preventing any entry beyond a deep chasm that acted as a moat around the fortress.

It was truly a facility of war, not peace.

“Ho boy,” Taichi muttered as he took in the hostile glares of the battle-weary Digimon scrutinizing him and his friends. “I guess we won’t be getting a warm welcome here.”

“This is the most Digimon we’ve seen in a single place,” Yamato said, frowning.

“That is due to the Holy Beasts providing a safe haven to all Digimon,” Mystimon said, approaching the children from behind. With him, bobbing around his feet like a klutzy kitten, was Neemon.

“Hi, hi, hi~!” Neemon said as he waved his arms vigorously.

Mimi smiled as she returned the wave. “Are you here to see Baihumon, too?”

“No, here are _you_!” Neemon said before he pointed at the gate. “Baihumon is _there_ , not here. Neemon is here too!”

An awkward little laugh escaped Mimi. “Um…”

“There is no safer place in the Digital World than under the protective eye of the Holy Beasts.” Mystimon said before Neemon could further derail the conversation.

“So this is where most of the refugees from the Digimon Kaiser have been hiding?” Koshiro asked.

“That is correct,” Mystimon said as he came to a stop by the Chosen and looked up at the massive gate. “Though you will find only the most battle-ready and _willing_ at Baihumon’s fortress, as he expects them to fight if the need ever arises.”

“What if they don’t _want_ to fight?” Sora asked, furrowing her brow.

Mystimon didn’t look at the Chosen of Love. “Baihumon has no interest in them.”

“Man,” Daisuke muttered as he looked over the looming structure before them. “Ken would’ve loved to have seen this, I’ll bet. It sucks he couldn’t come with us.”

Miyako let out a sigh as she shook her head. “Just because he’s been able to make a lot of time for you and our missions doesn’t mean he hasn’t got a ton of work to do. Some people have responsibilities to the real world, you know, and there’s only so much of his schedule his manager can juggle for him.”

Daisuke gave Miyako an odd look. “What do you know about that?”

Miyako’s expression deadpanned as she put her hands on her hips. “You mean besides personal experience with juggling a lot of responsibilities? I talk with Ken a lot over email to help him schedule things and keep him up to date with what we’ve found out that he misses out on.”

Daisuke felt a flush of heat rush to his face. “Since when were you all chummy with him?”

“You know, green isn’t your color, Daisuke,” Miyako said dryly. “We’re _all_ friends of Ken, not just you, you know.”

The red in Daisuke’s cheeks turned darker. “I’m not jealous! And I know we’re all friends. I just don’t see you hanging out with Ken.”

Miyako poked Daisuke’s nose, causing him to jerk back with a yelp. “Relax. I’m not going to steal him away from you. If you want to date Ken, just confess your feelings and ask him out already.”

Daisuke let out an incoherent series of vowels and consonants that crashed into each other in an inharmonious cacophony of noise as his blush extended to his entire body. It took him almost half a minute before he could finally force out something close to coherent. “ _I’m not in love with Ken!_ ”

Miyako tried to maintain her poker face, but it crumbled with laughter. “You’re a riot, Daisuke.”

The reaction made Daisuke bristle a bit, but his confusion was stronger than his irritation. “Wh-what’s so funny?”

Miyako placed her hand on Daisuke’s shoulder and grinned. “I’m just teasing.”

An indignant huff escaped Daisuke; he felt as though his cheeks would never cool down again. “Not funny, Inoe.”

Mystimon fixed his gaze on Daisuke and Miyako during their entire exchange. His expression was neutral, giving away none of his thoughts, but his eyes shone with a fierce intensity.

At that moment, a loud _boom_ pierced the air, ending all conversation. The Chosen whirled to stare as the massive gate suddenly began to open, revealing itself to be a drawbridge as it slowly lowered itself downward as the chains that held it rattled noisily. Slowly but surely, the heavy wood and metal impacted with the road in front of the Chosen, sliding into place to generate a bridge into the fortress.

And standing in the center of the opened gate was a white tiger the size of a house with purple stripes. A veritable behemoth of muscle and claw stood before the Chosen with gauntlet-like arm guards on his forepaws and spiked metal bands about his hind legs and tail. Twelve golden orbs circled around his waist like a levitating belt and his face was obstructed by an enormous purple mask, with four slots to allow the tiger’s red eyes to focus on the children before him. Purple spiked edges veered off his cheeks and enunciated his chin, and three black spines rested on his back.

Appearing on the arch above the door were four large Digimon. The other, smaller Digimon scurried out of the way to give the newcomers room, heading instead further along the wall.

One of the Digimon was a human-sized brown monkey with a peach face. He wore metal gauntlets and a breastplate, with puffy white pants and black shoes. He wore a purple sash tied around his neck and a matching little hat, with a red train that trailed back behind his head. His blank, unreadable stare was focused down on the Chosen, giving away none of his thoughts.

Beside the monkey Digimon was a massive copper rooster Digimon, with an enormous red comb on the top of its head. It had a red sash about its neck and its entire body was covered in metal, like a ball. It had a strange cylinder attached to its back, which had a pronged trident on either side. Unlike the monkey, contempt was obvious on the chicken Digimon’s face as he clucked to himself from his roost.

The third Digimon was a dog-like Digimon, reminiscent of a white Shisa with lavender hints that matched the sash tied about its neck and its long flowing tail. Similarly covered from head to toe in armor with purple and gold highlights with a massive lavender beaded necklace about its neck, its red eyes focused down on the group with fierce intensity.

Standing off to the side, the fourth Digimon appeared far more friendly than her counterparts. It was a tan rabbit easily triple the height of an average human with three small horns on her brow, floppy pink-tipped ears, and a white face and matching markings. She watched, her red eyes devoid of any hostility - only curiosity. Like her comrades, she also wore a purple sash about her neck, along with full body purple pants that covered even her large feet, white gold-trimmed breastplate over a red waist guard.

Still looming in the gateway, the massive tiger Digimon stood stoically before the Chosen before he began to move forward, the wooden bridge beneath him groaning but holding firm. The Chosen Children held their breath as the tiger drew closer before finally coming to a stop directly in front of them, peering downward at them as even Mystimon was dwarfed by the behemoth.

“I am Baihumon.” the Digimon said, his voice rumbling like thunder.

For a moment, the Chosen could only stare at the Digimon that radiated power that could be felt even by the humans. Mystimon bowed his head dutifully, similarly in reverence for the tiger before them.

Neemon, however, merely bobbed from side to side and waved a noodly arm with a huge smile on his scarred face. “Hiya! How you doin’, big kitty Digi’?”

Baihumon lowered his head to stare at Neemon in silence for several moments before he lifted his gaze back to the Chosen Children. “Come.” Without waiting for a response, the Digimon turned and lead the way into the fortress, his footsteps loud against the ground.

The Chosen Children glanced at each other with varying degrees of confusion and unease before they followed the large Digimon into the fortress, with their Digimon, Mystimon, and Neemon in tow. Neemon practically danced after the tiger, swinging his arms from side to side as he kicked up his feet before giving a twirl while the human children followed in a more somber procession.

Baihumon lead the Chosen into the courtyard of the fortress before he finally came to a stop and turned to face the humans. “I will get to the point. You may ask me what you will, and you may enter my inner temple to visit the altars there, but I will not form an alliance with you.”

“What!?” Yamato gave a jerk, his eyes widening. “But why!?”

“Unlike the coward,” Baihumon said, his eyes drifting over to Mystimon, who did his best to keep his expression neutral despite the scowl that struggled to form. “I have no interest in _hiding_ behind you, nor anyone else. The Digimon Kaiser is after my head, and I accept his challenge.”

“What about all the other Digimon?” Takeru asked as he gestured about them at the multitude of Digimon gathered about, watching both human and Holy Beast. His eyes trailed up to the four still perched on the walkway over the open gate, who in turn stared right back at him.“What about _them_?”

“They fight for themselves,” Baihumon said. “And for those they wish to protect. All I offer them is the opportunity to fight, nothing more.”

“So it’s basically an army of individuals,” Takeru murmured.

“That is correct,” Baihumon said. “If any should lose the will to fight, they must leave. No one will stop them.” His expression turned as stony as his fortress. “We have no use for the weak - be it heart, mind, or body.”

“But… but!” Mimi protested as she held her hands to her chest. “When everyone works together, we can achieve so much _more_! If we all-”

“The only strength you can truly count on is your own,” Iori said, his expression intense as he stared down at the stone beneath his feet. He didn’t look up, even when Mimi turned to stare at him. “It’s the only thing you have any control over. Your victories - and your failures - are yours and no one else’s.”

“Precisely,” Baihumon agreed, with a sage nod.

“How… how can you say that?” Mimi asked, aghast as her eyes began to water.

Iori didn’t respond, his eyes firmly on the ground in front of him. He stood silent, like an unyielding statue before Mimi’s tears.

“Okay then!” Miyako said with a raised voice before Mimi or Iori could speak further. “We’ve got questions to ask, like how we’re going to save Ryo from Millenniumon and stop Millenniumon from coming back.”

“Without the Crest of Miracles, we have no hope of accomplishing either task,” Baihumon said.

“But if you _had_ the crest, you’d be able to?” Takeru asked.

Baihumon nodded his massive head. “Yes.”

Takeru frowned before he turned to Hikari. “It still all comes back to the Digimon Kaiser. One way or another, he’s the one we have to deal with _first_.”

Hikari nodded, her expression somber. “And we haven’t been able to find any sign of him at all lately.” She couldn’t help but regret not doing more to prevent their last meeting from falling apart so badly. There had been a real opportunity to reach K-chan, she was certain of it, but that chance had been utterly ruined.

“I am sure he regrets attacking the Holy Beasts,” Mystimon said, with a sniff. “He has only just realized the wrath he has brought down upon-”

“He is consolidating his power,” Baihumon said, with a shake of his head. “The land you have taken back is of little strategic importance. He has already taken whatever resources he needed, so there is little point in protecting it further. Instead, it has kept you busy while he prepares to launch his next attack.”

Mystimon paused before he scowled, but didn’t say anything.

“It’s just like Narakumon said,” Hikari sighed. “We need to keep looking for the Digimon Kaiser and heal him.”

“Narakumon?” Mystimon repeated, his eyebrows shooting straight up. “You have spoken to him!?”

“Interesting. I did not think he was willing to communicate with us anymore,” Baihumon said, slowly. He then turned his head to look pointedly at Yamato, then Sora, before turning his gaze to Miyako. “But then, perhaps the presence of three Chosen aligned to Darkness played some part in it.”

Yamato paused as he stared at the tiger, his eyes widening. “What?”

“I imagine Narakumon would naturally favor those that draw their power from him,” Baihumon said. “It is an understandable bias.”

Sora frowned as she thought back to the mural at the temple. She had been rather alarmed to see Love next to Darkness, and she knew that Yamato had felt the same about Friendship. The fact that Baihumon seemed to be referencing it was a little bewildering, especially since he was including Miyako in their company. “I’m… sorry. I still don’t understand why Love is connected to Darkness.”

“Or Friendship,” Yamato agreed. “How do you even know-”

“I can see it within you,” Baihumon said. “The power of Darkness.” He turned his head to look at the other Chosen. “As well as Light and Miracles, in each of you… with the Chosen of Light’s power glowing brightest of all.” He paused once his eyes settled on Hikari. “Despite how _muted_ it is, which I suspect is due in no small part to Tenraimon’s current state.”

Hikari inwardly twitched at the reminder coupled with the intense gaze from Baihumon that pierced straight through to the core of her.

“I still dunno how I feel about _Darkness_ bein’ a good thing,” Daisuke said as he frowned. “Especially when one of its crests is _Pride_.”

“There is no more wrong with Pride than there is in Passion, Love, or Friendship,” Baihumon said. “All four involve intense, power feelings for something other than oneself. It is those feelings that give the most strength, and allow the greatest opportunity for sacrifice.”

“Yeah, well,” Daisuke muttered, fumbling over his words. “Isn’t pride supposed to be like a deadly sin or something? Like in that one manga. It goes with six others, like greed, wrath, and, uh… slug…?”

“Sloth,” Koshiro said helpfully. “The rest are vanity, gluttony, and lust.”

Baihumon looked at Daisuke and Koshiro before he snorted. “You humans praise skill and accomplishments, and yet condemn those responsible for acknowledging their own worth. I have no interest in such nonsense. _Anything_ that is out of balance can be harmful, but pride in and of itself is no sin.”

Sora frowned. “I don’t see how _Love_ -”

“Loving someone who does not love you, who either takes advantage of you or abuses you. Loving someone who means you no ill will but simply does not reciprocate, resulting in a shared misery,” Baihumon said, his multiple eyes focusing on Sora as she flinched before they moved over to Yamato. “Befriending someone who is a poor influence, who does not value your friendship nearly as much as you do. Someone who sees you as a means to an end, and you continue to support them due a belief that it is what a friend should do.” He then straightened up. “Being passionate about something to the point of the deterioration of your own health. Obsession.”

Takeru frowned. “...I guess that’s true, but-”

“What is the difference between courage and recklessness?” Baihumon asked as his eyes strayed on Taichi before focusing on Takeru. “Hope or denial, honor or zealotry, kindness or weakness? What of tenacity or stubbornness, purity or selfishness, honesty or delusions? What is the difference between valuing knowledge for enlightenment or valuing knowledge over all else, including life and morality?”

Sora immediately thought back to the pyramid during their original adventure, when Taichi had gotten the mistaken belief that they couldn’t die and instead behaved in a completely thoughtless and reckless manner. Even more, she thought back to her own behavior when she had discovered her crest, and her twisted relationship with the concept of love - something that nearly destroyed her. Her most current experiences with Rie similarly served as an anecdote for the Holy Beast’s words, as she had tolerated the other girl’s bile simply due to a perceived obligation.

And for all of Sora’s efforts, Rie had still gone so far as to wish death on her.

Sora grimaced before she reached up to place her hand over her heart. “...So all crests...”

Koshiro thought back to his time in Vademon’s dimension, where he lost himself in a bizarre search for knowledge that made him forget what was truly important. “They all have strengths and weaknesses…”

Mimi couldn’t help but wince in memory of the time she exploited the Gekomon and Otamamon in order to spend a month pretending to be a princess. Palmon seemed to sense her thoughts and reached up to take her Chosen’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“So you understand,” Baihumon said, his voice rumbling. “That is good.”

“...As always, your wisdom is boundless,” Mystimon said, slowly. “Though it cannot be denied that Darkness falls out of balance far more easily than the others.”

“That is correct. Strength can easily lead astray,” Baihumon said. “And Darkness has strength in abundance. It is, after all, the primary driving force behind it.”

“So Darkness means… strength?” Yamato asked, frowning.

“Yes,” Baihumon. “Strength from whatever source that may drive you to do your best.”

“Strength from your friends,” Takeru murmured as he crossed his arms, thoughtful. “Strength from your loved ones. Strength from yourself. Strength from everything you care about.”

“So all the crests have a common theme,” Koshiro said as he rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. “So Light would be…”

“Ideals,” Baihumon said. “How you guide yourself through life.”

“Guided by courage, honor, kindness, or hope,” Sora murmured as she glanced at Taichi.

Jou reached up to adjust his glasses. “That makes sense. They affect your decisions and how you carry yourself.”

“Then what about our Crests?” Mimi asked as she looked from Jou to Koshiro.

“Growth,” Baihumon said.

“Growth?” Hikari repeated before her eyes widened. “Like evolution!”

“Knowledge is gained from growth,” Baihumon said. “Purity is being true to yourself as you grow. Tenacity is continuing onward in spite of adversity, allowing you to grow. Honesty is the sincerity in your actions as you grow and faith that you will succeed - both in yourself and others in you.”

Jou stared at Baihumon. He felt more than a little uncomfortable with regards to his own crest, especially given what happened before Gomamon’s return. He felt like a failure, even if his partner disagreed. “Jijimon said that we defined our crests, but it sounds like they’re kind of… _already_ defined. In a pattern, at that.”

“Each of you resonated with a certain God Crest, and your individual crests are a reflection of that resonance,” Baihumon said. “You defined your crests, which then created the ‘pattern’ you are referring to.”

“So we ‘resonated’ with a God Crest first,” Yamato said. “And _then_ we created our crests. And it’s just _coincidence_ that there are four sets each?”

“What would’ve happened if we _hadn’t_ resonated with a certain God Crest?” Mimi asked.

“Then you would not be Chosen Children,” Baihumon said.

“So if I hadn’t resonated with Darkness, I wouldn’t even be a Chosen Child in the first place,” Sora muttered. “After that, everything else… was our own doing.”

“While it is theoretically _possible_ for you to change your crest and even your affinity to a god crest, it would mean changing absolutely everything about yourself,” Baihumon said. “It would have to be a total dismantling of your very identity.”

“It’s hard enough to change a _bad habit_ ,” Takeru said, with a shake of his head. “I can't imagine changing _everything_ about yourself.”

“Humans are creatures of habit, if nothing else,” Iori said, thoughtfully. “And change is generally seen as unwelcome.”

“It is far more likely that you would suffer a corruption of your crest rather than a true change,” Baihumon said. “A corruption that would cause great damage to your sense of self.”

Hikari couldn’t help but think of her conversation with Keiko and the earnest plea to save the Digimon Kaiser. “So if someone with Kindness as their crest was corrupted, they would probably think they were being kind by doing something cruel, right?”

“Yes,” Baihumon replied. “That is one way Kindness could be corrupted.”

Daisuke’s expression skewed with distaste. “You think Tiny Tower is doing all this crap to be _kind_ , Hikari-chan?”

Hikari nodded, her expression somber. “Keiko said that the Digimon Kaiser is trying to stop Millenniumon. There are people who will do cruel things in order to help someone in the end out of kindness, even if they become hated for it.”

Mimi placed her hand on Palmon’s head. “How can what he did to Palmon be kind at all? He hurt her twice really badly, and he’s still got Piyomon, Gabumon, and Agumon captive along with Miyako’s egg!”

Taichi folded his arms over his chest. “That just says to me how far gone the guy is, since nothing the Digimon Kaiser is doing can be justified.”

Mystimon stared at the Chosen Children in silence before he turned to look at Baihumon.

“You cannot evolve to Ultimate,” Baihumon said as he focused his attention on Mimi. “What good would you be in the fight against Zeed Millenniumon, as weak as you are?”

“Wh-what?” Mimi stammered, her voice small.

“The same goes for the rest of you,” Baihumon said. “Only the Chosen of Courage and Friendship have even remotely begun to _approach_ their true potential. If you fought in the war, you would die.”.

Koshiro furrowed his brow as he looked between Taichi and Yamato. “That’s true that Taichi and Yamato are the strongest of all of us, but it’s only because Angemon and Angewomon shot them with arrows made of light.”

“Indeed,” Baihumon agreed. “In essence, you cheated.”

“Cheated?” Taichi repeated as he jerked upright, bordering on outraged.

“Rather than gain the power naturally, you used alternate methods to become stronger more quickly,” Baihumon said. “It is understandable, as you didn’t have the time to do it properly… but that does not change the fact that you gained strength through external sources rather than internal.”

“But they could do it again after that,” Koshiro said. “It wasn’t just a one-time thing.”

“That is correct,” Baihumon said. “The energy became yours, and you learned very quickly to make good use of it. In that regard, I have no complaints.” He then straightened up to eye the other Chosen. “But the rest of you let your potential squander. You relied more and more on Courage and Friendship, forcing them to bear the burden of your fight against each opponent. As it stands now, only Agumon and Gabumon possess the potential to be of any use against Zeed Millenniumon.”

Takeru frowned as he met the tiger Digimon’s gaze. “Hikari and I already knew that we weren’t as strong as our brothers. That’s why we trained.”

Hikari nodded. “We took every chance we could to find someplace where Tailmon and Patamon could try to make each other stronger.”

“Which is very admirable of you,” Baihumon said, with a nod. “With Tenraimon weakened and the Dark Ocean so active, you are at a disadvantage. You will have to work harder to obtain your Ultimate evolutions, but I feel the two of you are much closer to achieving it than the others.”

Hikari and Takeru shared a look that was equal parts concern for the difficulties that lay before them and relief that all their efforts weren’t for nothing.

“So we all need to train,” Miyako said, tilting her head slightly. “Or at least those of us who’ve got their partners back. Is that it?”

“That is correct,” Baihumon said.

“Wait, what does any of this have to do with anything, anyway!?” Yamato asked as he made a broad swipe in the air with his hand. “Why are you bringing this up so suddenly?”

“Answer me this,” Baihumon said. “What was the Digimon Kaiser doing to your partners?”

Mimi pulled Palmon to her chest as moisture welled up in her eyes. “He whipped Palmon! And smashed her into the ground and forced her to attack Digimon and… and..”

“He forced _her_ to attack Digimon?” Baihumon repeated as he tilted his head. “Why would he not attack them _himself_?”

“He did to Tailmon,” Taichi said, his voice cold. “I can’t see how what he did to her was kind at all.”

“No kidding,” Yamato agreed, with a scowl.

“And why do you suppose he did that?” Baihumon asked.

Hikari knelt down beside Tailmon and wrapped her arms around her partner. “I won’t ever say that what the Digimon Kaiser did to you is right, but I believe Keiko. The way he reacted… it’s like when you tried to run away from me when I tried to help you, Takeru. The Digimon Kaiser isn’t really in control of himself and what he’s doing to everyone.”

“I think that much is obvious, considering how he _freaks out_ when things don’t go his-” Takeru began before he paused, his eyes widening. “- _Oh_.”

Understanding lit up Hikari’s eyes as she turned to Takeru before looking back at Tailmon. “He couldn’t control you, Tailmon, so he…”

“So he flipped out like Takeru kept doing before?” Taichi asked, his face scrunched up in a dubious expression.

“He did it when he attacked Palmon, too!” Jou said, reaching up to adjust his glasses. “She tried to stop him, so he attacked her!”

“And when he attacked _Hikari_ ,” Sora said as she clenched her hands together. “He didn’t like what she was saying, so he… to her face…!”

“After seeing Keiko…,” Hikari trailed off for a moment as she remembered the last glimpse she had of Keiko and quickly shook away the image. What had been done to the Chosen of Darkness’ body was something out of a nightmare, one that she couldn’t forget. “If he knew what happened to her… it’s no wonder he couldn’t look at me while wearing that dress.”

Daisuke scowled and punched his palm before cracking his knuckles. “Then V-mon and the rest of our Digimon need to evolve to Ultimate and kick Tiny Tower’s butt so we can tie him down and make him stop acting crazy, right? When do we start training?”

“I suppose you could start where the Digimon Kaiser left off,” Baihumon said. “And have your partners attack Digimon.”

“So we track down bad guys and kick their butts?” Daisuke asked. “Might be kinda hard to find any _real_ baddies since Tiny Tower has most of the Digimon under mind control.”

Koshiro stared at Baihumon, aghast as little pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. “Wait, so all that torture, all those arenas… You’re saying him kidnapping our partners and doing all that was _training_?”

“There are only two answers - he either enjoyed watching your Digimon attacking whatever opponent he threw at them, all for a love of random violence... or he had a purpose,” Baihumon replied. “You may believe whichever you like, as the answer does not change what he did or in any way justify it. But consider what sounds _logical_ \- even in a twisted sense.”

“But how did he know they were our partners before we even met him?” Taichi asked.

Koshiro lightly touched his chin. “He probably saw us exploring the Digital World with them before we let them stay behind. He can watch pretty much anywhere in the Digital World just like we can after all, and he has a knack of knowing when we gate in places.”

“There’s also Ryo,” Hikari said softly. “Ryo met all of us before the last battle with Millenniumon, remember? Ryo and the Digimon Kaiser are friends too.”

“Of course!” Takeru gasped as he slammed his right fist into his left palm. “Ryo could _easily_ have told the Digimon Kaiser about us!”

“Or Gennai, since he did arrange the meeting,” Koshiro added. “Either way, there’s ways he could’ve known about us long before we ever knew about him.”

“He didn’t know anything about Miyako, Daisuke, or Iori,” Jou said as he crossed his arms, with a frown. “...But he _did_ steal Miyako’s egg as soon as it appeared!”

“It’s a good thing you never got caught by him, V-mon, or we would’ve been screwed!” Daisuke said before turning to V-mon.

“Don’t worry, Daisuke! I would’ve fought and fought against him, even as an egg!” V-mon said as he clenched his fists.

Miyako shot Daisuke a venomous stare for a moment before she took a deep breath to calm herself. “So basically, the Digimon Kaiser will probably try to kidnap all our Digimon again, including Iori’s, should it ever manifest.”

“It would stand to reason,” Baihumon said. “As it is, I now understand how he was able to kill Qinglongmon. He must have used the partners of Courage and Friendship - Agumon and Gabumon.”

“I’m sure it must have taken far more than two Digimon to defeat Lord Qinglongmon,” Mystimon said, stiffly. “As powerful as the Chosen Children may be, Lord Qinglongmon was a _god_ -”

“Omegamon,” Baihumon said, simply.

Mystimon paused before he went silent, his jaw clenching.

“It’s more reason to reach him,” Hikari said in a soft voice that carried an undercurrent of steel as she rose to her feet. “We need to cure the Digimon Kaiser and band together to stop Millenniumon and save Keiko, Ryo, Tenraimon, and all the rest of the Digital World!”

“Right,” Yamato said with a nod. “After we’re done here, we can see about visiting the other Holy Beasts-”

“Ah, about that,” Mystimon said, cutting in. Yamato paused and turned to stare at the Digimon, who refused to look at the Chosen of Friendship, instead finding the far wall fascinating. “Lord Xuanwumon has… declined to meet with you.”

“Huh?” Daisuke blinked as he stared blankly at Mystimon. “You mean, like… for now?”

“Indefinitely,” Mystimon said.

“Wait, what!?” Taichi blurted out. “What does that mean!?”

“It means he’s a coward,” Baihumon said, with a snort. “And has never _stopped_ being a coward.”

Mystimon bristled, his jaw clenching. “Lord Xuanwumon is simply being… cautious. He bears no ill will towards the Chosen Children, and greatly appreciates everything they have done for our world. He simply feels that it’d be best that his gates _remain_ closed.”

“But what about the altars of Purity?” Sora asked, glancing towards Mimi. “And Kindness, too!”

“Both altars are empty, so it would not be an inconvenience for you to not visit them,” Mystimon said.

“But that means Mimi can’t upgrade her Digivice!” Jou protested. “That’s a _huge_ inconvenience!”

“Can’t you do anything?” Mimi asked, her eyes pleading as she clasped her hands together.

“...I will see what I can do.” Mystimon relented, his voice soft.

“Which is nothing,” Baihumon said, with a snort. “A turtle cannot change their shell.”

“Nor a tiger change their stripes,” Mystimon retorted, his expression challenging.

Baihumon stared down at Mystimon, who had the good grace to look away, even as he kept the defiant spark in his eyes. The tiger Digimon was silent for several moments before he snorted. “Indeed.”

A high pitched wailing sigh drew the attention of the group to Neemon who wobbled back and forth. “So much talking! Neemon can’t keep up. Can we eat now? My tummy is empty and needs filling!” As if to punctuate his words, a loud rumble emitted from his belly.

“...I suppose we’ve talked enough,” Baihumon said before he turned, proceeding to a large doorway leading in to the fortress. “Come, the altars of Honor and Tenacity await you.”

“Alright, time to level up!” Daisuke said, pumping his fists at his sides. He turned to Iori with a grin. “Ready to find out if we really are Tenacity and Honor, Iori?”

Iori’s expression was completely neutral, all emotion hidden from his features. “I suppose there’s no avoiding it. We have come this far, so we can only go forward.”

Daisuke blinked, startled by the utter lack of enthusiasm. “What’s up? You look like we’re going to a funeral.”

“ _Ahem_!” Miyako said loudly as she stepped between Daisuke and Iori. “Do you _really_ think that was an appropriate choice of words, Motomiya?”

Daisuke blinked before he huffed and looked away with a faint note of pink on his cheeks. He grumbled as he folded his arms behind his head and walked towards the fortress. “Excuse me for worrying about a friend.”

“I am fine,” Iori said, keeping his voice even. “Please do not worry about me.”

Miyako glared at Daisuke for a moment longer before she nudged Iori’s side as softly as her whisper. “Too bad. You’re stuck with me worrying about you forever, so get used to it.”

Iori paused before he turned to Miyako, and a weak smile appeared on his face. “I suppose so.”

 

\---

 

The inner temple that greeted the Chosen was rather stoic in design, made of simple gray stone with very few carved flourishes into its edges. The only color came from the two crests etched upon the altars - a cyan crest of Tenacity and a deep green crest of Honor.

The altar to Tenacity was empty, but a small ovaloid shaped object rested atop the altar of Honor. Iori’s muscles seized up at the sight of what looked to be a green egg adorned in black and red armor rested before him. He was reminded of the imperial armor of the samurai, complete with a golden kuwagata on the very top that curved upwards.

“Sure enough, Tenacity isn’t here,” Takeru said as he approached the two altars, before glancing over to the Digimental in proud display. “But Honor is.”

Daisuke pulled out his Digivice and strode forward without hesitation. “I’ll try it out first.”

“Right, Daisuke!” V-mon said as he followed his partner, clenching his fists before pumping them skyward. “You can do it!”

No sooner had Daisuke finished putting his Digivice on the altar when it was suddenly engulfed in a bright glow. Before the boy’s very eyes, the Digivice transformed into its updated form and color - white with cyan.

As the light died down, Daisuke stood frozen for a long moment, gazing at his transformed Digivice. Finally, his body began to quake until he snatched up his Digivice and thrust it into the air with a triumphant cry. “I’m the Chosen Child of Tenacity! Alright!”

“Congrats, Daisuke!” Takeru said with a smile as he crossed his arms.

Hikari couldn’t help but feel her spirits lift at the sight of Daisuke so ecstatic. “I’m happy for you, Daisuke.”

Tailmon grinned as she placed her paws on her hips. “It’s a perfect fit.”

“So that’s one ‘mystery’ solved,” Yamato said before he glanced over to Iori. “So now-” The Chosen of Friendship paused as he stared at the other boy. “-Iori?”

Iori stood at the back of the room, silent. His fists were clenched to the point that his knuckles turned white, his eyes focused intently on the altar of Honor. Even his jaw was painfully tight, his teeth gritting together.

Sora frowned as she turned to face the stoic young man, concern obvious on her face. “Iori, what’s wrong?”

Iori didn’t respond, nor did he so much as look at Sora to acknowledge her question.

Miyako placed her hand on Iori’s shoulder, who flinched but otherwise didn’t acknowledge her. “Hey, don’t worry; it’s just a hardware upgrade.”

Iori turned his head slightly to look at Miyako out of the corner of his eyes. After a moment longer, he nodded slightly before turning to face the altar once more. Iori proceeded to approach the altar with stiff, slow steps.

Once directly in front of the altar, Iori stared down at the Digimental resting atop it. Tentatively, he reached over to pick up the strange egg before replacing it with his own Digivice. He barely set it down before it began to glow, changing before his very eyes to one similar to Daisuke’s - though with deep green on white instead of cyan.

A crooked smile tugged at Miyako’s lips. “See? What’d I tell you. Someone else can borrow your Digimental now, and you’ve got an upgrade.”

Iori stared down at his Digivice in silence for several moments before he carefully picked it back up. “I-”

The newly identified Chosen of Honor could barely begin to speak before a loud rumble caught him off guard, along with the other Chosen. The floor shook, causing the Chosen to tense while Neemon squealed hysterically as he flailed his arms around before flopping to the ground in a crumbled heap. Suddenly, the far wall behind the altars disappeared, a red wooden archway reminiscent of a shinto temple appearing in its place.

Iori froze, his eyes wide as he stared in horror at the sudden doorway, his hand still clutching his Digivice. The most terrifying thing of all was the tiny whisper resonating inside his head.

_I - o - ri… I’ve been waiting for you~!_

Iori’s face went completely pale, his irises becoming mere pinpricks in his eyes.

“It would seem that the Chosen of Honor’s power has finally increased to the point that it overpowered whatever hindered the appearance of his egg, finally summoning its resting place to this world,” Baihumon said, before he snorted. “...And attaching it to my fortress.”

Mimi clapped her hands together. “That’s great, Iori! You’re finally going to meet your partner!”

_I - o - ri~!_

Iori didn’t look at Mimi, his eyes focused on the gateway. Slowly, he licked his lips to moisten them before he finally spoke, his voice rough. “...Shut up.”

“Eh?” Mimi gasped.

“Y-you… you can’t speak to Mimi that way!” Jou protested, despite similarly being shocked. He frowned. “That’s very uncalled for!”

“That’s right, that’s right!” Palmon said. “That’s so _mean_ -”

“Shut up, shut up, _shut up_!” Iori screamed as he whirled to face the Chosen, his expression wild. “I told you _no_! I - told - you - _no_! _No partner_!”

Takeru was taken aback by the sheer unbridled rage on the normally stoic boy’s face. He had never seen such powerful emotion from Iori. “That’s… that’s not how it works.”

“I don’t give a damn how it works!” Iori shrieked as he pointed at Takeru, as if he were directly responsible for what was happening. “I said _no_!”

“Iori, I thought you understood already,” Koshiro said. “Our Digimon were created to be our partners years before we even knew the Digital World existed. It’s not like we can go back in time and stop your partner from being created.”

“I understand, far better than you do!” Iori snapped as he whirled to Koshiro. “The person who told you that, that was _Gennai_ , wasn’t it?! The same person that betrayed you all and is more than likely responsible for Keiko’s death, and Ryo’s disappearance! How do you know he wasn’t lying to you!?”

“What?” Koshiro asked, blinking as he stepped back from Iori.

“What’re you trying to say?” Taichi asked. “Are you saying that Gennai helped make our Digimon because he was working for Millenniumon? Are you trying to say that all our partners are spies for Millenniumon too?”

“I’m saying that you don’t know _anything_!” Iori snapped as he swept his arm. “All you know is what you’ve been _told_! Everything you know, it’s because _someone_ has told you - one of whom was found to be a _spy_! How many other lies has he told you? How do you know he wasn’t a spy this entire time!?”

A heavy silence weighed down on the room, sending an ominous chill through each of the children.

“It’s true that we have no knowledge of when Gennai became a traitor,” Baihumon said, his voice without emotion. “All of his actions - and words - are now suspect.”

“That’s just it, you act like you have all the answers when you _don’t_!” Iori said as he gripped both his Digivice and his Digimental tightly, shaking. “How do you know anything you ‘know’ is even _true_!? You don’t even know _why_ you’re a Chosen in the first place!” He made another sweeping gesture with his arm. “ _Chosen_ by _who_!?”

“It doesn’t matter why!” Taichi shouted back, his blood starting to boil. “Look, whatever is going on with Gennai doesn’t have anything to do with our partners. Agumon and the others and _your partner who’s waiting for you,_ ” he punctuated with a pointing finger, “are our friends and would _die_ for us, so stop acting like a brat and-”

Taichi couldn’t finish speaking before he was suddenly nailed in the face by the Digimental of Honor, which Iori threw with extreme energy. The elder Yamagi howled in pain as he covered his face, unable to see how Iori stood rigid in front of him with eyes that were more piercing than a blade as he glared at the Chosen.

“ _I refuse_ ,” Iori said in a voice made of sharpened steel. “ _Choose someone else_.” Without waiting for a response, he raised his newly transformed Digivice. “Digital Gate _open_!”

“W-wait!” Takeru cried out. “Iori-”

The Chosen of Honor disappeared in an instant, leaving the other stupefied Chosen behind.

“...That could have gone better,” Baihumon said before he focused his four eyes on Miyako and her grim expression. “Though I see that his reaction was not _entirely_ unexpected.”

Taichi cursed in a nasal voice as he pinched his sore nose shut to cut off the nosebleed he got from the impact of the Digimental. “What the hell was _that_ about?”

Sora pulled out a handkerchief and reached up to cover Taichi’s nose, then furrowed her brow. “I don’t know… I’ve never seen him act that way.”

Miyako sighed as she picked up the Digimental of Honor while she made her way to the mysterious new archway. “I’ll take care of it.”

Mimi looked from the empty space where Iori had been to Miyako. “Do you know what’s wrong with Iori, Miyako? I’ve never seen him so upset.”

“It was my fault,” Miyako said with a dismissive wave over her shoulder without looking back. “I should’ve worked more on getting Iori warmed up to the idea of a partner. He’s got issues with losing people trying to protect him. Go ahead and tell them about his dad, Koshiro, that’ll explain everything.”

“Huh!? I, uh-” Koshiro began, but Miyako didn’t wait as she disappeared through the ornate archway. He hesitated before he reached up to rub the back of his head. “Ah.”

Takeru blinked before he turned to stare at the Chosen of Knowledge. “What’s she talking about, Koshiro?”

Yamato quirked an eyebrow as he stood beside Taichi, watching over the Chosen of Courage as he recovered with Sora cleaning up the blood. “What’s his dad got to do with this?”

Koshiro rubbed his forehead as his eyes skewed shut. “Okay, um… there’s no easy way to say this, but Iori’s dad kinda, well… died saving Iori’s life.”

Daisuke gawked at Koshiro. “Seriously?”

Koshiro nodded as he tried to ignore the stunned stares of the other Chosen. “Yeah… Miyako actually told me and our other online friends right after it happened years ago. It was someone with a gun who was going to shoot Iori, but his dad took the bullet instead.”

Mimi covered her mouth as she choked back a gasp.

Takeru stared at Koshiro for several moments before he grimaced. “That’s…”

“Horrible…,” Hikari finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

Miyako tuned out the rest of the conversation as she wandered ever deeper into the temple that housed Iori’s partner. True to the architect of the archway, the interior shared the same features of a shinto temple. At the center of the room, on a shrine-like altar, was a dark green egg covered in red and black triangles. It sat, a silent sentinel as it waited for Iori, one way or another.

A quiet sigh escaped Miyako as she lamented the fact that Iori wouldn’t be there to take his egg, as well as the emptiness she felt for her own unhatched partner. She wondered if he was even now being used to battle other Digimon, forced to get stronger without her under the merciless grasp of the Digimon Kaiser. The fear that the same fate might befall Iori’s egg was what prompted her to take matters into her own hands and led her up the steps to the altar where the egg was waiting.

Unlike in her temple, there was no electricity, nothing to suspend the egg in midair. It rested firmly on the altar without any visible means of defending it from capture. The lack of protection made Miyako suspicious, but she still didn’t hesitate to reach for the egg.

It wouldn’t budge. The egg might as well have been welded to the altar, refusing to move even a centimeter no matter how much effort she put into lifting or even nudging it. After a fruitless minute of trying, Miyako was left exhausted, panting for breath with a face reddened from effort.

“O… okay,” Miyako muttered breathlessly. “That’s a good way… of keeping yourself from getting kidnapped.” She wondered why her partner hadn’t done the same when the Digimon Kaiser had taken the egg, but as her gaze drifted to the impressive shrine, she had to consider that such defensive measures were only present in this one spot.

She had removed her egg from its altar, its only defense, and in turn exposed it to the Digimon Kaiser.

Miyako shook away the dark thought before it could go any further, and instead focused on the egg in front of her. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m not Iori… but I can take you to him. I promise, I’ll talk to him. So just work with me, alright?”

The egg gave an inch, but still felt too heavy for Miyako to lift. She guessed the Digimon inside was considering her words.

“He needs you, you know,” Miyako said softly. “I know it doesn’t seem like it with the way he freaked out, but that’s why he needs you. Iori needs someone who’s going to stick with him even when he’s being too stubborn to let anyone into his heart.”

Miyako rested her hand lightly atop the egg, feeling the warmth of the Digimon inside through its glistening shell. “He’s been hurt before, and he needs someone like you who can protect him and keep coming back as long as he lives. So, how about we go get through to him together?”

Miyako waited for a moment for some sort of response or reaction that never came before she tried to lift the egg again. To her relief, it weighed just the same as her own partner - heavy with only the weight of responsibility. She let out a sigh before she gave a small smile. “Thanks for trusting me.”

As Miyako cradled the egg against her chest, her arm wrapped protectively around it, she pulled out her Digivice. “Digital Gate, open.”

 

\---

 

A loud shout echoed through the training room, followed promptly by a loud _thwack_ as Iori’s bokken struck the wooden target soundly. He stood in front of the humanoid-shaped wooden bust, striking it over and over with all his might. The attacks were harsh and relentless as they rained down on his lifeless opponent. Not even the sweat drenching his skin slowed him down solely focused on the target as if it were the source of all his ire.

In the repetition of movements, Iori could lose all sense of time and empty his mind of everything but the familiar rhythm of practice that he had honed for years. He tuned out the entire world, but one particular voice always brought him back to reality - whether he wanted to or not.

“You know, you should have a computer always on in this house,” Miyako said as she stood in the doorway to the training hall. “It’d make popping back here from the Digital World a lot easier.”

Iori paused in mid-strike. After a moment, he slowly stood up, lowering his boken. “I suppose it would.”

“On the plus side, the walk gave me a chance to email the others and let them know I left,” Miyako said as she walked onto the wooden floor in a borrowed pair of slippers, shifting the weight of her very full backpack carefully off her shoulder. “So, you feel like talking yet, or should I just take a seat and wait?”

Iori was silent for several moments before he turned to look at Miyako out of the corner of his eye. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Miyako’s expression deadpanned. “Iori, this is _me_ you’re talking to, remember?”

Iori shifted his eyes back to the training target, before lowering them to the floor. “...I’m sure you already understand what’s on my mind. I don’t need to say it.”

“Considering you had a meltdown back there, I think you have a lot more you need to say,” Miyako said. “Especially considering the fact that yelling isn’t going to make all of this go away, and you’re smart enough to know that.”

Iori grimaced as he tightened his grip on his bokken. “...I know.”

“So talk to me,” Miyako said, her voice soft.

There was silence in the dojo, save for Iori’s heavy breath that eventually slowed into something close to normal. “I don’t need someone in my life designed _specifically_ to die for me.” he said, his voice going hard.

“Maybe,” Miyako said with a small shrug. “But that doesn’t change the fact that they exist, and they’re going to keep on existing as long as you do.”

“I didn’t ask for that,” Iori said, his voice still like stone. “I don’t _want_ it.”

Miyako was silent as she walked up to Iori and placed her hand on his shoulder. She watched as he flinched, tensing up under her touch, but didn’t comment on it. “Yeah, I know, but no one could ever replace you anymore than anyone could replace _him_.”

Iori grunted. “That does not change the fact that my wishes are being disregarded.” He paused before his face twisted into a scowl. “None of them seem to have any grasp… they don’t understand the sheer…” He trailed off before he turned to face Miyako. “They are far too casual about their partners willingly facing death for their sakes! They act as if it were nothing more than… than a _minor_ _inconvenience_!”

“Do they?” Miyako asked as she cocked her head slightly. “Last I checked, finding out that our Digimon can’t die unless we do was something we found out not too long ago. And Hikari hasn’t been the same since the night she met Narakumon, so I think she’s pretty shaken by this death thing, don’t you?”

Iori paused at that before his features softened somewhat. “I… suppose. But no one else seems to give it any consideration.”

“Who _wants_ to think about death?” Miyako asked.

“It’s not about what you _want_ ,” Iori said. “It’s about understanding the consequences! If you go to war, you need to understand that casualties can and will happen!”

Miyako shifted the weight of her backpack from one arm to the next. “You mean like finding out a group of us lost a major battle where one kid got captured for years, one got _killed_ , and one went insane from the first two’s fates because of two forms of mind control?”

Iori paused, faltering. After a moment’s hesitation, he lowered his gaze to the floor, going silent.

Miyako let out a quiet sigh. “I think it’s kind of on everyone’s minds now if it wasn’t before, which it was if you want to see the logs.”

It took a little while before Iori could speak again in a soft murmur. “Even so, that’s all the more reason.”

“All the more reason to what?” Miyako asked. “You know, you don’t _have_ to make your partner do any of the fighting. You can just tell them to stay home, like it’s an order or something. You’ve proven to everyone you can kick Digimon butt with your sword alone, so it’s not like you’re defenseless without them.”

The uneasy tension between them didn’t falter in the slightest. “‘Willing to die for you’,” Iori muttered.

“Which also means willing to listen to you when you tell them to stay out of danger,” Miyako said. “In case you didn’t notice, even genius boy Ken Ichijouji hasn’t made Wormmon evolve or fight a single battle even once in all the time he’s been with us. I think Ken might feel the same way you do about putting his partner in danger, too.”

Iori nodded slowly before his face hardened. “Not that it prevented my father from…”

Miyako readjusted her hold on her backpack to rub her forehead. “No. No, it did not.”

Iori glanced up at Miyako before he reached up to touch his forehead. “This… everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve _done_ … and now I’m just supposed to…?”

“Tell that to those of us running into danger without a partner,” Miyako said. “That includes you, you know, or those like Ken who don’t let their partner fight, ever. Mimi is still a bit paranoid about Palmon getting injured. Remember when Shutumon got conked on the head by a falling bit of rebar? She just shook it off, but Mimi wailed so loud it even made the controlled Digimon have to cover their ears, and Shutumon just used it as a distraction to break their collars.”

Iori let out a wry chuckle in spite of himself, before his expression went somber.

Miyako placed her hand on Iori’s shoulder. “And remember how Mimi fussed for days even after Palmon kept saying she was okay? And how she only really calmed down after they had a good long talk about it? You can do that too you know - talk it out with your partner, I mean.”

Iori closed his eyes and stood stoic and still for almost a minute. “You’re asking me to put my life in the hands of an infant,” he said, his voice low. “And for me to let them fight for me.”

Miyako sighed as she held her hand up. “Okay, you got me. If I had a choice between you getting killed by an evil Digimon or an immortal Digimon partner taking the hit instead, I’m going to go with the one who is going to come back to life instead of the guy who’d stay dead for good.”

“You don’t know how far their ‘immortality’ goes,” Iori said, his voice gruff. All the same, the hardness around his eyes began to soften. “If I can’t even protect myself… then I…”

“You’ve protected me more times than I can count,” Miyako said, her voice gentle. “You’ve protected the others too. Let someone else have a turn.”

Iori stared at Miyako in silence for several moments before he let out a soft chuckle. The sound was without humor, a fact reinforced by the way his eyes began to water. “You always have… asked the impossible of me. Now’s not any different.”

Miyako looped her arm around Iori’s shoulder and leaned in to hug him tight. “I only ask because you always manage it better than I ever expect, you know. I pretty much have to take into account that you’ll blow me away into my plans now.”

Iori glanced at Miyako as he reached up to wipe at his eyes as discreetly as he could. “I-is that so...”

Miyako lightly bonked her forehead against Iori’s. “Of course. You’ll rise to this challenge just like every other one that gets thrown at you.”

Iori closed his eyes as he chuckled before letting out a soft sigh. “I’ll do my best… not to disappoint you.”

A snort of laughter escaped from Miyako. “As if that could ever happen.”

“Your faith in me is unwavering,” Iori muttered, his voice going soft. “As always.”

Miyako ruffled Iori’s hair as she straightened up. “Naturally~! So how about we meet your partner?” She lifted her backpack, drawing Iori’s attention to it for the first time.

Iori paused at that, his eyes widening as they shifted to her backpack. “My… partner?”

“It took some convincing,” Miyako said as she carefully rummaged past the towels she borrowed and stuffed into her backpack, “but I got them to agree to come with me if it meant seeing you.” With the utmost care, she drew the Digimon egg from its impromptu fabric nest.

Iori froze as he stared at the egg, his heart lurching in his chest as his body locked up. Conflicting emotions swirled about inside him, each one flashing across his face for a moment before Iori’s expression settled on a grimace. “It’s… my egg.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.

Miyako smiled as she noticed the possessive pronoun. “Yes, it is.”

Iori stared at the egg, not reaching out for it but instead keeping his arms tensely at his sides. “Why…?”

“Because they’re a part of your family now,” Miyako said gently. “I know you didn’t ask for it, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. It just means you have someone else who loves you and will be there for you.”

Iori didn’t respond, his eyes firmly locked on the egg in Miyako’s hands. He didn’t move an inch, scarcely even breathing.

Miyako only allowed the awkward tension to hang between them for a minute before she reached down to grab Iori’s hand. He offered no resistance as she brought his hand up to the egg, before promptly placing the egg in his grip. Instinctively, he dropped his bokken as he brought up his other hand to stabilize his hold on the precious object.

Iori felt his heart lurch in his chest as he stared at the egg. Before he could even find the words to say anything, a crack suddenly appeared on the egg’s curved surface. His eyes flew open wide as the web-like cracks shattered the egg, exposing the tiny creature inside.

The Digimon resembled a golden magatama with big green eyes and a pointed orange unicorn horn on its forehead. Shaking away the bits of shell, the Digimon then focused on Iori and fixed him with a big smile. “I’m Fufumon! Nice~to~meet~you I~o~ri~!”

Iori stared at Fufumon in silence for a moment before the harsh lines around his eyes melted away. A mixture of expressions flashed across his face, hinting at the torrent of emotions swirling about inside of him. His hands trembled slightly as he held the remnants of the egg before drawing his tiny partner closer. “Pleased to meet you… Fufumon.”


	35. Chapter Thirty Four

Digimon of all shapes, sizes, and levels worked tirelessly at the lumber mill, lugging heavy logs without much complaint - after all, their Evil Rings refused them that right. Carrying the fallen trees in any manner they could, the controlled Digimon created an assembly line to and from the massive building meant to process their cargo.

At the entrance to the facility, two Digimon stood guard over the entrance. One was a Gazimon, the other a Gekomon. Both wore Evil Rings around their necks like collars, their eyes glowing red to show the influence of said item.

While the Gekomon stood as still and silent as a statue, the Gazimon seemed to have enough wherewithal to look around and watch the other Digimon. Acknowledging each Digimon as they entered and left the building, he gave the impression of actual vigilance as the workers went about their business.

After several moments, the Gazimon turned to the Gekomon beside him, staring at him with his glowing eyes. “So, hey. What do you think this stuff is actually for, anyway?”

The Gekomon didn’t respond, his blank eyes staring straight forward into the forest around them.

The Gazimon paused before he looked away. “I mean, it’s a lot of trees and I don’t ever see anything being built. Do you think he just hates trees?”

The Gekomon gave a small croak in his throat, though it was unclear if it was a response or a coincidental action.

“I guess he could be shipping it out somewhere,” the Gazimon continued as he scratched his chin. “We’re just sentries, so it’s not like anyone cares to keep _us_ informed, right?”

The Gekomon still offered no real response, staring straight ahead unwaveringly.

The Gazimon glanced at the frog Digimon beside him before he let out a heavy sigh, his ears drooping. “Yeeeeah, you’re a load of fun, Croaky. I may as well be talking to a tree right now.”

The Gekomon didn’t have a chance to respond, not that he would have in the first place, as a sudden shout echoed through the trees.

“ _Fire Knuckle_!”

The Gazimon looked up sharply, just in time to see Fladramon burst through the woods and plow into the nearest large Digimon, a Monochromon. The massive black and gray quadruped dinosaur yowled as he toppled over, the attack striking the Evil Ring around his neck and shattering it.

Fladramon landed on his feet, crouching, as Tailmon, Pegasmon, BladeKuwagamon, and Shutumon rushed forward to join him. Even Gomamon was among the attackers, having evolved through the use of the Digimental of Honor in to a new form - Shawujinmon. The furry seal Digimon had been replaced with what appeared to be a blue-haired Kappa dressed in samurai attire of green armor pieces overtop white robes, complete with a long red scarf about his neck.

 The Monochromon rumbled, disoriented, as his eyes lost their glow and glanced about dizzily. The other controlled Digimon stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at the attackers.

“The Chosen Children!” the Gazimon cried out before he whipped about. “The Chosen Children are attacking!”

The Gekomon croaked, his eyes narrowing before he rushed forward blindly into the foray rather than call for assistance like his partner did.

In the end, the Gazimon’s efforts were just as useless as the Gekomon’s, as neither proved to be effective against Chosen Children as they moved in like a hurricane, striking at all the Evil Rings they could find until they made their way into the lumber yard itself, where the Dark Tower sat at the very center. When the mighty obelisk itself fell, the battle was over as all remaining Evil Rings were shattered and the Digimon in the surrounding area were freed from their enslavement.

The Gazimon scratched at his neck where the collar had been, his eyes still red due to being his natural eye color but no longer glowing to show the influence of the Evil Ring. He watched as many of the Digimon, crying with relief, gathered around the Chosen Children and thanked them before fleeing the facility - and into the woods they had been harvesting. The canine Digimon let out a hum in his throat before he sat down on a log, flicking his ear. “...Oh well… they’ll be back, one way or another...”

Takeru blinked as he noticed the Gazimon sitting on the log, not nearly in a rush like the other freed Digimon to flee to safety. He glanced at the others before approaching the Digimon. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

The Gazimon blinked, looking up at Takeru, before he gave a small shrug. “Naw, I’m just fine. Thanks for asking, though.”

“Aren’t you going to flee with the others?” Mimi asked as she approached as well, coming to a stop by Takeru.

“Nope,” Gazimon said, with another shrug.

“...Nope?” Takeru repeated, slowly.

“Nope,” Gazimon repeated. “Don’t see a point in it.”

“Why not?” Daisuke asked, baffled. “You’re free now!”

“For _now_ , yeah,” Gazimon replied. “But the Digimon Kaiser’s just gonna come back and put collars on anyone after you leave, so what’s the point?”

Mimi looked as if she had been stricken, her face going pale. “What?”

“He’s right,” another Digimon said, a Tsukaimon who strongly resembled Patamon but with purple and gray instead of orange and white. He flapped his ears before landing beside the Gazimon. “Everyone else thinks they’re going to be able to run and hide, but where exactly do they think they’re going to go?”

“Well, they could go to the Holy Beasts,” Koshiro said, raising a finger as if counting each option. “Or go to other areas that aren’t controlled by the Digimon Kaiser.”

The Gazimon snorted before he let out a chuckle. “Yeah, _that’ll_ work. Considering the Digimon Kaiser’s already _killed_ one, they’re not really so safe as everyone seems to think they are.”

“Besides, they expect you to fight to protect them,” the Tsukaimon agreed. “So that’s not really safe _at all_ , is it?”

Takeru stared at the Digimon, taken aback by their attitude towards the situation. After several moments, he furrowed his brow. “So you… gave up?”

“Eh, what’s the big deal?” Gazimon asked with a shrug.

“What’s the… you’re _enslaved_!” Mimi protested.

“I’ve had worse bosses,” Gazimon replied. “And while they didn’t use fancy collars or things like that, you were still pretty much at their mercy.”

“But… he _abuses_ you!” Jou protested as he joined the startled Chosen, and gestured to the lumber yard about them. “And forces you to work!”

“ _Abuse_?” Tsukaimon repeated slowly before he let out a derisive laugh. “Hah! You’ve obviously never worked for _Vamdemon_! Now _that_ was _abuse_!”

Tailmon glanced over at the two Digimon, her ears canting back before her eyes wandered down to her paws. While they were covered by her gloves, the scars hidden underneath gave a soft throb as if a reminder of what she had undergone.

“At least the Digimon Kaiser only whips you when he’s _mad_ ,” Gazimon agreed. “Vamdemon whipped you for _fun_.”

“I mean, yeah, it sucks if you’re being used as training fodder for the elites,” Tsukaimon agreed, with a sage nod. “But in those cases, the Digimon Kaiser doesn’t even bother putting a collar on you… so it’s better to have a collar than not!”

“Yeah, at least you know you’re safe if you have a collar,” the Gazimon agreed. “Vamdemon didn’t care who you were, so you never knew if you were safe or not!”

“And don’t forget Etemon!” another Gazimon said as he approached, waving his paws.

The first Gazimon groaned, tilting his head back. “Don’t even get me _started_! I’d rather be whipped a _thousand_ times than listen to _that_ hack and his ‘singing’!”

The second Gazimon nodded before he struck a pose, pretending to hold a microphone in his paws as he threw his head back. “Yeeaaah, yeaaah, I think I can siiiiing but really it's just screeeeeeching, I'm so obnoxious and stupiiiid~!”

The Tsukaimon and first Gazimon burst out laughing and clapped their hands, enthusiastically. They cheered on the other Gazimon as he continued to pretend to sing, purposely making screeching noises into his imaginary microphone.

Back in the real world, Taichi stared at the screen in disbelief, his arms crossed. “Are they serious?”

“No kidding,” Yamato said, his expression equally taken aback. “I mean, yeah… the Digimon Kaiser _has_ been taking back the land as quickly as he free it, but… you’d think they’d still _try_.”

“Do they just not care?” Sora asked, furrowing her brow.

Ken glanced over at the other Chosen as they huddled around the screen, his expression unreadable before he returned his attention back to his own laptop. He did his best to ignore Wormmon’s worried gaze, refusing to acknowledge that there was any need for it. “Who knows.”

Takeru glanced over at Hikari, at a loss, before he returned his attention to the Digimon. “So you’re just going to wait for the Digimon Kaiser to come and enslave you again?”

“It’s better than wasting our time running away,” the first Gazimon said, with another shrug.

“Oh, oh!” the Tsukaimon said as he fanned his wings. “Maybe we’ll get promoted!”

“‘Promoted’,” Jou repeated, slowly. “I don’t think slaves get promoted.”

“You never know!” the second Gazimon said as he discarded his imaginary microphone. “Maybe he’ll think we’re actually trustworthy because we didn’t run away, and we’ll get a cushy job… like guards for that giant floating fortress of his!”

Daisuke gawked at the Digimon with horror and disbelief in equal measure. “He makes you his slaves!” he shouted with an almost desperate air as he threw his arms out to his sides. “That’s not a job! That’s ‘I’ll kill you if you don’t kill yourself for me’ and bullshit like that! You don’t get a choice!”

“That’s usually how it works, yeah,” the first Gazimon said, with a nod.

“A lot of Digimon who work for evil Digimon aren’t really evil,” Hikari said softly as she reached out to place her hand atop Tailmon’s head. “That’s why they need us to fight for them, to give them the choice to do what _they_ want.”

Narakumon’s tell-tale chime came from the Chosen Children’s D-Terminals, drawing their attention away from the three Digimon. Flipping open their devices, they saw the DigiGod of Darkness’ comments.

 

_This is the way of the Digital World. Unlike humanity, whose society has mostly evolved to the point that the strong aren’t able to eagerly and openly devour the weak, the Digital World still follows the rule of power. Those who have the power, rule._

_As such, Digimon are left with three choices - gain power, align themselves with those who have power, or suffer without. Those with ambition become strong, and those that lack ambition can either become servants of the strong or live their lives under the threat of becoming victims._

_In the end, the Digimon Kaiser is no different than any Digimon who has amassed enormous strength - from Devimon and Etemon to Vamdemon and the Dark Masters. Even the Holy Beasts are guilty of this, though they are at least more inclined to treat their followers fairly than all the foes you have faced._

 

Takeru stared at the screen for several moments before he glanced at the two Gazimon and the Tsukaimon, who were idly chatting amongst themselves as they sat on the log. “So to them, this isn’t horrific… it’s _normal_.”

“They’ve lived their whole lives in this environment,” Iori said softly as he lowered his head, his expression solemn. “Our way of thinking is completely foreign to them.”

Though troubled, Mimi was thoughtful as well as she tapped her lower lip. “It sounds kind of like how people in America are different from back home in Japan, I guess.” Her brow furrowed. “Only… this goes way beyond just a little culture shock.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Jou said as he crossed his arms. “But I suppose it’s hard for a cultural exchange to happen when we’re the only humans they’ve come across.”

“We can’t stop trying,” Hikari said. “No matter what, we have to save any Digimon who needs our help.”

Daisuke clenched a quaking fist at his side before pumping it in front of him. “That’s right! We’ll take down any jerk who thinks they can pick on anyone just because they can, and we’ll keep doing it until the Digimon learn what it’s like to be free and stay that way!”

Ken watched the Chosen on the screen before his eyes darted to the Digimon. After several moments of silence, he finally looked away, his expression still unreadable. Absently, he reached over to touch Wormmon’s head, his fingers lightly brushing the insect Digimon’s scalp.

“‘Jerk’, huh,” Ken muttered, keeping his voice low to avoid being overheard.

Wormmon knew that Ken was still brooding over the encounter with Daisuke as the Digimon Kaiser and lightly touched his partner’s fingers with his digits. “Ken-chan, it’s okay. I’m not upset.”

“You never are,” Ken replied. He then turned back to the screen, staring hard at the laptop. It was one of the many reasons he knew he didn’t deserve Wormmon - the insect Digimon’s patience and understanding seemed limitless.

Though it was a moot point. It wasn’t as if Ken cared what Daisuke thought. He expected to be hated, he expected them to heap insults against him, so the corrupt Chosen didn’t care at all. He’d just keep doing what he always did, going forward to save the Digital World and everyone in it.

Even if they didn’t appreciate it.

“... _You’re_ the _jerk_ , Daisuke Motomiya.”

 

\---

 

“I'll become a happy butterfly - and ride on the glittering wind - I'll come to see you soon~!”

The thrumming strings of a guitar sent music fluttering through the air, a cheerful sound that didn’t match the bleak atmosphere of the battlefield memorial. Sitting at the feet of the angel statue, rocking back and forth as he entertained himself on his guitar, was Kyoumon. His tail wagged behind him like a metronome, keeping time as he sang in his squeaky voice. His singing paled in comparison to the flawless tune he strummed on his guitar, but he was having too much fun to notice.

“It's best to forget - the unnecessary things - there's no more time to be fooling around~!” Kyoumon sang, not even bothering to watch his hands as his fingers found the right strings from memory alone.

A flash of light jarred Kyoumon from continuing the rest of his song, drawing his attention to Mimi and Palmon who appeared a short distance away from the memorial. Upon spotting him, Mimi gave him a smile that shined brightly enough to pierce the gloomy surroundings.

“Hi Kyoumon!” Mimi chirped, carrying a rather hefty flower patterned bag in front of her.

Kyoumon perked up, his smile bright. He gave a quick toss of his guitar, which seemingly disappeared into thin air, before he lunged to hug the Chosen of Purity. “Mimi~!”

Mimi giggled as she readjusted her hold on her bag to return the hug enthusiastically. “I’m glad to see you too.”

“Kyoumon didn’t know Mimi had a mission today!” Kyoumon said, holding on to Mimi tightly.

“There’s no mission today,” Palmon said as she raised her arms. “Except for Operation Visit Kyoumon!”

Kyoumon stared at Palmon before his eyes got wide, his face positively beaming. “Kyoumon _loves_ that kind of mission!”

Mimi flashed a wide smile as she raised the bag. “You’re going to love it even more after you see what we brought you.”

Kyoumon squealed happily as he squirmed, jumping back to prop himself up in his tail. He kicked his legs as he clapped his paws, excitedly. “A gift for Kyoumon!?”

Mimi reached into the bag and pulled out a large plastic baggie, this one clear to show off its delicious contents. “I brought an extra large batch of Mama’s cookies, and these are special American-style recipe - chocolate chip!”

“ _American_ cookies!?” Kyoumon repeated, before he frowned. “What’s an American?”

“America is the country we moved to from Japan back on Earth,” Mimi said as she sat down beside Palmon and Kyoumon. “It’s a really interesting place, especially the food. Food in America is _huge_ , so I knew it was the perfect treat for Digimon!”

Kyoumon flopped down on to the ground, his eyes still quite wide and eager. “ _Huge_ food is the _best_ food! Kyoumon likes American food!”

Mimi giggled and pulled out a large cookie from the baggie, which she offered to Kyoumon before giving one to Palmon as well. “Mama is the best cook ever too.”

“Thanks, Mimi~!” Palmon said before she took a big bite.

Kyoumon gasped before he held up the cookie to his face. “American cookies are bigger than Kyoumon’s _eye_!” To emphasize the point, he held the cookie over his right eye, which was completely dwarfed by the doughy confection.

Mimi smiled. “I know, that’s why I can’t even eat two without feeling like my tummy is about to burst, so that’s why these cookies are mostly for you and Palmon to share.”

“Thank you~! Kyoumon loves his cookie~!” Kyoumon said, happily, before he brought the cookie to his mouth and took a big bite. As soon as he sunk his teeth in to it, the Digimon paused and his eyes became filled with little tiny stars.

“They’re great, huh?” Palmon asked, then grinned widely as Kyoumon nodded vigorously before shoving the entire cookie in his mouth with delighted little scarfing noises. “Mimi’s mom is the best cook!”

“The best in the whole world,” Mimi said cheerfully. “I’ll bet she could even have her own cooking show if she wanted.”

“Kyoumon would watch!” Kyoumon said, his mouth still full before he gave a mighty swallow.

“Here, I have something else for you!” Mimi said, reaching into the bag before pulling out a small pink digital camera with a flower-patterned wrist band. “See~?”

Kyoumon stared at the camera, tilting his head. “Oooh, what’s that?”

“A camera!” Mimi said, brightly. “You use it to take pictures!” To punctuate her words, the Chosen of Purity lifted up the camera and snapped a picture of Kyoumon. She then switched the camera about to show the Digimon the preview screen on the back. “See?”

Kyoumon blinked before he lifted himself up on his tail, using it so he could get a better look. His eyes widened as he stared at the image of his own face, then clapped his hands. “It’s Kyoumon! Kyoumon sees Kyoumon!”

“You can take all sorts of pictures!” Mimi said, with a giggle. “Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Yes, yes!” Kyoumon agreed as he accepted the camera, holding it carefully with both hands. He lifted the camera to aim it at Mimi, like she had done to him. “Like this, like this?”

Mimi nodded, smiling. “Now, press the button on the top right!”

Kyoumon did as he was told and the camera rewarded him with a clicking sound. He lowered the camera and squealed with glee at the sight of Mimi’s smiling face. “Kyoumon took a picture of Mimi!”

Mimi couldn’t help but giggle, her smile growing ever brighter. “That’s great, Kyoumon!”

“Palmon, Kyoumon will take a picture of you too!” Kyoumon said as he turned to the plant Digimon, who giggled before posing in a curtsey for the camera. “Kyoumon will take _so many_ pictures!”

Mimi set the baggie down between the two Digimon with the top open wide before she reached back into the flowery bag. “Palmon and I have one more gift for you, Kyoumon, but you’ve got to close your eyes first.”

Kyoumon held the camera to his face and pressed the button, before quickly turning the camera over to see the results. The puppet giggled before he realized Mimi had spoken to him. “Huh? Close Kyoumon’s eyes?”

“It’s a secret~!” Mimi said, with a wink.

Kyoumon paused before he set the camera down, attaching it to his tail with the little wrist strap on the device, then reached up to cover his eyes with both paws. “Like this?”

“Right!” Mimi said. “Now hold still and no peeking until I tell you to look, got it?”

“Kyoumon got it!” Kyoumon chirped.

The plush Digimon squeaked as he felt something being done to him, a brush of fabric against his neck. Still, he kept his eyes firmly covered until Mimi gave him the word.

“Okay~!” Mimi said, happily. “You can look now!”

Kyoumon opened his eyes before glancing down to see what Mimi had done. Rainbow immediately caught the Digimon’s attention, making Kyoumon pause. A sparkling, rainbow scarf wrapped around his neck before trailing behind him, glistening in the sun.

“S… so pretty…” Kyoumon whispered, his eyes as big as saucers as they sparkled alongside the scarf.

Mimi beamed at the awed reaction. “Palmon and I thought that since this place is so dark and gloomy you could use some color to brighten your days.”

Kyoumon turned to stare at Mimi. “S-so the pretty color is for Kyoumon?”

“Yep!” Mimi said. “This scarf is all yours now, Kyoumon!”

Kyoumon’s face lit up before he let out a happy squeal, lunging to hug Mimi. “Thank you, thank you~! Kyoumon loves his pretty colors!”

Mimi giggled as she returned the hug. “I’m glad! Palmon and I shopped around all morning looking for only the most perfect gift for you.”

“Right!” Palmon said as she clapped her hands together. “Mimi has the best fashion taste in Japan _and_ America!”

“Kyoumon’s so happy~!” Kyoumon said before he leaned back, brightly smiling at Mimi. “Kyoumon used to have lots of colors, but they’re all gone… so Mimi gave Kyoumon back his color!”

Mimi blinked. “Used to?”

“Oh, yes!” Kyoumon said, with a nod, before he gestured at himself. “Here, and here, and here, and aaaaaall over! It was all color before I got _stained_.”

Mimi felt a chill send a shiver up her spine. “Stained?”

“Uh huh,” Kyoumon said with a sigh before he smiled again. “But now Kyoumon has color again, thanks to Mimi! Mimi is so kind, just like K-chan~!”

After a moment’s hesitation, Mimi nodded, trying to relax despite the disturbing news. “Kyoumon, do you have any stories you can share about K-chan? We’re all really curious to hear about what he was like before.”

“K-chan is K-chan. He hasn’t changed,” Kyoumon said with a blink before he paused. “Thoooough K-chan _does_ yell a lot more, and gets angry really quickly, and sometimes freaks out before he breaks out crying for no reason.” He paused to let out a thoughtful hum before he smiled brightly. “But other than that, nothing’s changed at all~!”

Mimi blinked, startled. “Crying?”

“Yyyyeah, and it gets _really_ awkward for Kyoumon,” Kyoumon said as he crossed his arms, giving a small nod. He then brightened. “But K-chan still brings Kyoumon gifts, even if he doesn’t do it himself!”

“Gifts?” Palmon repeated.

Kyoumon nodded before he hopped away from the humans, taking off quickly. “Right, right! Come see, come see!”

After pausing to put the rest of the cookies away in her flower patterned bag, Mimi hurried after Kyoumon with Palmon right by her side the entire way through the dark and somber ancient battlefield.

Eventually, they arrived at a small building, one of the few that still had a roof. Kyoumon gestured inside before disappearing through the doorway. Mimi hesitated before she followed, uncertain of what she’d find.

Mimi was immediately greeted by a small, makeshift room. There was a bed covered in pillows and blankets, a small table with little tiny chairs, and even a sofa. But more importantly, the entire left side of the wall was filled with food - mostly preserved. There was a wide assortment of cans and jars, and even boxes of crackers and other types of food not meant to go bad if left unrefrigerated. Overall, it was enough to feed an army for a week - or one Digimon.

“See, see?” Kyoumon chirped. “K-chan gave Kyoumon all this! And he gives more every week, too!”

“Wow…,” Mimi murmured as she took in the entirety of the room. “K-chan gave you _all_ of this?”

“Yep, yep!” Kyoumon said, brightly. “Though he mostly has it delivered now.”

“Delivered by who?” Mimi asked.

“Sometimes FlaWizarmon and Witchmon, sometimes some creepy Digimon,” Kyoumon said. “Kyoumon doesn’t like the creepy Digimon. They never talk, they just stare at Kyoumon with blank eyes.”

Palmon glanced up at Mimi. “It must be a controlled Digimon.”

Mimi shuddered. “I’m glad he hasn’t tried to control Kyoumon like that too.”

Kyoumon blinked. “Controlled?”

“D-don’t worry about it,” Palmon said as she raised her hands and waved them dismissively. She then turned to Mimi, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I don’t think Kyoumon’d understand…”

Brow pinched, Mimi nodded. It was obvious to anyone how damaged Kyoumon’s mind was, and if what he told her about being stained meant what she feared it did, the colorless Digimon was in far worse straits than anyone had realized.

All she could do was keep him company and wait for the Digimental of Darkness to finish purging the land - and with it, perhaps the same taint that had infected Kyoumon. It was all that she could hope for.

 

\---

 

The sounds of battle echoed through the stone walls of Baihumon’s fortress. A large gathering of Digimon battled with each other within the massive foyer, surrounded by high walls filled with spectators. The battling itself was nothing new, and not the cause of the large crowd who sat about gawking. Instead, it was the new arrivals currently mingling with those fighting far below - the Digimon partners of the Chosen Children.

“Cat Punch!” Tailmon lunged forward to slam her fist into the sword of a Knightmon, who braced his weapon with both hands as he attempted to hold his ground.

 “Air Shot!” Patamon shouted as he unleashed a powerful gust of air towards a Goblimon, sending the green Digimon skidding back.

“Petit Thunder!” Tentomon called out as electricity danced off his wings before rushing towards his own opponent, an Elecmon.

“Surfer Dive!” Gomamon said, his words punctuating his attack as he lunged to bodyslam a Gizamon, smashing the hairy toad-like Digimon into the ground.

Most of the Chosen Children were at the fortress, with notable exceptions. As Takeru, Koshiro, Hikari, Daisuke, and Jou trained their partners, the partnerless Miyako, Sora, Yamato, and Taichi sat on the sidelines as spectators. Even Iori was present, with his partner in his lap as he watched the training rather than participate himself.

Ken and Mimi were nowhere to be seen.

“Everyone’s trying their best, aren’t they?” Sora asked as she sat on the sidelines, resting on the edge of the steps of a building.

“I gotta admit, it feels really strange watching them fight Digimon that aren’t our enemy - or being controlled,” Yamato said as he crossed his arms, leaning against the stairwell as he stood off to the side.

“Not to mention having to stand by and watch,” Taichi said as he sat beside Sora, resting his elbows on his knees. “I just feel even more useless than before.”

Sora nodded before she looked down at her hands as they rested on her lap, fingers laced together. She couldn’t help but feel left out, especially with Piyomon still in the clutches of the Digimon Kaiser. Even worse, the knowledge that the corrupt Chosen was probably doing ‘training’ of his own made her heart hurt.

Iori sat on the other end of the long steps, watching the Digimon as they sparred in the foyer. In his lap, Fufumon hopped around excitedly as he cheered for the participants, clearly enjoying himself. The Chosen of Honor looked down at his partner in silence for several moments before lifting his gaze. “I suppose it’d cause too much confusion if I attempted to train.”

Fufumon peered up with Iori with wide, innocent eyes. “You could train with _me_ , I-o-ri!”

Iori faltered, unable to respond immediately. After several moments of awkward silence, he furrowed his brow as he lowered his head. “It’s fine.”

Miyako watched Iori out of the corner of her eyes before returning her gaze to the practicing Digimon. It was going to take time to get Iori to fully accept his partner, but at least the most important step had been made - actually allowing the Digimon into his life. It was something that she was desperately looking forward to when her own partner was returned to her.

“Is it really okay to leave Mimi all by herself, especially with _him_?” Jou asked as he glanced at the other Chosen. “We really can’t forget that Kyoumon originally _attacked_ us...”

“She said she’ll call us if she needs help,” Yamato said with a small shrug. “Plus she has Palmon and can gate out if she needs to. She’s been visiting him a lot and hasn’t had any problems so far.”

“I have my laptop on, and my D-Terminal,” Koshiro said. “If we need to, we can go there straight away to help her.”

“She doesn’t want to train, and we shouldn’t make her,” Sora said as she continued to look down at her hands. “It’s fine if she doesn’t want to.” After all, it had been Mimi who had lost her will to fight during the final stretch of their first adventure, demoralized by all the death and violence they had faced. The Chosen of Purity had instead ventured off on her own to gather her thoughts, before returning to the final battle against the Dark Masters with a reinforcements - friends who wanted to help.

Mimi was the heart and soul of their group, and she had done an amazing job with handling the burden of fighting for so long. But as months stretched on, even she had her limits. Sora knew that it was better not to push her, and let her deal with things on her own terms.

V-mon lunged forward, slamming his fist into the stomach of the Veggiemon that acted as his opponent. A loud ‘oof’ came from the plant Digimon, who fell backwards as his tentacle arms flailed about. V-mon crouched as he watched his opponent fall down before he straightened up and turned to grin at Daisuke as his partner stood nearby, watching. “Daisuke~!”

“You’re doing great, V-mon!” Daisuke called as he pumped his fists. “Keep going, and you’ll be stronger in no time!”

“Yeah!” V-mon agreed, raising his fists to mimic Daisuke.

“Why are you not evolving your partner?” a mature, female voice came from behind Daisuke.

Daisuke blinked before he turned, then gave a start as he found himself staring at the stomach of a Digimon. Stepping back, his eyes moved upwards until he found the face of the large rabbit Digimon from before, who had been staring down at them when the Chosen had first met Baihumon. Andiramon twitched her ears as she looked down at Daisuke with her red eyes.

“Huh?” Daisuke blinked slowly.

“Your partner,” Andiramon said. “Why do you not evolve him?” At Daisuke’s stunned expression, the rabbit continued. “The Chosen Children possess the ability to help their partners easily evolve, which is something that normally only happens after immense effort. This allows them to achieve far more strength and new forms that are not available to other Digimon.”

Iori paused and glanced over to the rabbit Digimon, his expression going neutral.

“I’d like to evolve V-mon to FlaDramon,” Daisuke said as he slid one hand behind his neck, “but we gotta keep our Digimentals charged in case we need them, you know? With that kaiju sized monster Tiny T… the Kaiser’s got cooking, we gotta be ready for a fight all the time, right?”

Andiramon blinked her red eyes slowly. “Then do not evolve with a Digimental.”

“Well, we’d like to, but the Dark Towers-” Jou began, pointing his finger skyward.

“There are no Dark Towers in Baihumon’s territory,” Andiramon said.

Takeru paused at that, turning away from watching Patamon’s fight, and stared at Andiramon. “Huh?”

“There are no Dark Towers in Baihumon’s territory,” Andiramon repeated, turning to look at Takeru before returning her gaze to Daisuke.

Takeru opened his mouth before he closed it. After several long moments, he let out a soft chuckle and shook his head ruefully. “I guess we’re so used to expecting them to be around that we... just assumed?”

Tailmon glanced to Hikari as she flicked her ears before turning to face her opponent. “I think I’ll stay as an Adult, but the rest of you should evolve.” While she might get more power out of her Complete evolution, she didn’t want to risk _killing_ her opponent. As it was, she was giving Knightmon a real workout.

Takeru nodded before he turned to Patamon, pulling out his Digivice. “Ready?”

“Ready!” Patamon chirped.

Jou adjusted his glasses as he turned to face his own partner. “Gomamon?”

“You got it,” Gomamon said, with a grin.

“Koshiro, I am ready when you are,” Tentomon said as he hovered around Koshiro.

“Let’s do it,” Koshiro agreed, drawing out his own Digivice.

V-mon turned to stare as the three Digimon began to glow, the light of evolution engulfing them. Before his very eyes, Patamon was replaced with his angelic Angemon form, Gomamon became the much larger, muscular Ikkakumon, and Tentomon transformed into his Kabuterimon form. V-mon frowned before he lowered his arms, looking down at them as he suddenly fell all too aware that was still a Child. “I…”

Daisuke looked over the other Digimon and their Chosen Children in silent contemplation before he turned to his partner. “Looks like there’s nothing to it but to do it. Ready to try out a normal evolution, V-mon?”

“I… I’ll do my best, Daisuke!” V-mon said as he raised his fists, trying to sound more confident than he felt. He couldn’t help but remember how badly he humiliated himself the _last_ time he tried to evolve to Adult.

V-mon braced himself as Daisuke lifted his Digivice. Even though V-mon dreaded the worst, he was soon surprised as the light of evolution engulfed him as well. Within moments, the small blue dragon Digimon was replaced with a much taller, muscular blue dragon - with a pair of white wings on his back, a bladed horn on his large snout, and twin spines on his knuckles. A gray X marking rested on his chest, overtop his white underside. “XV-mon!”

Daisuke’s eyes grew wide upon seeing his partner’s evolution. For a moment, he could only stare, but then he was quaking with pent up energy that exploded into a gleeful shout. “This is _awesome!_ ”

“I did it, Daisuke!” XV-mon said, his voice far more adult than it had been as his previous evolution. He grinned, reaching up his arms to flex his muscles.

“Damn straight!” Daisuke agreed as he ran to grab on to his Digimon’s bicep, who effortlessly lifted the Chosen of Tenacity into the air with just his arm. “You’re totally badass, XV-mon!”

“You know it!” XV-mon said, with a triumphant grin.

“Congrats, Daisuke, XV-mon,” Takeru said with a smile, watching as the two celebrated the next step in their relationship. He still remembered how special it had been when his own partner finally evolved, after so long of a wait.

Of course, his partner had then proceeded to die in front of him against their opponent.

Takeru’s smile became strained before he shook his head, dispelling the bad thoughts. He wasn’t going to let it ruin the happy mood, especially not with Angemon alive and well beside him.

Andiramon watched the Chosen, her expression curious, before she turned her attention to Daisuke and XV-mon. “It’s true. You really do have an enormous potential… an incredible power within you. Other Digimon have to work hard for years to achieve evolution.”

Tailmon flicked her ears, crossing her arms. She remembered how hard she had to work in order to obtain her current form, as well as all the suffering she endured under Vamdemon. It was also the reason why she was able to maintain the form, when everyone else reverted to their Child forms. “It’s still a good idea to train so that we can use our own power to evolve. We’ll be able to become even _stronger_ when our partners help us.”

“Yeah, that’s a good point,” Yamato said as he straightened up. “Sometimes, that extra push makes all the difference. It’d be great if we didn’t have to cut each fight so close.”

Daisuke barely noticed the conversation going on as he examined XV-mon from all angles eagerly. “You look so cool! You’re even more dragony than before, and you’ve got wings! Can you fly now, XV-mon?”

“As high as I want!” XV-mon replied as he fanned his wings wide. “I feel like I could take on _anyone_!”

“Then do it,” Andiramon said as she drew closer to XV-mon. She stopped when he turned to stare at her in confusion. “Let us fight.”

“Huh?” Daisuke asked, blinking at the rabbit.

“Wait,” Koshiro said. In his hand he used his Digivice to scan each new Digimon they came across during their training. “You’re a Complete, aren’t you? VX-mon just evolved to Adult, so your strength levels won’t match up.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Andiramon said. “He will be able to use his full strength without worrying about my safety.”

XV-mon frowned. “I don’t mind, but just who are you, anyway?”

“I am Andiramon,” the rabbit Digimon replied. “One of the twelve Deva who serve the Holy Beasts in their mission to protect this world. In particular, I am...” She paused and her ears canted back slightly, though her expression remained neutral. “...I was a Deva of Qinglongmon.”

“Qinglongmon,” Takeru repeated slowly before his eyes widened. “You mean the one-”

“Yes,” Andiramon said. “The Holy Beast killed by the Digimon Kaiser.”

Yamato frowned before he glanced at Taichi. After a moment, he returned his attention to the rabbit Digimon. “So, why do you want to train with him? What’s that got to do with XV-mon?”

“I want to see your strength for myself,” Andiramon said. “I want to see the strength that Qinglongmon believed in. When the Digimon Kaiser’s army came for him, he sent my comrades and I away, with the bulk for his army… telling us to hold our faith in the Chosen Children while he faced the Digimon Kaiser.” Her ears twitched back slightly. “Lord Qinglongmon is now dead. I want to see why he would make that choice.”

XV-mon stared at the rabbit Digimon before turning to his partner. “Daisuke?”

Daisuke rubbed the back of his head before looking back at XV-mon. “It’s okay with me if it’s okay with you. It’s not like we’re fighting to the death or anything here, right?”

“Correct,” Andiramon said.

“Then let’s do it!” XV-mon said as he clenched his fists. “I won’t hold back!”

“Good,” Andiramon  replied before she crouched into position, spreading her large arms and ears.

Lounging in the mammoth gateway of the temple, Baihumon watched as XV-mon lunged at Andiramon, who blocked the blow with both of her arms, bringing her fists up as she pressed her forearms together as a shield. The massive tiger kept his eyes locked on the fight, his gaze never straying - not even to glance at the three Digimon who approached him from within the shadows. It was the dog, rooster, and monkey Digimon who had been watching the Chosen when they first arrived, along with Andiramon.

“Speak your mind,” Baihumon said. “It is unlike you to be silent, Caturamon.”

The dog Digimon paused before he cleared his throat. “It is as you say, Lord Baihumon.”

“I see that Sinduramon and Makuramon are with you,” Baihumon said. “Have you no interest in training with the Chosen Children?”

“There’s no point,” the monkey Digimon said, with a flippant wave of his hand. “It’s a waste of time! They’re obviously inferior to us. There’s no way we can depend on them to protect the world.”

“Makuramon is correct,” Caturamon said. “As they are now, none of the have the power necessary to fight the Digimon Kaiser, let alone Zeed Millenniumon.”

“It is true that they have allowed their strength to stagnate,” Baihumon agreed. “As is typical in time of peace. At least now they are making efforts to change that.”

“We don’t have time for that!” the rooster, Sinduramon, squawked as he placed his wings on his round sides where his hips theoretically would be. “We’re not going to wait here, twiddling our wings while the Digimon Kaiser does whatever he wants!”

“So you mean to go assist the coward,” Baihumon said, with a flick of his ear.

“There is no question that Lord Xuanwumon will be the next target,” Caturamon said. “We must go assist the others in protecting him.”

“If that is your desire, I will not stop you,” Baihumon said. “You know as much.”

Caturamon frowned before he looked at Makuramon and Sinduramon. After a moment, he returned his attention to the massive tiger Digimon. “This is a time of crisis. Lord Qinglongmon is dead, and Lord Xuanwumon is next. We should band together to stand firm against our enemies, especially if the Digimon Kaiser is-”

“If the Digimon Kaiser is who we think he is, then this war is nothing more than a consequence of our actions,” Baihumon said, with a snort and a mighty snap of his tail. “And that coward should face it for himself, rather than hiding behind others as he has always done.”

“Obviously, that hasn’t worked out well, given Lord Qinglongmon’s dead,” Makuramon said with a shrug of his shoulder.

There was a weighty silence as Baihumon watched several more blows before he answered in a voice that rumbled low like distant thunder. “If the Digimon Kaiser is who we think he is, then Qinglongmon realized it the moment he cast eyes upon the boy.”

“And because he knew the truth, the Digimon Kaiser murdered-” Sinduramon began, puffing up furiously.

“No,” Baihumon said, firmly. “Qinglongmon would have laid down and died like the worm he was, possibly hoping his death would satisfy the boy and spare the others his wrath.” Finally he turned to look at his three Devas. “Know this - if you mean to fight, then do so. But do not forget that we all must pay for our actions. Stand by your convictions, and you will never die with regret. Sacrifice your convictions for _any_ reason, and you are _nothing_ \- not even worth the code that makes up your very bones.”

“Like Lord Qinglongmon?” Caturamon asked.

Baihumon turned his attention back to the courtyard, his eyes once more on Andiramon as she and XV-mon fought with great energy, with the rabbit Digimon lashing out to strike at the dragon only for the Chosen Digimon to take to the air to dodge. “There are no exceptions.”

With that, Baihumon said no more to his Devas and returned to watching the mock battle. He didn’t acknowledge his subordinates as they bowed to him before they left his presence and disappeared into the shadows once more.

It was long after they left before Baihumon let out a low, rumbling growl.

“We all must pay for our actions… one way or another.”

 

\---

 

Ken quietly leaned against the wall, his head bowed in thought. He paid no attention to the people as they walked by, focused instead on the turmoil inside of him. His thoughts were a total mess ever since the Chosen had surprised him at his fortress.

While it had initially baffled Ken, he eventually realized what had happened. Koshiro had figured out how to access the deeper code of the Digital World, and worked out a way to use it for his benefit. That fact alone made Ken want to curse, as he was certain it was entirely due to his own comments. They had meant to be nothing more than empty encouragement, something to keep Koshiro busy. Instead, the Chosen of Knowledge had used it to make an enormous breakthrough in his code.

The most frustrating part of it all was that Ken couldn’t block it - they were on an even playing field.

“There’s no deeper code to override his,” Ken muttered. “And there’s no way to put restrictions on it that he can’t just remove…”

He really had only two options at the moment - either avoid going to the Digital World or go only when he knew the Chosen wouldn’t be monitoring it. The first option was straight out, as he couldn’t abandon his plans over something like this. So, it meant that while the other Chosen Children were sleeping peacefully in their beds, Ken was working extra hours in the Digital World.

His schedule was _already_ a complete disaster, but he at least was able to sleep at night. With the new developments, he wasn’t even going to have _that_ luxury.

“What a pain…” Ken grumbled.

Unfortunately, the situation wasn’t the only one heavily preying on his mind.

Ken glanced up and over to the ice cream shop, where Daisuke eagerly waited in line to order for the both of them. As the corrupt Chosen stared at Daisuke, he felt his insides clench. The way Daisuke had acted towards him - and to _Wormmon_ \- had annoyed him far more than it should have. More than that, he had felt pained - betrayed.

“It’s so stupid,” Ken thought as he furrowed his brow. “Of course he would’ve acted like that. He despises the Digimon Kaiser, and there’s no way he’d know he was talking trash about Wormmon.” And yet he couldn’t deny that, as Daisuke had taunted him, he felt far more upset than he had any right to.

_“Well, if ya feel that strongly about it,” FlaWizarmon had joked back at the fortress, with an easygoing smile as he laced his fingers behind his head. “You could always just try and talk to him~!”_

Ken knew FlaWizarmon was being facetious, but the words still stuck with him. They reminded him of Wormmon, who had encouraged him along the same lines as well. He had dismissed the suggestion completely, but after what had happened, it wouldn’t go away quite so easily this time.

“He won’t listen, none of them will,” Ken thought, with a shake of his head.

_They’re all so childish, and would never understand._

“They just can’t think outside of their own tiny worldview,” Ken muttered.

_That’s why they’re insects. They could never compare to a genius._

Ken paused before he furrowed his brow. “Though Senpai did manage to figure things out once I pointed him in the right direction.”

_He may have been underestimated, but the others just stand around and gawk with stupid looks on their faces. Besides, he probably got help from that stupid chatroom. The odds of him actually understanding what he’s done are very low._

“Maybe,” Ken muttered before he closed his eyes. “Still, maybe if I… try, maybe Daisuke’d listen… maybe he’d understand it too.”

_He’s an idiot._

“He is,” Ken agreed, before he opened his eyes. “But maybe… if I point _him_ in the right direction, he’d...”

The sudden sound of Daisuke’s cheerful voice pierced through Ken’s turbulent thoughts and brought his attention to the goggle boy, who came rushing over with an ice cream cone in each hand.

“Sorry it took so long,” Daisuke said as he handed over Ken’s ice cream. “I swear, that lady in front of me asked them to remake her sundae like five times.”

Ken stared at Daisuke before his cheeks took a faint blush, accepting his ice cream. He hadn’t even noticed Daisuke return; it was a little embarrassing. “Ah, yes… that… people can be so self-absorbed sometimes.”

“I know, right?” Daisuke said before taking a bite of his ice cream.

Ken looked down at his ice cream for a moment before he glanced at Daisuke. “So, how is… everything? You know, after what happened...”

“Hmm?” Daisuke blinked. “Oh, right, you totally missed out on seeing us owning the Digimon Kaiser.”

Ken paused at that and quickly looked down at his ice cream, hoping he wasn’t making the face he _felt_ like making. “Oh, yes. Miyako told me all about that.” He paused to take a bite out of his ice cream as he considered his next words before he turned to Daisuke again. “But I meant more… at home.”

The gleeful grin on Daisuke’s face froze before melting away into a far more hesitant, crooked smile. “It’s actually been better than they’ve ever been. My parents are actually on my side for a change, and Jun’s been leaving me alone. The only thing that could top how things are going now is if they knew about Digimon and were cool with it like our Senpai’s parents are.”

Ken blinked before he smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

A pregnant silence hung in the air between the two boys as they ate their ice cream. Daisuke kept his eyes lowered, eating much slower than usual. After watching a trickle of melted ice cream dribble onto his fingers, he finally glanced back up at Ken. “Hey, uh… Ken… We’re… we’re best friends now, right?”

Ken gave a start and turned to stare at Daisuke. After several moments, his face turned red as he looked down at his ice cream. “...I…”

_What a stupid question. It’s like he doesn’t even realize he’s being tricked._

Ken closed his eyes as seconds ticked by, before he turned to look at Daisuke. “Daisuke, it’s been a long time since I’ve… ever felt this close to anyone.”

_Not since Keiko and Ryo, and that turned out so **well** , didn’t it?_

Ken tensed slightly, hoping Daisuke wouldn’t see him flinch, and instead returned his stare to his ice cream. “Do you… feel the same?”

Daisuke nodded. “Yeah. I mean… Hikari-chan is the best, but there’s some things, uh…” He paused for a moment and hastily sucked the dripping ice cream off his fingers. “Well… you know. There’s some things guys can’t tell girls, and well, I mean… if I told you a secret, you’d promise not to tell anyone, right? And I mean not _anyone_ , not even Hikari-chan?”

Ken nodded, finding the line of questioning odd but nothing he wouldn’t willingly agree to. “Absolutely, Daisuke.”

Daisuke nodded vigorously, his expression resolute. “And you wouldn’t think I was the worst person ever if I told you something kinda bad about myself, right?”

“Of course not,” Ken said, with a blink.

_No one could be worse than **me**._

Ken felt his cheek twitch but instead brushed the stray thought aside. “I could never think that way about you, Daisuke.”

Warmth flooded Daisuke’s cheeks as he looked away. “O-okay, I’ll hold you to that. So, uh… yeah, what I wanna tell you, if anyone finds out… they’ll probably hate me, so you promise not to tell?”

Ken furrowed his brow, growing concerned both by Daisuke’s behavior and his words. “I promise.”

Daisuke stared at Ken for a long time until he felt convinced of the other boy’s sincerity. “Okay… so… about Jun and all that stuff about her, and my parents freaking out over feeling bad for her… I should feel bad too, right? I mean, she’s my sister, and I’m supposed to not want bad stuff to happen to her even if she’s a jerk since that’s not what good guys do, you know?” His eyes dropped to the ground. “Just… all I can think about is it serves her right, and it serves my mom and dad right that they finally feel bad about this kind of stuff after all the times they blew me off.”

Ken stared at Daisuke in silence for several moments, his gawking stare making the goggle-boy squirm. Just when it seemed like Daisuke was about to regret speaking up, the boy genius let out an undignified nose snort as he covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh,” Ken said, relief flooding his face. “But it’s just… with all that build-up, I was expecting something a lot more… _substantial._ ”

Daisuke blinked and stared blankly at Ken, too startled by the other boy’s reaction to know what to think. “You… don’t think I’m a jerk for thinking that?”

Ken shook his head. “Daisuke, it is _perfectly natural_ to feel that way. You were being _abused_ by her. Your feelings are _completely_ justified.” His expression grew dark. “Being family doesn’t excuse her behavior. If anything, being family means she should be held to a higher standard.”

Daisuke shifted his ice cream cone from a sticky hand to the other and used the excuse of taking a bite to give him time to think of what to say. “You… you really don’t think I’m the worst for thinking that way? Good guys aren’t supposed to be like that… They always forgive everyone no matter what or people hate them. I mean… Senpai got so mad when I said something bad about Jun just once.”

“Good guys are often written by people who’ve never experienced the kind of abuse you have, or that many people have,” Ken said, his tone low. “So they’d have no idea, and would never even consider what it’s like…”

“I-I wouldn’t call it _abuse_ exactly…,” Daisuke muttered, shifting in place.

“I would,” Ken said, sharply. “And did.”

“But abuse is like your dad beating you with a beer bottle or something,” Daisuke said. “Or… or worse.”

Ken turned to Daisuke. “Daisuke, if Jun was my sister and did those things to me, would you still think that?”

Daisuke jerked. “What? No way that’d happen. You took her out so easy yesterday, and you’re so smart it’d take ten of her to be even _close_. She’d be sucking up to you all day everyday.”

Ken paused before he chuckled. “Alright, that was a bad example. Well, what if she was Hikari’s sibling? Instead of Taichi-senpai.”

The cone crunched in Daisuke’s suddenly trembling fist, but he barely noticed the ice cream that splattered onto his shoes. “If Jun was Hikari-chan’s sister…” He couldn’t finish, his voice rough and shaking as many awful memories with Jun flashed through his mind.

“You see?” Ken said, softly. “You’d never think it was okay if it was happening to someone else, so don’t think for a second that it’s okay for _you_ to go through it.”

Daisuke grimaced before focusing on the mess in his hand. He fumbled to grab a handkerchief from his pocket to clean some of it up. “Yeah, but… I’m a _guy_. Guys have to fight their own battles and are supposed to be tougher than girls.”

“That line of thought is precisely why she was able to get away with so much for so long,” Ken said, with a scowl.

“I guess…,” Daisuke muttered as he focused on ineffectively scrubbing his hand. “Sometimes I think if I was a girl instead, I would’ve had an easier time handling Jun, since I could scratch at her, pull her hair, and actually fight back without getting into too much trouble like girls do… or maybe if Jun had been a guy instead we could beat each other all day and no one would care or assume I’m shit for punching back.”

“I can understand that,” Ken said with a sigh before he turned to smile at Daisuke. “But there are a lot of expectations, for both boys and girls. They’re just different… but they’re no less hurtful. _Especially_ when you’re the victim of bullying like this.”

Daisuke nodded slightly. “Yeah, if there’s one thing Jun is good at, it’s being a bully.” His gaze went somewhere in the distance without seeing his surroundings. “And, you know, she’s done worse stuff to kids she’s hated, like _really_ bad stuff.” He closed his eyes. “She’s bragged about it sometimes when she knows if I tell anyone, she’ll get me back ten times worse, so it’s like…”

After a moment’s hesitation, Daisuke grimaced and looked sideways at Ken. “Sometimes I think if she had a Digimon like us, she’d team up with the Digimon Kaiser then stab him in the back and torture Digimon for fun instead of because of evil mind control. It’s the real reason why I haven’t let anyone find out about Chibimon.” He paused. “Well, that, and she’d do awful things to Chibimon like she did to our cat. Everyone in my house thinks our cat ran away, but I had Hikari-chan find someone to take care of her.”

Ken felt the icy cold grip of anger flood his heart at the very image. “...Some people are just… too awful.”

Daisuke nodded, his expression somber. “Yeah… That’s why the Digimon Kaiser really bugged me so much.” He let out a quiet huff of air. “Though I guess I really shouldn’t be giving him a hard time, should I? His friends all died or got captured, and he’s being controlled, so he’s not really like Jun; he’s not himself. I mean, there’s no way in hell someone like _Jun_ could ever be _Kindness_ , you know? So I guess I should stop thinking of him as being someone who thinks they can get away with hurting everyone just because he can, like Jun or just the usual bad guy like in games in anime.”

Ken stared at Daisuke, stunned by the boy’s words.

Daisuke stuffed his dirty handkerchief into his pocket and let out a sheepish laugh. “It’s funny… I actually feel kinda bad for making fun of him now. I mean… I guess it’s sort of like how I thought Miyako hated me and wanted to get me in trouble all the time, then I found out she wasn’t really like that; I still feel pretty guilty for it.” He rubbed his nose. “I guess I just got carried away after hearing he got dressed up like a princess.”

Ken felt a surge of happiness at Daisuke’s words. It was as close to an apology as he was going to get, and he was more than thrilled to get it. “Daisuke…”

A small huff of humorless laughter escaped Daisuke. “It’s funny… I feel worse for making fun of the Digimon Kaiser than I do for my own sister getting her life wrecked.” He turned his anxious eyes back to Ken. “You’re _sure_ that doesn’t make me a bad person?”

“I’m absolutely certain,” Ken said, firmly. “What happened to her was her own making.”

“You really think so?” Daisuke asked tentatively.

“Absolutely,” Ken said with a nod.

Daisuke leaned back against the bench with a sigh, letting the tension seep from his muscles. “Thanks, Ken. I think I really needed to hear that.”

Ken smiled at Daisuke before he looked away. His smile faltered as he furrowed his brow.  The words of the Chosen of Tenacity weighed on him, prodding him. More than that, it gave him hope. If Daisuke was telling the truth, then maybe he actually _would_ listen. And given Daisuke had just bared his soul to him, it truly felt like this was Ken’s opportunity - and his only chance. “...Um...”

Daisuke clapped his hand on Ken’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Thanks a lot for cheering me up. You’re a great friend, Ken.”

“Eh? Ah,” Ken’s face turned red as he shifted his weight between his feet, fidgeting. “Y-you’re welcome… Daisuke.” Inside his head, he was screaming at himself not to lose his nerve, not to let this opportunity go. And yet, even as he tried to reason with himself, a large part of him couldn’t deny that he was afraid - afraid to see how Daisuke’d react.

_There’s no reason to believe his show of ‘compassion’ won’t end the moment he knows. It’s all well and good to talk about it, but putting it into action is another thing._

“It’s true, but…” Ken murmured.

_Besides, they’ll realize that you’ve been spying this whole time. That’s considerably different than what Miyako supposedly did._

Ken grimaced at the reminder. He couldn’t deny that his entire situation had come from an attempt to spy on the Chosen. The very idea that he’d then expose himself seemed completely counter-productive. It’d not only end his mission, but they could very well want to cut all ties to him. The very thought made him sick to his stomach.

 “What’d you say?” Daisuke asked, blinking as he leaned in closer to Ken.

Ken jerked as his eyes widened, staring at Daisuke. “Ah?!” Realizing what had happened, the corrupt Chosen turned a dark shade of red. He must have spoken out loud, drawing the boy’s attention to his turmoil. “Oh, um…”

Confusion colored Daisuke’s face as he noticed the expression Ken wore. “Hey, is everything okay? I didn’t say anything weird, did I?”

“N-n-no, I…,” Ken trailed off for a moment before he stiffened. “Um, Daisuke… I…”

_The sound of screeching tires pierced Ken’s head._

_Suddenly, Ken was no longer standing to the side of a walkway with a friend who he was spying on, but sprawled across an old familiar sidewalk that he hadn’t walked on in years. He could feel the bruising in his muscles, the thrum of ache from his bones being rattled after he was jarred once by his brother, then the second much greater one that he felt resonate through Osamu’s body as it took the brunt of the impact._

_He felt lightheaded, scratched up by concrete, but he knew the coat of blood seeping into the once crisp gray uniform that perfectly fit his eight-year-old body wasn’t his. He could barely hear Osamu speaking weakly to him, his voice choking on fluid as he couldn’t even see his brother’s eyes through the cracks and smears of red on what was once a pristine pair of glasses._

_“Are… are you... okay… K-Ken?”_

“Ken?”

A hand shaking him firmly by the shoulder snapped Ken back to the present, bringing his wild black-speckled gray eyes to focus on Daisuke’s worried face. “D… Dai…”

“Are you okay?” Daisuke repeated.

Ken trembled as he felt his head spin, his blood going cold. He noticed that he had dropped his ice cream, though he couldn’t bring himself to even care. Instead, he focused on Daisuke in front of him. “W… what...?”

“You looked like someone just died or something,” Daisuke said. “What happened?”

Ken felt his stomach churn, and he quickly brought his hand up to cover his mouth. “H-hrgh…”

“Oh, oh crap,” Daisuke muttered as he looked around wildly before pointing down the path. “Um, there’s a bathroom down that way!”

Ken shook his head as he waved off Daisuke’s concern. “I-I’m fine, I’m fine… i-it’s passing…”

“You sure?” Daisuke asked. “Do you need me to get you something?”

“N-no, it’s… okay,” Ken said as he straightened up. He gave the concerned goggle boy a weak smile. “It was just... “ He trailed off for a moment as he faltered for an explanation, before he blurted out the first thing he could think of.  “...Brainfreeze.”

Daisuke blinked. “Brainfreeze? You looked like you were going to toss your cookies or something.”

“Ah, well,” Ken faltered before he offered a small smile. “W-we all react in different ways, I suppose?”

“I… I guess,” Daisuke muttered, uncertain. “You sure you don’t need anything? Maybe something to drink?”

Ken hesitated before he glanced down. “I… I suppose a drink would be good.”

“R-right!” Daisuke said with a nod before he turned sharply on his heels. “I’ll be right back!”

Ken watched as Daisuke ran off before he looked down at his feet, where he had dropped his ruined ice cream. He stared at it for several moments before he closed his eyes. “It’s fine… I don’t need his help. I don’t need help from _any_ of them.”

He would go it alone, it was the best for everyone. With his plans, there was no way Ken would lose. With FlaWizarmon, Witchmon, and his brilliance, he would finish the war and make the Digital World submit to his will - make it safe for everyone.

_He wasn’t going to get anyone else killed._


	36. Chapter Thirty Five

Blue skies were the first thing to greet the Chosen Children when they appeared through the Digital Gate. While it would’ve been just an average scene for any other location, such a sight at the Battlefield Memorial was reason enough for the children to pause and stare upwards. The sight was so startling that it even distracted them from their sudden costume change, though it was nothing new by that point - beyond Miyako’s inexplicable police woman attire.

“Wasn’t it _gray_ the last time we were here?” Takeru asked. “Like it was about to rain, but never did?”

“Yeah, it was!” Palmon said, her eyes wide. She lifted her arms, gesturing towards the sky. “Gray and gross, and really dreary!”

Hikari felt a surge of hope and peace at the sight of the clear blue sky. “It’s working.”

Tailmon turned to glance at her partner, a smile appearing on her face. “You’re right.”

“Koshiro, we should check the marker.” Tentomon said as he hovered over his partner.

“You’re right!” Koshiro said as he turned and quickly darted away from the group, the insect Digimon following after him.

“Marker?” Yamato repeated as he quirked an eyebrow before he glanced to Taichi, who shrugged.

Mimi fairly beamed at her friends. “It’s been changing slowly each time I visit, but this is the first time the sky was clear.”

“ _Miiiiiimiiiiii_ ~!”

The sound of the Chosen of Purity’s name was all the warning she got before a little bundle of gray fluff pounced on her. Kyoumon latched on to Mimi’s arm, smiling brightly as he proudly wore his rainbow-colored scarf, which glistened with each movement as it fluttered behind him like a cape. “Mimi, you came to visit Kyoumon again! And you brought Keiko!”

Hikari tried not to cringe. The fact that Kyoumon was still convinced she was Keiko with or without the dress was why she could barely bring herself to stop by and keep him company like Mimi. She forced a smile through the sharp pain in her chest. “Hello, Kyoumon. How are you feeling today?”

“Pretty!” Kyoumon said, brightly. He moved to stand on Mimi’s shoulder as he reached up to grab his scarf, lifting it upwards. “Look, look! Mimi gave Kyoumon back his color!”

The smile came a little more easily to Hikari this time. “That’s wonderful, Kyoumon.”

Kyoumon giggled, his smile bright. “Thank you, thank you~! Kyoumon was all sad when his color got stained away, but Mimi gave it back! Kyoumon feels so much better now! Even Neemon said Kyoumon looks so much better!”

“Neemon?” Takeru repeated as he glanced about. “Neemon’s here, too?”

“Yep, yep!” Kyoumon said. “Neemon visits almost as much as Mimi! Kyoumon isn’t as lonely anymore!”

Jou frowned as he adjusted his glasses, giving a glance around himself. No matter where he looked, he couldn’t see the little yellow Digimon. “Is he still here?”

“Yep!” Kyoumon said before he turned and pointed upwards. “Neemon’s taking a nap.”

All eyes focused on the sky at first until the sound of nasal snoring caught their attention in the silence, bringing the group’s attention to the memorial statue. Stretched out on his back across the head of the angel, belly exposed to the sun, was Neemon.

Yamato stared at the Digimon before it dawned on him what he was seeing, and irritation flashed across his face. “ _Hey_!”

Neemon jerked awake with a startled cry, which quickly became a squeal as the jarring action dislodged him from his perch atop the angel’s head. Flailing, the noodly Digimon fell downwards, bouncing off the angel’s wings and arms before careening directly for the Digimental of Darkness on the base.

Tailmon moved quickly, diving to block the Digimental and bringing up her paw to bat Neemon away, sending him tumbling away harmlessly.

Kyoumon watched as Neemon crumbled to the ground and blinked, before he pulled the camera off of its perch on his tail and snapped a picture.

A loud, majestic chime caught the attention of the Chosen, prompting some of them to pull out their D-Terminals while the others - Mimi, Sora, and Hikari in particular - checked on Neemon.

Awaiting them was an email from Narakumon.

 

_That twit wouldn’t have hurt my Digimental. While it might be light as a feather to you, it’s immovable stone to everyone else. He still deserved what he got, however._

 

Yamato frowned before he eyed Neemon, irritation on his face. “I get that Digimon don’t have a concept of death like we do, but come on!”

“I agree,” Iori said, stiffly, as Fufumon stared down at Neemon from the comfort of Iori’s arms. “Intentional or not, it’s still a memorial.”

“He doesn’t mean anything by it, I’m sure,” Takeru said, with a shake of his head. “He doesn’t know any better.”

Neemon wobbled as he struggled to stay on his feet despite how his entire body swayed. “Neemon fall down, go boom.”

“Are you okay, Neemon?” Sora asked as she looked the Digimon over. “That was quite a fall.”

Neemon turned to smile at Sora, with a small giggle as he patted his scarred belly. “I’m okaaaaaaayyyyy~! I’ve gone through far worse owies than that!”

Sora flinched slightly, as the carefree Digimon’s words reminded her of the condition he had been in when they found him in the Digimon Kaiser’s dungeon. “Neemon…”

Yamato frowned as he looked at Sora and Neemon, then looked up when he caught sight of Koshiro and Tentomon returning. “Where’d you run off to?”

“I went to check on something,” Koshiro said, glancing at the others before returning his attention to Yamato’s inquisitive face. “After we set up the Digimental of Darkness, I decided to place a marker along the border - right where the corrupted land stopped. There’s actually a very visible divide between the cracked and ruined earth, and the untainted land around it. I wanted to see if there’d be a visual improvement… it just didn’t occur to me that the sky could act as an indicator, too.”

“What’d you see, then?” Miyako asked, reaching up to adjust her glasses. “If the sky’s been cleared, _something_ must have changed.”

Koshiro nodded, a bright smile forming on his face. “The ruined land has shrunk _considerably_. I actually had to walk quite a ways past the border to find my marker.”

“So it really _is_ working,” Takeru said, turning to look at Hikari. “It’s doing exactly what Narakumon said it would.”

“Which is really surprising,” Jou said, with a frown, before he jumped when a loud and angry chime came from his D-Terminal. He didn’t even bother to check what Narakumon had to say to him, sweat appearing on his brow. “T-that it worked so quickly! That’s what I meant! There’s no way I’d call him a liar, even if he _is_ an evil god of darkness-” Another, somehow _louder_ and even _angrier_ sounding chime went off, cutting him off with a fearful yelp. “I-I mean-!”

Gomamon let out a heavy sigh as Jou flailed and fidgeted, sweating profusely. “ _Anyway_ … all’s well that ends well, right?”

“Hey,” Neemon said before poking Gomamon’s nose. “You’re new!”

Gomamon blinked before he chuckled, reaching up to rub his nose with his paw. “Naw, I was just… AWOL for a little while.”

Jou paused as he gripped his D-Terminal, in the process of typing an enormous apology email. He turned to look at Gomamon, his expression pained.

“A wall of what?” Neemon asked.

“It means… missing,” Sora offered, helpfully. “He was missing.”

Neemon tilted his head. “Missing a wall? Did his house fall down?”

Sora gave an awkward laugh as she felt a bead of sweat fall down her brow. “L-let’s just leave it at that, okay?”

Neemon smiled brightly. “Okay!”

“All Chosen Children have partners,” Takeru said, glancing over to Patamon.

“It’s just that… some of us don’t have ours with us right now,” Yamato said, reaching up to rub the back of his head.

“Like you!” Neemon said as he pointed at Miyako. “Right? Right?”

Miyako somehow managed to shape her gritted teeth into a vague resemblance of a smile. “Yeah. Right. The Digimon Kaiser kidnapped mine like everyone else’s.”

Neemon looked around. “Eh? But they’re here and here and here!” He pointed to each Chosen Digimon in turn.

Miyako pressed her palm over her face. “Because we got them _back_ , just like we’re going to get mine back too.”

“Don’t you want them back?” Neemon asked.

“Of course I do!” Miyako snapped.

“Then why’d you give them to the Digimon Kaiser?” Neemon asked as he patted his scarred belly. “The Digimon Kaiser likes whipping Digimon. And cutting. And whipping. And burning. And whipping again. And controlling. And whipping.”

“I didn’t _give_ her to the Digimon Kaiser!” Miyako snarled, losing her composure. “That jackass _stole_ my partner from me just as I got her egg!”

“Ohhhh…,” Neemon said slowly. “But  why are you here?”

Miyako blinked, startled. “Wha-”

“Why aren’t you rescuing him?” Neemon asked as he tilted his head. “Chosen Children always get their Chosen Digimon and their Digivices and their Crests and their Digimentals. Did you want to do it the other way around?”

“N-no,” Miyako sputtered. “We’re doing our best to save her and the others, and we _did_ save Gomamon, and I’ve already got my Digivice right here!” She thrust her Digivice out in front of Neemon for emphasis.

It was impossible to tell if Neemon was looking at the Digivice or not due to how his eyes appeared perpetually closed. He let out a sound that could have been wonder or confusion and bobbed his head from side to side before he bounced in place. “Oh! I know! You’re waiting for the Digimon Kaiser to kill all your partners and then they’ll come back!”

“What did you say!?” Taichi demanded, clenching his fists.

“ _No_ ,” Iori said, his voice sharp and authoritative. Fufumon turned to nuzzle his partner, which had little effect on the young samurai’s stern face. “That is _not_ going to happen.”

Neemon tilted his head, confused. “Ehhhh? But that’s how it works. Chosen Children are like Villages of Beginnings, but for Chosen Digimon instead of all the Digimon.”

“What the hell are you even talking about?” Miyako snapped, fighting a losing battle to keep her temper in check. “Letting my partner die _isn’t_ how _anything_ works! I don’t care if our Digimon won’t die for good until we do - I’m getting my partner back alive and well, and so is everyone else!”

Kyoumon turned to Neemon and nodded sagely, crossing his arms. “It’ll be fine. They have Keiko with them. Keiko can do _anything_. There’s no way the Digimon Kaiser can stand against _her_.” He smiled brightly. “Kyoumon knows that for - a - fact!”

Iori stared hard at Neemon before he turned to look at Miyako. He moved his hand to grip Miyako’s own, giving it a firm squeeze. “It’s not just Keiko. _We_ can do anything.”

“Okaaay~!” Neemon said with a dopey smile on his face.

Yamato took a deep breath as he tried to push down the anger inside of him. Neemon didn’t mean anything by his words, so there was no point in calling the dumb Digimon out on it. Instead, it’d be better to change the conversation entirely.  “So, you must be pretty good friends with Kyoumon,” Yamato said as he glanced over at the plush Digimon. “I mean, you visit him all the time.”

“Neemon has come to live with Kyoumon!” Kyoumon said, brightly. “Especially since it’s the only place left!”

“Only place… left?” Takeru repeated, slowly.

Neemon nodded. “Uh huh! The Digimon Kaiser destroyed all of my home and all my friends, and when he finishes killing the Holy Beasts, everything else will be gone too! So I’m staying with my friend Kyoumon until he comes here and we can die together!”

Daisuke frowned before holding his fist in the air in front of him. “There’s no way we’ll let that happen!”

“But it’s happening right now,” Neemon said.

“Huh?” Taichi asked.

“The Digimon Kaiser is killing Xuanwumon right now,” Neemon said. “Soon he’ll be gone just like Qinglongmon.”

The Chosen Children gaped at Neemon, who stared back at them with his childishly carefree expression. As his words fully filtered into their heads, all of them answered at the same time - with the same shout.

“ _What_!?”

 

\---

 

A massive tree stretched high towards the sky, far taller than a plant had any right to be. Its leaves spread out like a green cloud, dwarfing the wooden temple nestled among its roots with its enormous canopy.

It would have been a wondrous place to visit, if not for the two massive armies glaring at each other - one surrounding the tree and the other little more than an embankment away.

The army of Xuanwumon stared down the sea of controlled Digimon, which stared back with their lifeless eyes. Among them was Mystimon, his sword at the ready and his expression grim. Before him, the main face of the army, were the Devas of the Holy Beasts. Caturamon, Sinduramon, and Makuramon stood among their comrades, the three Devas of Xuanwumon - Vikaralamon, Kumbhiramon, and Vajramon.

Vikaralamon was a huge brown boar Digimon with large white tusks, red tri-horns on his brow, and razor-sharp teeth like a shark. He stood beside Vajramon, a black centaur bull with gold horns and red armor covering his body. Both were a stark contrast to Kumbhiramon, a white mouse with golden wings and a green pronged cylinder on its back, with spindly long legs and a ball-like armor around his body.

The six alone were a sizable source of strength for the army, but even they were joined by yet two more Devas - the last two followers of the late Qinglongmon. Mihiramon, a muscular winged orange tiger with purple stripes and a red sash about his neck, stood with his comrade Majiramon, a white-bearded green Chinese dragon with golden horns and underside who wore a purple breast plate and tan sarong about his waist.

Overall, eight Devas stood at the forefront of the army, giving their followers a huge boost in confidence. With so many powerful warriors, there was no way they would lose. The Digimon Kaiser would fall there, without question.

Ken stared at the army before him, gripping his whip tightly. He stood atop the head of an Airdramon, with Witchmon hovering beside him on her broom as FlaWizarmon stood atop Birdramon with both Agumon and Gabumon by his feet on the avian Digimon’s back. The Chosen of Kindness grimaced as he pulled his whip tightly before letting it go slack only to yank it tight again, creating a continuous snapping noise.

“It’ll be fine, K-chan,” FlaWizarmon said as he stared down at the Devas from his perch, his arms crossed. “We’ve prepared for this. We’re ready.”

Witchmon floated closer to Ken and placed one of her large hands on his shoulder. “We’re going to win, K-chan. We’re going to avenge them.”

Ken nodded, his hands shaking slightly, before he straightened up. “Do it.”

FlaWizarmon gave the boy a confident grin before he turned, tapping his foot to the back of Birdramon’s head. Birdramon immediately understood and swooped downward with a scream, soaring across the heads of the controlled Digimon to carry her cargo directly to the front. FlaWizarmon hopped down on to the ground, with Gabumon and Agumon landing beside him, before he straightened to flash the Devas a bright smirk. “Yo. Long time no see.”

“Hah, so it’s true then!” Vajramon said as he strode forward, drawing his dual swords out to point them defiantly at the scarecrow. “We don’t even need to _see_ the wretched boy to know who he truly is. If _you_ are here, then there is no question!”

“Izzat so?” FlaWizarmon asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Witchmon clapped her hands together before her. “Wonderful! Then we don’t need to explain why we’re here.” She paused, her lips curling upwards in a smile full of knives. “All that’s left is to ask those who don’t want to die for a child killer to please leave before we get started.”

“You can spout as much nonsense as you like,” Caturamon said, with a growl. “But yours - and his - actions alone prove that there was merit in our Holiness’ decision.”

FlaWizarmon’s smile grew sharp, like a sneer. “Watch your mouth, dog, or you’re gonna be sent to the kennel.”

“Enough!” Vajramon said as he stomped his foot. “I will not tolerate you speaking ill of your superiors! That fool Zennyu allowed you far too much reign, much like Lady Tenraimon gave that _cur_ you call a god! But he is no longer here to protect you - or that boy! I will be sure that _all three_ of you join him in the Dark Ocean-”

The bull Deva barely had a chance to finish his tirade before FlaWizarmon lunged, drawing one of his matchsticks from under his cloak as he somehow crossed the distance between them in mere moments. He swiftly brought it about, striking Vajramon in the head and neatly knocking it clean off his neck. The bull Digimon’s mouth was still open mid-rant as his head flew through the air before disintegrating, with the rest of his body bursting into data seconds later.

The other Devas whirled to stare as FlaWizarmon hopped back, twirling his oversized matchstick like a baton before aiming it at the gawking crowd. “You first.”

“Y-you _bastard_!” Makuramon shrieked, his expression livid. “You low-level, inferior _trash_ -”

The black tide of Witchmon’s cloak flowed over her just a fraction of a second before darkness consumed Makuramon’s vision. When next he could see, Witchmon smiled down on him, framed by the blue sky like a halo. He howled, ready to attack and destroy both that smug witch and her phantom familiar, but no sound came out. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t even smack away Witchmon’s hands that held his cheeks.

Makuramon couldn’t feel anything but his head.

With a wicked cackle, Witchmon let go of Makuramon’s head, watching his eyes widen in horrific understanding of what she had done, how she had used her teleportation magic to cleave him neatly in two as he plummeted back to the ground where his headless body lay sprawled, still twitching. Both halves dissolved into data and disappeared before the head returned to earth.

“By _all_ means, keep runnin’ your mouths,” FlaWizarmon said as he smirked, bits of data drifting by his head. He twirled his matchstick in his left hand as his right reached up to pull the rim of his hat down. “If you wanna keep givin’ us free shots, we’re _more_ than happy to take ‘em~!”

The Devas crouched before they scattered, putting distance between each other as they prepared for battle. Caturamon lunged forward at FlaWizarmon, baring his teeth in a snarl. FlaWizarmon whipped his matchstick about to block, which the canine Digimon swiftly bit down on with his powerful jaws.

Agumon and Gabumon quickly evolved, going to their adult forms before shifting to the same evolutions that had devastated Qinglongmon - Skull Greymon and Skull Baluchimon. Meanwhile, Birdramon glowed before transforming into a new form entirely - a three-legged, four-winged, four-eyed black crow with a gold beak mask, known as Yatagaramon.

At the sight of the three monstrous Digimon, the Devas balked. However, their reactions only lasted a moment before they rushed toward the threat as the controlled beasts turned to face them with murderous intent.

“Two down, six to go,” Ken murmured as he continued to snap his whip, standing on the Airdramon as he watched his army begin its assault from the safety of the air. “Unless the others decide to join up.” He had hoped to take the Devas out in smaller groups, but Qinglongmon had known enough to send his servants away before the army could take them out. Intentional or not, it had been a great source of trepidation for the Digimon Kaiser.

It didn’t even begin to address the issue of Xuanwumon himself. Despite being a coward, he was still a Holy Beast. The Digimon Kaiser had no doubt that he would fight for his life, and he wouldn’t lay down and die like his comrade. But in the end, no amount of training or preparation could account for the unknown - he could only have faith that it was enough.

FlaWizarmon swung his matchstick back and forth, attempting to dislodge it from Caturamon’s mouth. The dog Deva held on tight, glaring at his opponent as he let out a low growl and yanked back in his own attempt to disarm the scarecrow.

“Fine, have it your way!” FlaWizarmon said, gripping his matchstick tightly as a sudden blast of flame surged outward from the tip - directly into Caturamon’s mouth. “ _Fetch_!”

Caturamon finally released the matchstick with a yelp, flame and smoke coming out of his mouth. He barely had a change to cough and refocus his attention on FlaWizarmon before a sudden boney hand slammed down on him as Skull Greymon grabbed the Deva, then lifted him skywards with a primal roar.

FlaWizarmon paused and watched as Skull Greymon slammed Caturamon in to the ground, then stomped down upon him. The canine Digimon grunted under the brutal assault, gritting his teeth in pain.

“ _Heel_ , boy,” FlaWizarmon said, with a crooked smirk.

A sonic boom followed in Mihiramon’s wake as he charged at Witchmon with blazing speed. Although she managed to evade a direct collision, the tiger tore away her cloak with such force that she was sent into a tailspin.

“Baluluna Gale!” Witchmon shouted as she directed one hand outward as the other gripped tightly to her broom and her phantom feline clung tight to the brim of her hat. A glow of runes consisting of programming code created a spell circle that summoned a mighty gust of wind that surrounded her and righted her descent before she could crash into the ground. She had no time to do more than catch sight of Mihiramon again before she had to evade another deadly lunge.

Witchmon smiled as she dodged attack after attack in a deadly dance that would be fatal should she move a little too slow. A spell circle formed in her hand behind her back amidst her maneuvers, readying another attack. She was prepared to lead Mihiramon into a deadly tsunami of water like a matador leads a bull to the sword behind a red cloak when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. The magic circle disappeared along with her smile.

“K-chan!” Witchmon shouted. “Ten o’clock high!”

Ken looked up sharply in time to see Kumbhiramon, the mouse Deva, rushing right towards him. He grit his teeth as he glared at the Deva before quickly ordering the Airdramon to take off backwards, putting distance between himself and his attacker.

Kumbhiramon wasn’t willing to back down, twisting about to give chase. Unfortunately for him, he was so focused on chasing the Digimon Kaiser that he didn’t notice Yatagaramon as it suddenly swooped down on him like an owl on a field mouse, scooping him up in her powerful claws.

“For a supposed sage, you certainly didn’t see _that_ one coming,” Ken taunted as Airdramon continued to fly back, putting more distance between them.

“You-!” the mouse Deva squeaked out in anger as he squirmed in the crow Digimon’s claws. It then began to glow before it suddenly split into six copies of itself. “ _Chu_!”

Yatagaramon squawked in confusion as the other copies attacked it, forcing it to release the main body.

Now free, Kumbhiramon whirled about to face down the large crow with all of his doubles. “You’ll pay for this, chu!”

Back on the ground, Skull Baluchimon gave a sharp howl before he charged at Vikaralamon, lowering his head as if to ram the massive boar Deva. Rather than move out of the way, Vikaralamon charged forward to meet his opponent, tusks meeting horns in a violent clash.

As the two behemoths pushed against each other, Sinduramon let out a mighty crow as he rushed to attack the occupied Skull Baluchimon. However, as soon as he drew close, his intuition told him to pause.

That intuition was the only thing that spared him from the sudden burst of fire that narrowly avoided incinerating him. Sinduramon let out a startled squawk before he turned to stare at FlaWizarmon, who smirked at him while pointing both oversized matchsticks at him.

“I’d make a joke about Kentucky Fried Chicken,” FlaWizarmon said. “But I think the reference’d be lost on ya.”

The rooster Deva let out an outraged squawk before he sent a blast of lightning at the scarecrow, who hopped backwards out of the way.

FlaWizarmon landed before he tensed, whirling to glare at the dragon Deva Majiramon as he approached him. “Wanna dance, old man?”

“We may have once been allies, but blood has been spilled,” the dragon Deva said. “And there’s a price for that blood.”

“You’re real hilarious, old man,” FlaWizarmon said, flashing Majiramon a vicious smile. “‘Cuz that’s _my_ line. Your bossman voted to draw first blood, an’ now he’s gotta answer for it. And there’s only one answer we’re gonna accept.” The scarecrow turned to point one of his matchsticks at the dragon. “It’s time to pay up.”

Majiramon’s nose wrinkled with disgust. “You’re greatly overestimating the cost of a human child.” He then spat a burst of fire at FlaWizarmon, who easily blocked the attack with a burst of his own with one matchstick, the other shooting more fire at Sinduramon as the rooster tried to take advantage of the wizard Digimon’s supposed distraction.

FlaWizarmon’s expression grew murderous, even as he continued to smile. “That ain’t for you to decide, old man.”

As the battle of the juggernauts raged on, the rest of the army of Xuanwumon was having its fair share of trouble. The seemingly endless sea of controlled Digimon rushed forward, blindly attacking without any consideration for their own well-being. There was no fear, no intimidation - nothing but mindless obedience. No matter how savagely the defenders attacked, their opponents kept coming.

Mystimon sliced through an opponent, a Gazimon that burst into data as he was neatly cut by the knight’s blade. But rather than be demoralized by the death of their comrade, another Digimon simply took the Gazimon’s place.

“This is…” Mystimon growled as he drew back, brandishing his sword at his enemy. “If you want me to keep cutting you down, then by all means, come forward!”

A low growl was the response as a controlled Tyrannomon lunged for the knight, reaching down at him. He didn’t do more than flinch as the sword slashed at his claws, and continued after his opponent with single-minded determination.

Mystimon continued to hop backwards, putting distance between himself and the large red dinosaur, before he glared upwards at the Digimon Kaiser, riding atop his Airdramon. He spat out a curse before turning swiftly, passing a Lalamon - a plant Digimon reminiscent of a budding pink flower with a yellow leaf sprout on its head - before stabbing it in the stomach as he hurried to find better footing among the chaos. The flower Digimon disintegrated from the blow, with Tyrannomon apathetically stepping into the cloud of her data as he pursued his target.

“Fight!” Mystimon barked, glancing at his comrades as he ran. “Do not embarrass yourselves in front of his lordship! Justice is on our side! Death is a passing moment of pain, but shame is for eternity!”

Skull Baluchimon barked furiously as he continued his struggle against Vikaralamon, the massive boar just as powerful as his body suggested. The boar Digimon paid his surroundings no mind, plowing through enemies and friends alike as he focused entirely on his fight with Skull Baluchimon. The bone canine Digimon continued his valiant efforts to gouge the Deva with his horns while Vikaralamon attempted to return the favor.

Skull Greymon swung Caturamon about wildly, slamming the dog Deva in to the ground like a child having a temper tantrum with a rag doll. He then tossed Caturamon hard through the air, at Vikaralamon’s side.

Caturamon bounced off of the boar, who barely noticed, before landing on the ground in a heap. The canine growled as he wobbly stood up, then glanced about to notice the approaching controlled army surrounding him. The canine scowled, crouching, before he lunged to attack Skull Greymon, body-slamming him and sending the behemoth flying.

Majiramon kept his attention on FlaWizarmon, his beard bristling before bits of hair shot out at the scarecrow Digimon like dozens of sharp needles.

FlaWizarmon spun both his matchsticks about him in a circle, creating a wall of fire around him that consumed the needles before they could make it to him.

Sinduramon sent another blast of lightning from the prongs of the cylinder on his back, fanning his wings as he crowed. He couldn’t see his opponent within the wall of fire, so he simply attacked indiscriminately. “There’s no way you idiots can win! You’re vastly outnumbered!”

“You sure about that?” FlaWizarmon taunted from in the flames. “I’d say _yer_ the one with the problems!”

“Come out and say that, _coward_!” Sinduramon taunted as he flapped his wings.

FlaWizarmon let out a barking laugh from somewhere within the flames. “Oh _really_? _You’re_ the ones killin’ _children_ and _we’re_ the cowards!?”

“It was _necessary_ ,” Majiramon said. “For peace in the Digital World, _one child’s head_ is _more_ than worth the price!”

A quick strike came from the flames, FlaWizarmon lunging to strike at the dragon’s face, who jerked back in time so that the blow whiffed by harmlessly. The scarecrow jumped back, putting distance between his opponents and himself, before he sneered.

“P _eace_ , huh?” FlaWizarmon scoffed. “How’d that work out for ya? Does this look like peace to you?”

“With your death, it _will_ be,” Majiramon said, narrowing his eyes.

Yatagaramon pecked at one of the clones of Kumbhiramon, causing it to dissolve harmlessly into thin air.

“Wrong again, chu!” Kumbhiramon taunted, flying about the crow Digimon with several of his doubles remaining.

Yatagaramon didn’t respond verbally to the taunt, not that she had the capacity to due to her evil ring. Instead, she fanned her wings, which began to glow. Suddenly, the sky went dark all around her and Kumbhiramon, as if a black fog had materialized out of nowhere.

“W-what?” Kumbhiramon yelped as he paused, stunned. “Where-?”

Yatagaramon took the distraction as an opportunity, lunging forward to slam her beak into the mouse Deva, sending him flying with a startled squeak as his copies - and the darkness - dissipated.

Witchmon tightened her grip on the broomstick, pressing her body close to it in order to lessen wind resistance as she rocketed through the sky with a murderous tiger in hot pursuit. Each time Mihiramon drew close, one of Witchmon’s cat familiars lunged out to strike at the Deva’s face. While it didn’t do much damage before the tiger tore it apart, it was enough to keep Mihiramon both angry and determined to end the witch Digimon’s life.

The chase continued, with Witchmon zipping about wildly with her enemy following her like the trail of a comet. Diving up and down, going in circles and swerving about other larger Digimon as obstacles, the tiger Deva kept right on her with single-minded focus.

“Stop and _fight_!” Mihiramon snarled, growing increasingly impatient the longer his opponent avoided him. “You _coward_!”

Witchmon smirked as she continued forward, not glancing back as she kept her eyes firmly ahead of her - one blink and she’d lose. Unfortunately for Mihiramon, he was far too focused on his prey and not on his surroundings. When the witch Digimon suddenly shot straight upwards, only then did he see where she had been leading him - right in to Vikaralamon.

Mihiramon had no chance to even begin to slow his speed, instead slamming directly into the mighty boar Deva and piercing him like an arrow. Data spewed everywhere as Vikaralamon let out a yowl, punctured neatly through his sides.

The tiger Deva finally managed to slow himself and whipped about to stare in horror as his ally dissolved in front of him, the boar Digimon letting out a mighty roar that echoed long after his body had gone.

Mihiramon grit his teeth before he looked about wildly to find Witchmon, only to see her off in the distance re-attaching her cape.

Witchmon smirked as she turned to meet the tiger’s gaze. “For _shame_ , dearie. Weren’t you supposed to be _allies_?”

Mihiramon baring his fangs as his ears canted back. He let out a roar of rage as he rushed at Witchmon, murder ever more firmly on his mind.

“Down to five,” Ken said, with a sigh of relief. His mood was improving considerably, with the odds more equal than they had been at the start. FlaWizarmon and Witchmon were in top fighting form, as he knew they would be, and the controlled partner Digimon were doing fairly well on their own. And while the controlled army was little more than cannon fodder, they still served as a valuable distraction so that his _real_ fighters could get their opportunities. Even so, the sooner they finished off the rest of their enemies, the better. “We need to hurry, before-”

At that moment, a bright light caught Ken off guard and he whirled just in time to see a Digital Gate open on the battlefield - and with it, the arrival of the Chosen Children and their Digimon. Takeru, Hikari, Daisuke, Jou, Mimi, and Koshiro appeared with their respective partners, as to be expected. But even more alarmingly, Iori had arrived with his own partner - the baby, Fufumon.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me,” Ken muttered in disbelief before he bristled, anger flooding him. “Those _imbeciles-_!”

Takeru gathered his bearings after the jump and gave a start, his face going pale at the sight before him. Controlled Digimon stretched as far as the eye could see with several large Digimon fighting with great vigor, including one he recognized with great dread - _Skull Greymon_. “This is…”

Mimi’s breathing hitched as her hands reached up to clasp over her heart. “Horrible… this is horrible…!”

“It’s a war,” Koshiro said, feeling small at the sight of so many Digimon fighting one another.

“What are you _morons_ doing here!?” the Digimon Kaiser’s voice came from far above the Chosen, who looked up sharply to see the corrupt boy hovering above them on an Airdramon, angrily fidgeting with his whip. “Do you have a death wish!?”

“Cease and desist all hostilities immediately!” Iori commanded, pointing his bokken at the Digimon Kaiser. “We won’t allow you to murder Lord Xuanwumon!”

Ken’s cheek twitched violently as he pulled the whip tightly in his hands. “Don’t show respect to trash you’ve never met, you ignorant _brat_ ,” He then pointed his whip at Iori. “And just what are you doing, bringing that _baby_ to this warzone!?”

Iori scowled as he tightened his grip on his bokken. He could offer no retort as Fufumon bristled and growled from his position on the Chosen of Honor’s shoulder.

“Please stop this, K-chan!” Hikari shouted as she took a step closer to the Digimon Kaiser, though it did little to diminish the distance between them. “Whatever you’re after doesn’t need to come to this!”

Ken paused, still startled by Hikari using his nickname. She had done so before, but it still sounded so bizarre coming from her “E-eh?”

“Just tell us why you’re doing this,” Hikari said. “We shouldn’t be fighting each other or starting wars; we’re the Chosen Children, and that means we all should band together to save both worlds and everyone in it.”

Ken stared down at Hikari before he recovered his balance, mentally and physically. “I didn’t start this war! I’m just the one that’s going to _finish_ it!”

Hikari clenched her fist in front of her chest. “Then tell us who did start it and why. Let us help you!”

“Yeah,” Daisuke said as he moved to Hikari’s side, “but not with the killing and enslaving parts.”

At the sight of Hikari and Daisuke standing before him, trying to reach him even now, Ken faltered. He hesitated, a slight tremor running up his spine. Even as part of him screamed to reject them entirely, a need formed within him. “I-I…!”

“Look, I’m sorry for making fun of you with the princess thing!” Daisuke shouted. “Let’s talk this out, okay?”

“We shouldn’t be fighting each other,” Mimi pleaded. “We shouldn’t be starting wars. We should be helping everyone!”

“That’s right!” Jou agreed, clenching his fists. “We’re here to _protect_ the Digital World!”

“I _am_ protecting it!” Ken protested.

“Tell us _how_! What are you trying to accomplish?” Iori demanded.

“At least explain your motivations,” Koshiro said.

“I _don’t_ want to do this! I’ve never _wanted_ to do this!” Ken blurted out, desperately gesturing widely towards the carnage around them. “But it’s the only way to… to get strong enough! To _be_ strong enough-!”

“For _what_?” Takeru asked, extending his hand to the Digimon Kaiser. “Just _tell_ us already! If you don’t want to do this, then _why_!?”

Kumbhiramon came to a sudden stop, the hair on the back of his head prickling. He whirled to glance towards the massive tree, his eyes widening, before looking past his opponent over to the gathering of Chosen - with the Digimon Kaiser high above them. The mouse Deva paused before his eyes narrowed. He shot Yatagaramon a glare, quickly dodging her attack before taking off quickly - directly at the Chosen Children.

“Tell us! _Please_!” Hikari pleaded. “K-chan!”

Ken trembled, desperation flooding him. For once, they were listening - they were actually listening. And in that instant, his resistance gave way to weakness. “The Holy Beasts… you don’t know what they… what they did! To Keiko… and to-”

“ _K-chan_ -!” came Wormmon’s scream over Ken’s earpiece, causing him to pause. Instinct took over and the Digimon Kaiser leapt upwards - just in time for Kumbhiramon’s attack to strike the Airdramon’s head where Ken had stood only moments before.

The Airdramon’s scream died quickly as his head exploded into data, the rest of his body dissolving soon after. Kumbhiramon flew through the cloud of data before surging upwards, spinning about to face Ken as the corrupt Chosen fell to the ground, barely landing on his feet.

“K-chan-!?” FlaWizarmon whipped about, his eyes wide as he stopped mid-attack.

“K-chan!” Witchmon screamed, alarm flooding her.

Kumbhiramon zoned in on Ken, his expression gleefully malicious. “Die die die, chu chu chu!”

Ken stumbled before he looked up sharply, gritting his teeth even as the icy prick of fear flooded him. He yanked his arm around, his whip lashing to strike Kumbhiramon in the face as the mouse Deva drew close for another attack. It was enough to send Kumbhiramon back, even if for a moment.

“Kill him! Kill him _now_!” Caturamon barked, even as he danced about to avoid Skull Greymon’s claw strikes.

“You _bastards_ -!” FlaWizarmon snarled as he rushed past the Devas he had been fighting, attempting to get to the Chosen as quickly as he could. He grit his teeth as Majiramon dove into his way, attempting to block the scarecrow. “ _Witchmon_!”

Witchmon grit her teeth before she yelped, jerking back to narrowly avoid a slash as Mihiramon lunged at her - slicing her cape and preventing her from teleporting. “K-chan!

Yatagaramon dove at Kumbhiramon, the only one able to make the distance with no Deva to distract her. She swooped down at the mouse, only for the Deva to dodge to the side. Kumbhiramon swiftly struck the backside of the crow Digimon with the pronged pestle from his back. The blow sent Yatagaramon directly into the ground with a sickening _crunch_ , where the crow Digimon lay for a moment before she began to glow - de-evolving to an unconscious Piyomon.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Takeru demanded, anger and horror mixing on his face as he realized what he was seeing. The Digimon was actively trying to kill the Digimon Kaiser, a Chosen Child, right in front of them. He whirled to his partner. “Patamon-!”

“Got it!” Patamon shouted as he began to glow, evolving quickly to Pegasmon.

The other Chosen Digimon followed suit, and soon Fladramon, Shawujinmon, Blade Kuwagamon, and Shutumon were ready for battle.

“Stop, stop, _stop_!” Mimi screamed as she waved her hands at Kumbhiramon. “He’s a _human_! You don’t realize-!”

Kumbhiramon ignored the Chosen and their partners as they quickly evolved, and instead dove for Ken again. The Digimon Kaiser stumbled back, bringing his whip up again, desperation of a different kind flooding him.

“ _Stop-_!” Ken barked, bringing his arm back.

Iori dove forward, lunging between the Digimon Kaiser and the attacking Deva, whipping his bokken about to strike the mouse Digimon with full force even as Fufumon spat small iron spikes from his perch. While the iron spikes had little effect, Iori’s bokken sent Kumbhiramon flying backwards like a billiard ball against a pool stick.

Ken fell backwards on his rump, panting heavily as his skin grew slick with sweat. “I-I…!”

“ _Enough_!” Iori snarled, his eyes blazing. The armor-evolved Digimon appeared behind him, all of them bearing equally grim expressions as they glared down Kumbhiramon. “You will _stop_!”

“You will listen to I-o-ri!” Fufumon declared, growling.

Kumbhiramon stumbled up from the ground, shaking off dirt, before he whirled to glare murderously at the Chosen Children. “So you’re going to team up with him, chu!? Even though you’re supposed to be protecting our world, chu!?”

“Please!” Hikari said as she stepped in front. “Let us talk to him! Maybe we can stop all this senseless fighting!”

Kumbhiramon’s expression darkened. “If you’re going to stand by him, chu, then you’re going to _die_ with him too!” The mouse Deva immediately split in to six copies, all of which carried the same murderous expression before diving forward at the Chosen Children - and Hikari in particular. “ _Chu_!”

Tailmon immediately moved to intercept the first clone as it rushed at Hikari, striking it harshly with her claws and causing it to dissipate immediately. “Hikari, get back!”

“If you think we’re going to let you do what you want, you’re wrong!” Fladramon shouted, raising his claws as he was engulfed in flame before lunging at the next copy as it swerved about to the left.

“You’ve done enough!” Shutumon agreed, sending a blast of wind blades that diced yet another copy as it rushed upwards, easily dispelling it.

“There’s no reason to go this far!” BladeKuwagamon said, sending a blast of lightning at the fourth copy, incinerating it.

“You will listen to us, one way or another!” Pegasmon whipped about to kick the fifth copy directly in the face, shattering it.

Shawujinmon brought about his staff, which had what appeared to be a massive revolver cylinder on one end and a crescent blade on the other, to strike down the sixth clone. “So why don’t you calm down and behave yourselves?”

Ken stared as the Chosen fought to protect him, slowly standing to his feet. It made his heart clench in his chest, bringing tears to his eyes. “E-everyone…?”

“K-chan!” came Wormmon’s voice again and Ken tensed, then whipped about to see the final Kumbhiramon - the original - surging at him from behind after maneuvering around the group.

“Chu!” Kumbhiramon snarled. “It’s over!”

The attack failed to make contact as a pair of hands shoved the Digimon Kaiser to the ground.

“Get dow- _ow!_ ”

Fladramon slammed his fist into the cylinder before it collided with Daisuke, who stood right where the Digimon Kaiser had been only a moment before. Victory turned to ash in the armored dragon’s mouth when he heard his partner’s pained cry and saw Daisuke fall over.

Ken felt his heart lurch as he stared at Daisuke, slowly registering what had happened. Metal fragments shattered from the pestle and perforated the goggle boy, creating gashes in the stylish clothes generated by the Digital World that spilled not only data but blood from the pierced flesh underneath. While none of the wounds were fatal, they still elicited a pained moan from Daisuke - and all the Digimon Kaiser could see was red as his eyes widened.

_“Ryo!” Ken’s young voice screamed as he reached out to shove Ryo out of the way, his body moving faster than his brain. It was the only action that single moment allowed, with the older boy turning to stare at the boy genius as he took Ryo’s place._

_Pain immediately followed, along with blood as a small barbed object buried itself beneath Ken’s skin. Missing its intended target, it still plunged deep within the boy’s neck where it would never be removed._

Ken felt his insides clench, a jolt rushing through him - particularly at the back of his neck. “D-Dai-”

_“Ken, are you okay?” Ryo asked._

Ken simply stared at Daisuke, ignoring everything around him - including Kumbhiramon coming back around for another attack. His mind had gone blank, unable to respond.

“Daisuke!” Hikari screamed as she and Takeru rushed over to the fallen goggle boy.

“Daisuke, hold on!” Takeru shouted as he tried to stop Daisuke from moving a little too late.

Daisuke spat out a number of colorful curses as he discovered that moving made the pain worse, forcing him to remain sprawled on the ground. “That hurts!”

“Daisuke!” Fladramon was by his Chosen’s side in a second, crouching protectively by him. He then whirled to glare at Kumbhiramon, murderous rage on his face. “I’ll kill you! _I’ll kill you_!”

“I’d like to see you try it, _inferior trash_ , chu!” Kumbhiramon taunted back as he split once more, his six copies cackling in defiance.

“Daisuke…?” Ken whispered, his voice absent.

_"I'll kill you!" Ryo snarled. "Do you hear me, Millenniumon? **You're dead**!"_

_The ruined land of the Battlefield Memorial smoldered as unending fires razed the ground. Digimon screamed as the very land itself splintered like broken glass, only to reform under the twisted sky in horrid shapes._

_Ken could hear the screams, smell the brimstone, feel the heat around him. And with it, the scent of blood and death._

Ken’s eyes shrunk to mere pinpricks, the gray turning deep black. But rather than stopping there, the blackness spread across the Digimon Kaiser’s eyes, engulfing all white until there was nothing left. Then, within that darkness, single beads of golden light appeared in each eye.

“ _I won’t allow it_.”

The voice coming from the Digimon Kaiser was completely unrecognizable - deep and unnaturally hollow. It didn’t match even the childishly deep tone that Ken typically took while in his Kaiser persona, instead filled with regal - and deadly - authority.

The Digimon Kaiser’s expression had gone blank, easily readable even with the glasses on his face. He stood limp with his head sagging to the side, as if something other than his bones was holding his body up. Blazing gold illuminated the tinted shades, as a matching light came from the front of Ken’s shirt - so bright it was visible even under the fabric. It was the Crest of Miracles, proudly announcing its presence.

Takeru looked up from Daisuke to stare at the Digimon Kaiser, momentarily taken aback. “W… what…?”

“Shit… shit, shit, _no_!” FlaWizarmon slammed his matchstick against Majiramon before trying to dart past him. “K-chan, _stop_!”

“It can’t be,” Majiramon muttered, forgetting FlaWizarmon for a second and allowing the scarecrow to dart by as he gawked. “It’s impossible.”

“W-what’s happening?!” Mimi asked, her hands raised defensively as she stared at Ken. “What’s going on?”

“ _No more_ ,” Ken said, his voice still the deep and foreign voice from before, his expression devoid of emotion. “ _You will pay... for harming my Beloved._ ”

“Your… _what_?” Koshiro repeated, gawking at the Digimon Kaiser.

No verbal response came from Ken. Instead, the corrupted boy’s black Digivice began to glow gold, sparking violently.

Fladramon bared his teeth at the mouse Deva, oblivious in his anger to what was happening around him - including the fact that he was beginning to glow gold. “ _I’ll kill you_!”

“C-chu… what’s happening!? What have you done now, chu!?” Kumbhiramon demanded as he and his copies darted back, keeping his distance as he surveyed the situation with no small amount of discomfort.

A loud, regal sounding chime pierced the air, announcing the arrival of a message from Narakumon. Unthinkingly, Koshiro drew out his D-Terminal to look at the message, somewhat dazed.

 

_Get away from the boy! **Now**!_

 

The message was promptly repeated, the chime echoing again and again. The constant piercing sound was enough to draw the Chosen out of their stupor, and snap Koshiro to attention.

“Takeru! Hikari!” Koshiro barked. “Get back, now!”

Takeru grit his teeth before he grabbed Daisuke, carefully hefting him upwards and draping one of the goggle boy’s arms around his shoulders for better leverage. With Hikari shouldering a portion of the weight, they quickly carried Daisuke away from the Digimon Kaiser.

All of the other Digimon followed suit, save for Fladramon as his entire body was engulfed in gold so that it obstructed his features. “You’ll pay… you’re going to pay!” A loud shattering sound came as the armor evolution broke, seemingly reverting the dragon Digimon to his child form, though only V-mon’s silhouette was visible within the golden glow.

“V-mon!” Daisuke shouted, nearly falling from Takeru’s arms as he reached ineffectively for his partner, only to seize up in pain as the metal shards cut into him.

“There’s no way, chu! No way, no way, no way!” Kumbhiramon protested. “You’re dead! We _killed_ you! There’s no _way_ you could-”

“ _Die_.” Ken said, his tone cold. The corrupt Chosen raised his left hand, aiming his palm at V-mon’s back.

V-mon let out a guttural scream which quickly became a full roar as he began to evolve before the Chosen’s - and Daisuke’s - very eyes. His body grew in size, jumping through several different evolutions at once before he reached his final form - a massive white-haired blue dragon. The dragon was covered in black armor with gold trim, with matching dagger-like claws and a single enormous curved blade on each of his front forearms and the heels of his back feet. A skull-like white dragon mask obstructed most of his face, sitting atop a red base, as large jagged red wings fanned out behind him. The dragon Digimon was so large that he completely dwarfed the Chosen behind him, putting even the departed Vikaralamon to shame.

“ _Go, Imperialdramon_!” Ken demanded, with the strange authoritative voice. “ _Kill them all_!”

Imperialdramon roared, the sound deafening, before he lunged forward at the closest enemy - Kumbhiramon and his clones.

The mouse Deva could barely let out a scream, a chorus of fear echoed by his clones, before Imperialdramon snapped down on all of them, effectively killing each one instantly within his massive jaws.

Daisuke’s eyes were wide with horror as he watched the monster his partner had become obey the order to kill. “V-mon…”

“What’s… what’s happening!?” Tailmon asked as she stood in front of Hikari, her claws outstretched protectively. “Why did he evolve!?”

Hikari stared in horror at the sudden massive evolution, stunned to silence.

Mystimon similarly stood to stare at the terrifying Imperialdramon as it turned about to face them, gripping his sword tightly as confused and terrified Digimon scrambled all around him and fled in opposite directions. The Digimon Kaiser’s controlled Digimon simply stood about with stupid, blank looks on their faces, no longer attacking and not attempting to obstruct the fleeing Digimon. Even Skull Greymon and Skull Baluchimon had ceased hostilities, turning to stare at Ken as if awaiting orders.

“Stop! Stand your ground!” Caturamon barked, turning to glare at the panicking army. “Stand and _fight_ -!”

Caturamon could barely get the words out before Imperialdramon was upon him, slamming his tail downward to crush the Deva as if he were nothing but an ant, with data bursting outward as his body shattered. Imperialdramon swiftly followed up with his foot, crushing the gawking Majiramon between his toes.

With both Devas dead, Imperialdramon reared up on his hind legs and let out a bellowing roar, his tail lashing behind him as he fanned his wings.

“He was right! He was right all along!” Sinduramon said as he flew up to meet the Mihiramon, flapping his wings. “We’ve got to tell Lord Zhuqiaomon!”

“The battle has been completely lost, and Lord Xuanwumon with it soon enough,” Mihiramon said as he glanced at the other Deva. “We have no choice but-”

Neither Deva could finish their words nor their plans for escape as Imperialdramon suddenly shot a massive beam of light at them from the hidden cannon between his wings, vaporizing them from the sky - and blowing off a sizeable chunk of the tree’s canopy in the process.

Daisuke struggled to get closer to Imperialdramon despite the pain, but Takeru’s grip remained firm. “V-mon!”

“Stop! V-mon, stop!” Takeru cried out, staring in horror as he held Daisuke still. He then faltered and shook his head.“Imperialdramon! Imperialdramon, _stop_!”

Iori trembled as Fufumon growled and bristled protectively from his perch. “This is…” He looked down at his wooden bokken, which suddenly felt so small and useless in his hands - little more than a stick.

“Th-this is bad… this is so bad!” Jou yelped as his hands fidgeted about, communicating his feelings of anxiety quite clearly. “What are we supposed to do!?”

“How did he… how is it that he can keep evolving our partners?” Koshiro asked, his voice breaking. “And to this level…”

Mimi covered her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, before she lowered her hands to face the Digimon Kaiser. “Stop this! Tell him to stop!”

Ken turned to face Mimi, his expression still blank. He said nothing, instead his eyes glowing gold as he stared down the Chosen of Purity, who flinched under the unyielding stare and stepped back in confusion.

The stare was not enough to deter Hikari from seizing the Digimon Kaiser by the shoulders and giving him a firm shake. “K-chan! Wake up!”

For a split second, the Digimon Kaiser’s entire body rippled like a desert mirage and glitched like an image on a computer screen. Hints of different colored clothes and hair peeked through the cracks between the glitches, but Hikari could barely catch more than a fleeting impression of the boy underneath the elaborate illusion before it re-solidified into the Digimon Kaiser.

“K… K-chan?” Hikari asked, uncertain who was actually behind the golden eyes staring right through her.

“ _That’s enough_!” FlaWizarmon barked as he raced towards Ken and the Chosen, with Witchmon hot on his heels. Without the Devas to intercept them, they crossed the distance and made it in time to intercept the Digimon Kaiser from Hikari, with the scarecrow shoving past her to grab the stoic boy. “You’ve done enough! Let him go!”

“No one asked for your help!” Witchmon agreed, angrily. “Get out of him - _now_!”

Imperialdramon let out another bellowing roar as he took to the sky, the army of Xuanwumon completely in tatters with their commanders dead and gone. The enormous dragon paid them no mind as he rushed towards the burning tree with a single-minded focus. As he drew closer, he suddenly took a deep breath, rearing backwards from the force of the suction.

“S-something’s happening!” Takeru gasped as he held Daisuke tight.

True to the Chosen of Hope’s words, Imperialdramon lurched forward as he spat out a ball of black energy. The ball grew in size as it exited the dragon, flying downward on to the tree before it totally encased it. Canopy, roots, and even the fortress disappeared into the black ball of energy seconds before it burst like a bubble, vaporizing everything with a deafening crack.

The shock wave from the attack sent Digimon flying in all directions, and even pushed harshly against the Chosen as they tried to stand their ground. Rocks and dirt was sprayed in all directions before the dust cleared, leaving absolutely nothing of the temple of Xuanwumon - or even the Holy Beast himself.

The only thing that remained, sitting among the charred crater, were two altars - one made of lilies and the other of roses. They were completely unharmed, despite even the ground around them being vaporized, and bore the symbols of Purity and Kindness on them.

“That is…” Takeru whispered, his voice going hoarse. Even his hold on Daisuke relented, his hands going numb as they fell to his sides.

“Impossible…” Jou finished for the Chosen of Hope, his voice equally weak as his glasses slid down his nose.

Mimi trembled as she covered her mouth with both her hands, staring in shock.

“How can... _one_ Digimon… be so strong!?” Koshiro demanded to know, shaking.

FlaWizarmon glanced back at the devastation before he narrowed his eyes, then turned to face the Digimon Kaiser and gave him a shake. “Did you hear me!?” He shook the boy again, who flopped like a ragdoll. “Don’t ignore me, _Zeed_!”

“ _Noisy… so noisy_ ,” Ken muttered, his expression disinterested. “ _Barking dogs... barking and barking…_ ”

“Zeed?” Hikari repeated before she focused on the Digimon Kaiser with wide, horrified eyes. “Zeed Millenniumon?!”

Witchmon glared down at Ken, her expression grim. “The one and only, dearie.”

“Wait, but how… how can _he_ use the crest of Miracles-!?” Takeru began before he stopped, his face going pale. “...Ryo. He has Ryo.”

FlaWizarmon’s lips pulled tight as he looked at Takeru, then focused back on Ken. “That wasn’t a request, Zeed!”

“ _More barking... endless barking_ ,” Ken growled, an expression finally appearing on his face - annoyance. “ _Silence... you will be **silent** … how **dare** you speak to me... to **me**... in that tone… I’ll destroy you all..._ ”

“You won’t destroy a damn thing!” FlaWizarmon snarled. “Go back to the Dark Ocean, where you belong!”

Jou glanced over to Imperialdramon, who was suddenly turning to come back their way, and beads of sweat appeared on his brow. “...Uh…”

The glow of gold in the Digimon Kaiser’s eyes and the familiar rectangular shape piercing through his clothes was the focus of Hikari’s attention. She moved her hands from his shoulders to his neck, searching beneath the collar until she found the cord of a necklace and gave a firm yank.

The Crest of Miracles burned in Hikari’s hand, sending a jolt of pain up her arm that sent her cringing back with a cry. In spite of the pain, she somehow managed to hold on just long enough to pull it free of the Digimon Kaiser’s neck before it fell from her trembling fingers as the pain finally overwhelmed her and sent her crashing to her knees. Through squinting eyes hazy with agony, she could see the world in monochrome and hear the faint familiar whispers that filled her with fear.

A blink later, and Hikari’s vision was darker, but she could see the Digimon Kaiser again in front of her with someone else in shadow. Though she couldn’t see the face past the curtain of black hair turned away from her, she knew without a doubt that Keiko stood before the Digimon Kaiser with a hand on his chest.

In the time it took Hikari to blink her eyes open wide, Keiko was gone, but the darkness remained around the Digimon Kaiser, snuffing out the golden light lingering in his eyes.

FlaWizarmon moved to catch the Digimon Kaiser as he fell backwards, completely limp. His head sagged forward as he collapsed against the Digimon, bits of dark energy drifting up around him before disappearing as quickly as they had come. FlaWizarmon wasted no time in scooping Ken up into his arms, the boy as limp as a rag doll.

Witchmon snatched up the Crest of Miracles from the ground with a chastising cluck of her tongue. “You’ve been a bad boy, haven’t you? I think you need a time out for a while.”

“What was…?” Hikari said with uncertainty, holding her still aching hand against her chest.

“Hikari!” Takeru said as he rushed over to the Chosen of Light’s side. “Are you…” He paused when he noticed Daisuke rushing away towards the approaching Imperialdramon, despite his injuries. “Daisuke!?”

“V-mon!” Daisuke shouted over and over until his voice grew hoarse. Adrenaline numbed his pain and allowed his feet to fly across the ground to get as close to Imperialdramon as he could, knowing that if his partner failed to recognize him it could mean his death.

Imperialdramon came to a stop, fanning his wings wide before he bellowed out, glaring down at Daisuke with frenzied eyes.

“Dai… _Daisuke_!” Takeru yelped as he stumbled to his feet, then hesitated as he felt Hikari sag in his arms. Indecision wracked him, as he was uncertain where to go or what to do - or what he _could_ do.

“Someone… someone do something!” Jou said, as his legs quaked in terror.

“I don’t know… I don’t know what to do!” Koshiro protested as he gripped his D-Terminal, typing furiously into the device.

“What… what _can_ we do!?” Iori asked, his hands shaking as he gripped his bokken.

“Y-you!” Mimi said as she turned to FlaWizarmon and Witchmon, who had begun to turn their backs to the group. The two Digimon paused and glanced back at her. “You know how to stop him, don’t you!? You… with all those Digimon…!”

FlaWizarmon tossed Mimi a weak smile. “Tenacity-kun’s doin’ exactly what he needs to do. Don’t worry yer head about it.”

“What… what do you-!?” Mimi began before Witchmon gestured, teleporting not only herself and FlaWizarmon out, but the staring and docile Skull Greymon and Skull Baluchimon as well - leaving both the controlled army and the unconscious Piyomon behind.

“V-mon, stop!” Daisuke cried out as he raised his hands up at the massive Digimon. “ _Stop_!”

Imperialdramon roared down at Daisuke, flashing his razor-sharp teeth at the tiny boy at his monstrous feet. He lashed his tail about violently in an obvious threat, a low growl resounding deep in his chest.

“V-mon, can you hear me?” Daisuke called, his hands still extended to the dragon. “Don’t you recognize me!?”

Imperialdramon paused as he stared down at the Chosen of Tenacity, the growl still rumbling in his chest. After several long moments, the growl slowly became speech that bubbled up through the dragon’s mouth. “Ddddaaaisukeeee…” The voice was deep and menacing, much like the rest of him.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Daisuke said, relieved. “Come on, the fighting’s over for today, pal. Change back and let’s go get some pizza with Ken and Wormmon.”

“Done… all done…,” Imperialdramon repeated slowly, his breathing becoming rough. “Daisuke… all done…”

Daisuke nodded, his eyes prickling with moisture. “Yeah, all done. So come back, okay?”

“Come back… Daisuke… for Daisuke…” Imperialdramon said slowly, before he began to glow. The golden light illuminated the area, obscuring his features seconds before the massive dragon disappeared - and in its place, the small and disoriented Chibimon fell.

Daisuke lunged and caught Chibimon in his arms just before he collided with the dirt. Though the adrenaline started to wear down and brought back his pain, he felt immense relief as he hugged his partner close. “Good job, Chibimon. I knew you could do it.”

Chibimon rested against Daisuke, his breathing still rough. Groggily, he lifted his head to look at his Chosen, furrowing his brow. “Daisuke… is everyone okay…?”

“Yeah,” Daisuke said softly. He kept his gaze averted from the massive destruction left behind in Imperialdramon’s wake.. “We’re fine. Let’s go home, okay?”

“Good,” Chibimon muttered before he closed his eyes, resting his brow against Daisuke’s chest. “I’m glad…”

Daisuke curled around Chibimon. “Me too, buddy. Me too.”

Takeru stared at the scene before he let out a heavy sigh, dropping down to his knees - and Hikari with him. He lowered his head as he closed his eyes. “Thank God…”

Jou quivered before he flopped to the ground, falling backwards on to his back as he collapsed. “I-I can’t take this…”

Gomamon, having de-evolved after Chibimon had returned, placed a paw on Jou’s hand. “I think Daisuke’s got it right - I think it’s time to go home and have some junk food.” Though his tone was jovial, his eyes couldn’t hide his concern. “I’m thinking cake. Lots and lots of cake.”

Koshiro dazedly looked down at the screen of his D-Terminal, and at the dozens of panicked emails that he had received from the other Chosen from the safety of Taichi’s home. He didn’t even have the energy to respond, collapsing to the ground onto his rump as fear gave way to exhaustion. “...I agree.”

Shakily, Mimi took Shutumon’s offered hand after her partner landed beside her, tears streaking her cheeks. “I… I wanna go home.”

“Okay, Mimi,” Shutumon said. “Let’s go home.”

“We… should all go home,” Iori said, finally lowering his bokken after holding it so firmly it had begun to bite into his hands. He looked down at Fufumon, who reached up from the perch on his shoulder to nuzzle his cheeks. “We should go home.”

Tailmon headed over to Hikari, carrying the unconscious Piyomon on her back. “Let’s go home, Hikari.”

“Wait…,” Hikari said, her voice coming out as faint as breath. Her hand no longer hurt, but that was only because it had gone completely numb as fatigue crept into every part of her. “What about… K-chan…?”

“Gone,” Takeru said. “FlaWizarmon and Witchmon took him, along with… who I can only assume was Agumon and Gabumon.”

Hikari didn’t have the strength to even swear. They were so close to reaching the Digimon Kaiser, but then everything went wrong and… she couldn’t even imagine how many Digimon died during the battle. There was only one thing she did know.

They failed.


	37. Chapter Thirty Six

 

The rest of the day had gone by in a blur for the Chosen Children. They left the task of freeing the remnants of the docile controlled army to the survivors of Xuanwumon’s army, lead by the bedraggled Mystimon. Without the Digimon Kaiser to order them, the controlled Digimon stood obediently at attention and offered no resistance as their collars were removed.

As the Digimon dismantled the controlled army, the Chosen Children themselves returned home to lick their wounds - somewhat literally, in Daisuke’s case. Bloody and exhausted, he bore the worst injuries of the group, but kept his strong appearance as he carried the exhausted Chibimon.

While weary, Jou still had the wherewithal to tend to the younger boy’s wounds, bandaging him. The eldest Chosen took care to make sure neither the injuries nor the bandages were easily seen. With the newfound vigilance Daisuke’s mother was showing, no one wanted to risk alerting her. With Daisuke’s thanks and assurances that Jou had done a great job, the Chosen of Tenacity left to go home - as did the other Chosen, reluctantly.

With Taichi leaving to help Sora bring the unconscious Piyomon home, this left Hikari to her own devices, sitting on her bed in silence as Tailmon curled up next to her in a silent offer of comfort. As exhausted as the Chosen of Light was, she couldn’t sleep. Even in the quiet comfort of her bed, her mind wouldn’t allow her exhausted body to rest.

While she was certain that all of the other Chosen Children felt similarly, she had the added bonus of something _else_ on her plate. No one else had seen what she had seen. Admittedly, even _she_ wasn’t certain she had seen what she _thought_ she had. But just as she couldn’t entirely put her faith in it, she also couldn’t _dismiss_ it.

Especially not something so important as the identity of the Digimon Kaiser.

Hikari was silent for several moments as she stared at the wall before she furrowed her brow. “Tailmon… who do you think the Digimon Kaiser is?”

Tailmon flicked her ear before she turned to look up at Hikari. “Well, we know he’s a Chosen Child, and specifically the Chosen of Kindness. But beyond that, we really don’t know anything. We don’t have a name or even a face to go off of, thanks to that costume of his.”

Hikari had spent hours replaying the vague glimpses she caught of the Digimon Kaiser. They were a seed that bloomed into an idea that only grew as she considered the possibility as truth. “If… if one of our friends was the Digimon Kaiser…” She let the thought dangle unfinished, uncertain where she had been going with it in the first place. Instead, she focused on another track. “He’s like Takeru was. He isn’t really our enemy. No matter what horrible thing he’s done, it’s not really his fault, and we have to help him.”

Tailmon stared at Hikari in silence for several moments before she sat up. “I know. We can’t just leave him like that. We’d never be able to face Keiko or Nyamon… or Ryo,” She then quirked a small, humorless smile. “And I wouldn’t be too pleased with us, either, if I was in their position.”

Hikari nodded, but her gaze was still far off in the distance. “I think… I think Ken might be the Digimon Kaiser.”

Tailmon’s eyes widened, her ears going straight forward. “Ken?! As in Ken Ichijouji?!”

Hikari finally turned to look at Tailmon. “That costume he wears glitched out in front of me earlier, and I thought I saw Ken… though I’m not really sure.” She hesitated for a moment. “But the more I think about it, the more it kind of makes sense? Ken is always busy and never comes with us whenever we run into the Digimon Kaiser… and he always covers his hands. If they’re tainted, then…”

Tailmon stared at Hikari in silence for several moments before realization crossed her face. “You’re right. I can’t think of a single time… where he’s been there when the Digimon Kaiser was. Or vice versa. Whenever he’s with us, the Digimon Kaiser… never showed up. And he’s been with us almost all summer, hasn’t he? And we only saw the Digimon Kaiser _once_ , when Ken _wasn’t_ with us...”

Nodding, Hikari took a moment to collect her thoughts before she continued. “Ken is a genius, and so is the Digimon Kaiser. We’ve never seen the Digimon Kaiser’s partner, not once… and it’s probably because he doesn’t want to put him in danger after what happened to Keiko and Ryo.”

“Hikari,” Tailmon asked softly, her ears canting back slightly. “Have we… ever actually seen Ken’s Digivice? He’s never evolved Wormmon, so I never thought about it before, but now… I just assumed...”

Hikari recalled the dark Digivice the Digimon Kaiser used. “Right… and there’s something that’s been bothering me that I never mentioned before… I just assumed it was because of all the dreams about the Dark Ocean but… Ken’s eyes…”

“Ken’s eyes?” Tailmon repeated slowly.

A small shiver ran through Hikari. “Whenever I saw Ken’s eyes, I kept getting reminded of the Dark Ocean. They’re the exact same shade of gray.”

Tailmon stared at Hikari in shocked silence for a good while as she digested the revelation before she furrowed her brow. “If he’s _not_ the Digimon Kaiser, it’s… way too coincidental.”

Hikari nodded. “We need to talk to him.”

“ _Alone_ ,” Tailmon agreed. “Otherwise, we might put him on the defensive - whether it’s true or not.”

“Right,” Hikari sighed. “I could be wrong about all of this… and I don’t want to make everyone distrust Ken… whether he is the Digimon Kaiser or not. If he is, then he needs us to be kind to him even more, and you remember how Takeru acted whenever anyone mentioned the taint on his shoulder.”

Tailmon nodded before she leaned back against the wall. Part of her wanted to deny it, to insist that it wasn’t possible. However, the more she thought about it, the more things were coming to the surface that she hadn’t realized she had been ignoring - things that looked fairly damning, now that she was actually paying attention. “This actually would explain something that had been bothering me.”

“What is it?” Hikari asked.

“The last three crests,” Tailmon said. “Kindness, Passion, and Pride. We were told that the Digimon Kaiser was Kindness, so I had assumed that meant Miyako and Ken were either Passion or Pride. Passion seems to fit Miyako, but Pride… nothing about Ken seems prideful. He never boasts, and he acts extremely insecure… almost desperate for approval.”

Hikari took a moment to consider Tailmon’s assessment before nodding. “That’s what I was thinking too. If any crest fits him, it’s Kindness.”

“I just assumed it meant that there was a side of Ken that we weren’t seeing, like that personality we saw on television,” Tailmon said. “The cool and confident genius… I thought that was the real Ken, when he was in his element. But now…”

“I think we’ve been seeing the real Ken,” Hikari said, trying not to sound as uncertain as she felt. “The Digimon Kaiser isn’t the real side of him. Even Keiko said it herself - he’s kind, and if he was in his right mind, what he was doing would _kill_ h-him.” Mentioning the word ‘kill’ while thinking of Keiko sent a small shiver through her.

“If anything, Pride fits the Digimon Kaiser,” Tailmon agreed before she flicked her ears. “That could just be one more persona… just like the suave, charismatic genius on television. He said so himself when we first met him - it was just a _performance_.”

“Takeru acted differently when the taint was controlling him,” Hikari added. “He became violent and paranoid… and normally he’s so patient about everything that bothers him. He was picking fights with everyone, and that wasn’t like him at all.”

Tailmon nodded. “You’re right… and once he was cured, once the taint was removed… he was back to his old self.”

“He was listening to us today,” Hikari said softly, “before Zeed Millenniumon took control of him. I think he was going to let us help him. If he really is Ken, then maybe if we talk to him, without any battles or anything going on, then maybe we can cure him.”

Tailmon grunted, her ears canting back. “That damn Digimon… I don’t blame them for thinking he needed to attack, since there’s no way he’d know that killing a human would be any different than killing a Digimon. But if he had just stayed out of it…!”

Hikari hugged herself and shivered at the thought of the Digimon attempting to attack her and hurting Daisuke. It made her think of Keiko’s awful fate and caused her eyes to sting a little. “We… we’ve got to stop this war before he… before a Digimon actually does manage to… to…!”

“It’s not going to happen,” Tailmon said, firmly. She looked up to meet Hikari’s gaze, her expression fierce. “We’re not going to let it. We protected him today, we’ll do it again.”

Hikari nodded and managed a small smile. “R-right. We’ll save him… and Keiko and Ryo too.”

Tailmon nodded sharply before giving her partner a small, wry smile. “Whether they want us to or not.”

  
  


\---

  
  


The night had been extremely rough for Sora, though she was sure that it hadn’t been easy for any of the other Chosen Children. They had to _experience_ the hellish battle at Xuanwumon’s temple, while she could only helplessly watch and panic. However, watching over Piyomon had brought its own share of stress.

After Taichi helped the Chosen of Love place her unconscious partner in her bed, she had spent most the night fussing over Piyomon - tending to her wounds and waiting for her to wake. Even though she tried to send Taichi home, he kept her company much of the time until her mother ushered him out to the guest room to sleep.

As each hour passed and the bird Digimon didn’t rouse, it only compounded the anxiety that Sora felt. In the end, sleep came only after complete exhaustion, with the human child curling up on the bed next to Piyomon and passing out in the early morning hours.

Morning had long since come and gone when Sora finally began to awake, groggy and sore. Her head throbbed, more than a little displeased with her, as she blurrily opened her eyes. Her mind told her that something was wrong, that she should’ve been awake hours ago, but her body resisted. In the end, she felt just as sore and disoriented as if she hadn’t slept at all, which only compounded her weariness.

“It’s morning already,” Sora murmured as her eyes drifted open, despite their best attempts to stay closed.

As her eyes opened, she caught sight of a pink blur hovering over her face. Sora paused before her eyes opened wide as realization dawned on her. The fog immediately cleared, and the Chosen of Love stared as Piyomon looked down at her, smiling brightly.

“Good mor-ning, So-ra~!” Piyomon sang, so bright and cheerful. It was as if she had been there the whole time, as if the suffering she had been through had never happened.

But Sora certainly hadn’t forgotten, not for a moment.

Sora trembled slightly, her eyes beginning to water. After several moments, the tears began to flow heavily from her eyes as the Chosen of Love gave a shuddering sob. Reaching upwards, she wrapped her arms around her partner and pulled her close. “Piyomon!”

Piyomon wrapped her wings about her partner, cooing comfortingly. However, it wasn’t enough to stop Sora’s sobs, crying out her partner’s name over and over in a litany of tears.

From the doorway, Sora’s mom watched with a soft, sympathetic expression on her face. Then, she slowly reached up to pull Sora’s door closed, giving her daughter privacy to sob her heart - and all the suffering they had both experienced in their separation - out for both herself and her partner.

  
  


\---

  
  


The mood was very somber in Taichi’s apartment, as the Chosen Children and their Digimon hadn’t entirely recovered from the previous day. While the return of Piyomon had been a momentous boost in morale, it wasn’t enough to raise it completely out of the gutter. Imperialdramon’s rampage and the massive death count was still a heavy cloud that hung over each of their heads.

Chibimon rested comfortably in Daisuke’s lap as the goggle boy sat on the sofa. Since the incident, Daisuke had been rather clingy towards his small partner, which suited the Digimon just fine. With Daisuke’s own injuries, Chibimon didn’t want his partner out of his sight, either.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Chibimon?” Sora asked, anxiously, as she stood nearby. It was hard to know what to expect, or what lingering side-effects to be afraid of. His situation was entirely different than the controlled Digimon, with no Evil Ring being used; it left her more than a little uneasy.

“I’m fine, I’m fine~!” Chibimon said, brightly. “I slept a long time with Daisuke, so I’m all better!”

“I don’t understand how he was able to control you in the first place,” Koshiro said, with a frown. “There was no Evil Ring involved at all…”

The loud, majestic chime of Narakumon resounded, causing the Chosen to jump. Takeru was the quickest to flip open his D-Terminal, then frowned as he read the text for the others. “‘That is one of Zeed Millenniumon’s powers. It is the same power he used to control Gennai and the Digimon Kaiser, and the power the Digimon Kaiser is making use of himself through his Evil Rings. The only difference is that Zeed didn’t need to insert a part of his power into V-mon, or attach it through an Evil Ring - he already had a direct connection through the Crest of Miracles.’”

“A direct connection?” Yamato repeated slowly before realization dawned on his face. “Because of Tenacity, right? Tenacity was with Miracles on the mural!”

Sora covered her mouth with both her hands, her eyes widening. “That’s why…!” The Chosen of Love quickly grew confident in her assertion, her voice raising in volume. “ _That’s_ why Jijimon and Babamon took the Digimentals! Purity, Tenacity, Faith, and Knowledge… the ones linked to Miracles!” At everyone’s confused stares, she gestured towards Chibimon. “Wouldn’t they give Zeed a direct link to whoever used them? Just like Chibimon! He could use Ryo’s crest to access the Digimental, and then control our partners that way!”

“As it is, Tentomon, Chibimon, Palmon, and Gomamon are _already_ at risk,” Koshiro said, feeling sick to his stomach as he glanced at his partner. “Just by virtue of our crests.”

“So long as he has Ryo and his crest,” Takeru agreed, grimly.

“To be able to do all that,” Yamato muttered. “The God Crests are pretty terrifying.”

“W… what are we supposed to do!?” Jou asked as he picked up his partner protectively. “And why hasn’t he done anything before now!?”

“That’s a good question,” Koshiro muttered, rubbing his chin. “Not to mention he has the Crest of Darkness too, so Friendship, Love, Passion, and Pride might be also be at risk.”

A loud chime echoed again, and Takeru looked at his D-Terminal. He blinked before he quirked a small smile. “Do you want me to read this, or can you gather how well he might’ve taken that?”

Koshiro perspired a little. “ _Potentially_! A-after all, he’s been using the Crest of Darkness against Narakumon’s wishes for his empire already, so we shouldn’t underestimate anything the Digimon Kaiser is capable of.”

Silence lingered as the Chosen waited for a response, with Takeru looking at his D-Terminal in anticipation. After several moments, it finally came - though it sounded more subdued.

  
  


_So long as I am alive, he cannot touch the Chosen of Friendship, Love, Passion, or Pride._

  
  


“So long as you’re… alive?” Takeru repeated, slowly.

“Huanglongmon,” Tailmon said as she flicked her ear. “He’s the DigiGod of Miracles, remember? And he’s dead.”

Taichi rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess that’s _some_ good news…” When he noticed some odd stares, his cheeks pinked. “Not that it’s good news that he’s dead; I mean that Narakumon won’t let him get Piyomon again without another Evil Ring!”

Sora nodded. “She’s been through _enough_.”

“And so have you,” Yamato said as he glanced at the Chosen of Love.

“Yamato’s right, Sora,” Piyomon said as she patted Sora’s arm with her wing. “I’m sorry I worried you, but I’m back home now, and the Digimon Kaiser isn’t going to catch any of us by surprise like that a second time.”

Sora smiled weakly as she looked down at her partner. She still felt exhausted, with her eyes sore from both the lack of sleep and the crying she had done, but she did her best to put on a brave face. “That’s right…”

“Maybe you and Piyomon should have a sleepover at my house for a while,” Mimi said with a gentle curve of a smile. “You helped me when Palmon was gone and when she was hurt, so it’s only fair.”

Sora turned to Mimi, giving her as reassuring of a smile as she could. “That sounds fun… we should definitely do that.”

“Like you and Taichi did last night, right?” Piyomon suggested cheerfully.

Mimi’s eyes widened before taking on an intense sparkle as she turned to Sora with a growing smile. “ _Oh_? Taichi slept at _your_ place last night, Sora? When were you going to tell me?”

“G-guest room!” Sora blurted out, her face turning scarlet red. “H-he stayed in the _guest room_!”

“The _entire_ night?” Mimi teased as she leaned in close.

Taichi felt heat rise to his face. “H-hey! I was just keeping Sora company, that’s all! I didn’t want her to have to wait alone for Piyomon to wake up.”

Mimi let out a melodious hum as she tapped her lower lip. “I wonder if that’s really the only reason~!”

“P-please excuse me!” came a voice from the doorway, interrupting the conversation and sparing Sora and Taichi from further teasing. The Chosen Children all turned to see Ken Ichijouji rushing into the room, looking rather disheveled as he carried Wormmon in one arm and a wrapped box in another. “I-I’m sorry for being late…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Taichi called over. “Just come in and have a seat.”

Miyako glanced up from her laptop. “I’ll send you an email on the important points you missed after the meeting.”

Ken nodded as he smiled weakly, carefully entering the room as he carried his cargo. “T-thank you…”

Chibimon raised his tiny paws in greeting. “Hi, Ken! Hi, Wormmon!” He then paused as his nose gave a small twitch, and he turned to stare at the box. “Something smells _good_!”

Tailmon glanced at Chibimon before she gave the air a tentative sniff. “...Cookies.”

“ _Sugar_ cookies!” Chibimon agreed, excitedly.

Ken paused before he let out an awkward chuckle. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected to get very far with this surprise when a Digimon’s sense of smell is involved.”

“Ken-chan made them,” Wormmon said happily. “And I helped.”

“You made cookies?” Takeru asked, with a blink.

Ken nodded. He carefully put Wormmon down on an empty part of the sofa before opening the box. His movements were a bit shaky, particularly his hands, but he managed to safely put the open box on the table in front of the Chosen.

Immediately, the Chosen were greeted by the smell of warm, freshly baked cookies. Filling the box, sitting on a white plate, was a pile of sugar cookies. But they weren’t the standard cookies the Chosen were used to. Instead, each one had been made in the shape of a Digimon - specifically, each of the Chosen partners. Frosting had been used to decorate them, creating tiny works of delicious, delicate art.

Chibimon gaped into the box before he squealed, reaching in to grab one shaped as his head and whirling to show it to Daisuke. “Daisuke! Daisuke, Daisuke! It’s me! It’s a _me_ cookie!”

“Whoa,” Daisuke breathed, awed, before he reached out for his own Chibimon cookie. “You made these yourself, Ken? Awesome!”

Ken’s cheeks tinted lightly as he fidgeted, holding the box lid. “Y-yes. I thought… I mean, I know they’re just cookies, but...”

“Mimi, look!” Palmon said, happily lifting up her own cookie replica. “It even has tiny candy stars on the petals!” She gave her own petals a small shake, making her star decorations glimmer.

Mimi giggled as she clapped her hands. “It’s adorable~!”

Takeru picked up a Patamon cookie and regarded it with a grin before he nipped off one of the wings, then offering the other one to Patamon. The Digimon happily chomped down, a bright grin on his face. “It’s delicious, Ken. Thank you.”

Gomamon looked at his cookie counterpart as Jou lifted it up. On the cookie, his tongue was sticking out, with pink icing. He grinned up at his partner. “A dead ringer, huh?” He stuck out his tongue for emphasis, getting a laugh from Jou.

“It’s very accurate, especially for a cookie,” Koshiro said as he turned to Tentomon, who eagerly accepted his own treat.

“There’s even one for Piyomon!” Sora gasped as she picked up one of the bird Digimon, then turned to Ken.

“I… looked her up in the file Miyako had sent me,” Ken said as he looked down at the box, as others reached in to take some of the confections. “I didn’t want to leave anyone out, so…”

“This is so cool!” Piyomon chirped. “I’m glad to finally meet you, Ken.”

Ken turned his smile to Piyomon, even as he felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart. It took everything he had learned in his acting career to keep his mask from shattering. “The pleasure is mine, Piyomon. Welcome home.”

One of the cookies drew Miyako’s attention away from her note taking - it was shaped and colored to be an unmistakably familiar egg. When she picked it up, she felt a jab in her chest, reminding her of the partner who was still waiting for her.

Iori glanced at Miyako as he fed a Fufumon-shaped cookie to its namesake, who made happy noises as he got crumbs all over himself and Iori. He remained silent as he watched the emotions play across Miyako’s face before he looked away, his own expression solemn.

Taichi and Yamato felt similar stabs when they picked up cookies in the shape of their own partners, with an amazing amount of detail. The two looked at their cookies, and then at each other with a sense of pain that the other stood understood immediately.

“Man,” Yamato chuckled, softly. “Gabumon would’ve _loved_ this.” He turned to Ken, offering the younger boy a weak smile. “I hope you know you’re gonna be expected to do this again, when we get them back.”

Ken felt another stab into his heart, and he couldn’t help but flinch this time. “O-of course. Please look forward to it.” He then looked back down into the box. “I’m… sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Yamato said before he took a bite out of the cookie. “Man, this _is_ good.”

“We’ll get Agumon and the others back soon,” Taichi muttered between bites. “We just got Piyomon back, so it’s just three more to go.”

“That’s right,” Ken agreed, softly. “Just three more.”

Hikari glanced over at Ken before sharing a look with Tailmon. She wanted to talk to Ken about the Digimon Kaiser, but now was not the time with everyone crowded together.

“Speaking of which,” Yamato said as he glanced over at Koshiro, his mouth full. “Has _he_ shown his face in the Digital World since yesterday?”

“About that,” Koshiro said as he shoved the rest of his Tentomon cookie in his mouth, and spun his computer chair about to face his laptop. “It looks like the Digimon Kaiser’s figured out a new way to hide his whereabouts from the scanner.”

“What, _again_?” Taichi asked, exasperated. “What _now_?”

“I was previously tracking him based off his crest, as well as Ryo’s,” Koshiro said. “Remember?” Without waiting for a response, he typed at the computer and activated the scanner before moving his chair out of the way. “Take a look.”

As the Chosen looked at the screen, they immediately noticed two beacons on the screen - Kindness and Miracles. More importantly, they were on complete opposite ends of the world, separate from each other.

“Wait… wait!?” Yamato’s eyebrows arched up. “How can he be in two places at once!?”

“He can’t,” Takeru said as he nibbled on another cookie. “I’ll bet he sent one of the crests away, to hide his location. Maybe gave it to FlaWizarmon or Witchmon to put it at one of his bases.”

“Which he could have done the same with _both_ crests,” Iori said, furrowing his brow. “Meaning, it is possible that he is at _neither_ location.”

“...It could also be that FlaWizarmon and Witchmon are keeping Miracles away from him,” Tailmon said. “At least until they’re confident that Zeed won’t try to take over again.”

“What about Darkness?” Hikari asked.

“Darkness still isn’t showing up,” Koshiro said as he pointed at the Battlefield Memorial. “The area’s shrinking with each passing day, which means the Digimental’s been getting stronger and stronger. There’s no way we can find the crest until _after_ we’ve used the energy that’s stored up inside it.”

Hikari nodded and did her best to be discreet as she watched Ken out of the corner of her eye. “Good. Then we can use it on the Digimon Kaiser and stop Zeed Millenniumon from taking control of him again, or the Dark Ocean.”

Ken reached up to fidget with his collar, his eyes down on the now-empty box of cookies rather than the screen of the laptop. He said nothing, furrowing his brow, as he was lost in his own thoughts. He had been paranoid that they’d try to find him again, and true enough, they had done exactly as expected.

Even worse, they had deduced his plan almost immediately. Ken was only glad that it didn’t _depend_ on them not being aware of it for it to still _work_. This way, he’d be able to enter the Digital World _without_ risking immediate detection - so long as FlaWizarmon and Witchmon kept his and Ryo’s crests away. It was inconvenient, but so were his outings with the Chosen. It couldn’t be helped.

“Works for me,” Takeru said as he stood up, then turned to Mimi. “Are you ready to go evolve your Digivice?”

Mimi grimaced. While she had been looking forward to it for a very long time, the fact that her altar was all that remained of Xuanwumon’s temple completely ruined what should’ve been a triumphant moment. It was a solemn, stark reminder of the massive death they had witnessed the day before.

Sora moved to touch Mimi’s shoulder, reassuringly. “We won’t stay long. Just long enough to use the altar.”

Mimi nodded at that, even as her eyes began to water. “Right… let’s just get this over with…”

The assembled Chosen murmured their agreement before steeling themselves, setting the coordinates on the gate. Within moments, the children and Digimon disappeared, venturing back to the place they had come to dread. Only Taichi, Yamato, and Miyako remained behind, watching their friends disappear into the ether.

The welcoming sight of the Yamagi residence was replaced with barren wasteland. The human children arrived on the small island amid the massive crater Imperialdramon’s attack had made, spared from its fate by the two altars at its center - a pillar of lilies with the crest of Purity and a matching pillar of roses with the crest of Kindness. True to expectations, both were devoid of their Digimentals.

“The Digimon Kaiser must have his,” Takeru said as he approached the altar. He looked at the flowers that made up the altar, with luscious green leaves and roses of pink, red, and white. Even the central resting place where the Digimental would have stood was made out of leaves, all folded together. The altar looked far too delicate to have survived such a devastating attack.

“And Jijimon and Babamon have Purity,” Sora said as she approached the other altar. It was nearly identical to the other altar, except that it used lilies instead of roses. It strongly reminded her of Lillimon.

Mimi slowly made her way to the altar, marveling at how beautiful it looked. It was a bittersweet moment, as its beauty did little to change its surroundings. She paused to look down at her Digivice before placing it on the altar. She watched as the little holy artifact transformed before her very eyes, shifting to a light green and white upgraded Digivice like the other Chosen’s. Gently picking it up, she looked over her Digivice before holding it to her chest.

Ken watched Mimi before he turned to look at the altar of Kindness. Seeing it filled him with a sense of nostalgia - and pain. It only made sense that something so precious could bring such misery, like thorns on a rose. He reached up to fidget with his collar again, as he could feel the Crest of Darkness just under his shirt. It was so strange not to have his own, along with Ryo’s. It felt _wrong_ somehow, like the three should always be together. But, as always, situations arose that prevented it.

Hikari noticed how Ken stood at the back of the group a slight distance away from the others and took advantage of it, drawing close and speaking softly. “How are you feeling, Ken?”

Ken jumped slightly and turned to stare at Hikari before he offered her an awkward, weary smile. “I’m… fine, thank you.”

Hikari nodded slightly, but wasn’t convinced. “We’ve all been through a lot haven’t we?”

Ken paused before he looked down at the ground. “Yes, we have, haven’t we…”

“I’m worried about K-chan,” she said gently.

Ken jerked and turned to stare at Hikari, startled. “You… are?”

The reaction only made Hikari more certain of the Digimon Kaiser’s identity. “He was taken over by Zeed Millenniumon and was almost killed yesterday. He’s been through so much, and his best friends aren’t there to help him deal with any of it right now. I wish I could get him to understand that we want to be his friends too; maybe we could help him through it like we help each other. We don’t want him to suffer anymore.”

Ken stared at Hikari in silence before several moments. Then, he let out a soft chuckle as he looked away, his expression wry. “You’re absolutely amazing, Hikari. Perhaps… you should’ve been the Chosen of Kindness, instead of _him_.”

Hikari shook her head. “No. K-chan is Kindness because that’s his true nature, more so than anyone else among us. What Zeed Millenniumon and the Dark Ocean and the past have done to him… it must be hurting him so badly to make him act like this.”

Ken tightened his grip on his collar, his hand trembling slightly. He paused when he felt Wormmon grip his leg in silent support, then bent down to pick up his partner and hold him close. “You barely know him. For all you know, he’s a stupid idiot who’s only a ‘genius’ at destroying everything around him - even things he cares about.”

The emphasis on calling the Digimon Kaiser a genius caught Hikari’s attention, particularly since it was usually _Ken_ who was called that exact word. Still, she knew better than to bring too much attention to it, not yet at least. “I don’t think so. I think he’s hurting. Badly. I think he needs friends now more than ever, but he’s being pushed to…” To what? She wasn’t completely certain, but she could guess. “Whatever happened during that last battle against Zeed Millenniumon took away his friends. Maybe he’s trying to save them, but the Dark Ocean and Zeed Millenniumon are making it hard for him to think clearly about _how_.”

Ken furrowed his brow before he lifted his gaze, though he kept his eyes focused on the altar of Kindness rather than Hikari. Even as a part of him screamed that this was another opportunity to feel Hikari out, to feel out what the Chosen thought about him, the desire wasn’t enough to make the words actually come out. Not when the sight of what he was capable of, the reminder of the harm he inflicted on others, was all around him. “It’s possible.”

“What do you think about K-chan?” Hikari asked. “Why do you think he’s so desperate to do the things he does?”

Ken went quiet, tightening his arms around Wormmon as he held the Digimon to his chest. The weight and warmth of the Digimon against his chest was reassuring, as always. “I think… he wants…”

“Hey, Ken!” Daisuke said as he approached the pair. “Since we’re heading back now, how about we go have some pizza? I promised V-mon we’d have some again.” His cheeks pinked a bit as he looked at the Chosen of Light. “Y-you could come too if you’d like, Hikari-chan.”

Ken turned to Daisuke, feeling a wave of relief at the interruption - and a sense of guilt. He was quick to shove the guilt aside, however, and focus instead on the more positive feeling. “Of course, Daisuke. That sounds like a great idea.”

Hikari swallowed the pang of frustration she felt - just when she had been getting Ken to open up about what was at the heart of the Digimon Kaiser too - but she couldn’t be angry with Daisuke for wanting to do something fun. She nodded with a smile and looked down at her partner by her side. “Want to go get some pizza, Tailmon?”

Tailmon smiled as she snapped her tail. “Sounds like fun to me.”

“We could _all_ go, if you like,” Ken said, smiling.

Takeru blinked as he turned to stare at Ken. “What? But, that’d get expensive, wouldn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Ken said, with a chuckle. “I can cover it.”

Daisuke fairly beamed. “That sounds great. Hey, we can make it into a welcome back Piyomon party!”

“Party, party, party!” V-mon agreed as he raised his fists. “Welcome back, Piyomon!”

“Yeah!” Palmon agreed as she raised her hands as well.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Sora asked. “I-I mean, Digimon can eat a lot. I could try and help…”

Ken shook his head, with a bright smile. “No, no, it’s fine. I’m more than prepared to feed everyone.”

“It’s okay, So - ra~!” Piyomon chirped. “Let’s have a party and have fun! You deserve it more than I do, so let’s make it a Sora party!”

Sora paused as she looked at her partner, then smiled softly. “I’d say we _all_ need one… so how about a Chosen Children And Their Partners party?”

Piyomon nodded, her expression bright as she threw her wings up before she started bouncing around her partner. “Yeah! Party, party, party time for ev - er - y - bo - dy~!”

“Let’s party, I-o-ri~!” Fufumon agreed as he squirmed happily on his partner’s shoulder.

“Thank you for having us,” Iori said as he smiled, then placed his arms to his side and bowed slightly - just enough for the gesture to be noticeable, but not enough to dislodge his partner.

Ken’s smile brightened, warm feelings filling him. It was enough to chase away the dark cloud hanging over his head - for the moment, at least. “Of course, you’re very welcome.”

Hikari felt at ease when she saw the genuine, unguarded smile painted on Ken’s face. This was enough for now, she decided. It was more important that they help Ken by being his friends than it was to chip away at all of the barriers around the Digimon Kaiser’s heart. She turned her gaze with eyes full of hope to Tailmon, convinced more than ever that they would save him, Ryo, and Keiko.

  
  


\---

  
  


The picture of a serene ocean was more like a stormy sea with the way it tilted and vibrated from the loud music buzzing through Miyako’s bedroom wall. She considered telling Momoe to turn down the off-pitch shrieking and screeching of industrial appliances that was supposedly ‘death metal’ so that she could actually hear ‘The Eternal Council’ by Pavel Chesnokov in peace, but when their parents were out of the house it was anything goes as far as the Inoe kids were concerned. Besides, the last time she requested it, Momoe just turned up the volume of those infernal giant speakers and knocked the pictures off practically every wall in the house. Miyako was in no mood to clean up glass or reframe a dozen pictures tonight.

Miyako wasn’t even in the mood to get off her bed, not even to check her computer for messages or look up the new movie trailer for Sailor Moon. The pleasant buzz that came from the pizza party had long since evaporated by the time she got home, leaving her uncomfortably numb.

She was being patient, she really was, but it seemed like the world conspired to remind her of her lost partner at every turn.

Miyako let her gaze fall to the nightstand where the cookie that looked just like her partner rested, untouched. She had kept it carefully wrapped in a handkerchief in her pocket until she had gotten home. She told herself she was just saving it for an evening snack, but the sugary confection rested on a plate, still partially covered by the handkerchief, looking like an egg half-swaddled in a blanket.

“I really let you down, huh?” Miyako muttered.

“ _Why aren’t you rescuing him? Chosen Children always get their Chosen Digimon and their Digivices and their Crests and their Digimentals. Did you want to do it the other way?”_

Miyako grunted and wrapped her pillow around her head, but it only muffled the sound of the music and allowed Neemon’s annoying voice ring more clearly in her head.

“ _Oh! I know! You’re waiting for the Digimon Kaiser to kill all your partners and then they’ll come back!”_

While said in simple, innocent ignorance, the words were still like barbed hooks that dug in to Miyako, twisting the knife on an already painful subject. Even worse, it was hard to be angry at Neemon, as he was so dense that her emotions were completely wasted on him. It left her feeling helplessly angry, with no outlet to focus on.

“What kind of safeguard is that, anyway?” Miyako grumbled. “If our partners get captured and we can’t rescue them, it’s better for them to die so they’ll come back? Why not give us the option to teleport them any time?” Her forehead pinched. “...Like Hikari did that one time...”

As she spoke, the image of Iori’s own egg appearing after he transformed his Digivice and received his Digimental played through her mind. As it did so, Baihumon’s voice came with it.

“ _It would seem that the Chosen of Honor’s power has finally increased to the point that it overpowered whatever hindered the appearance of his egg, finally summoning its resting place to this world.”_

Miyako paused before she opened her eyes, staring blankly at the wall for several moments.

“Finally summoning…,” Miyako mumbled slowly before her eyes widened, realization dawning on her with the same force as a blow to the chest. Neither she nor Koshiro and the rest of the chatroom could ever figure out why Iori’s temple hadn’t manifested before then, when hers and Daisuke’s had appeared immediately. Even more, they hadn’t figured out the reason why it _then_ chose to appear after he finally upgraded his Digivice.

But now, it finally clicked. Unlike Daisuke and Miyako, Iori was hesitant to accept the concept of a partner from the very start. This hesitance must have lead to a subconscious refusal to extend his crest energy to his partner - the very thing they needed to evolve, and what gave them life.

It wasn’t until his Digivice had evolved that Fufumon finally found Iori, even if it was against his will. The transformation must have caused enough of a spike in Iori’s power, using the power naturally concentrated in the altar, and signalled to his partner where he was. Fufumon had been only too happy to take advantage of the moment, and manifested right in Baihumon’s temple - with or without Iori’s consent.

Miyako continued to stare at the wall for several moments before she finally turned her gaze back to the cookie in the shape of her partner’s egg - and, more specifically, her unevolved Digivice beside it.

When the three of them summoned their partners, they were in eggs. When Hikari brought Tailmon from the Digital World, it was inside of a giant egg. Whenever a Digimon was reborn it was in an egg. Perhaps there was something inherent to teleporting Digimon across space tied to their egg phase.

“Iori’s egg didn’t hatch until it was safe in his hands,” Miyako muttered as she sat up. Even through the whole trip, the shell didn’t even so much as crack - until the very instant Iori held it. “Did my egg hatch, or is it still...?” The Digimon Kaiser had snatched her egg out of her hands at the last moment, and it had remained an egg while in his grip. She had replayed the scene in her mind enough times to be certain of that.

The Digimon Kaiser was obvious in exploiting the Digimon who were useful to him - the last battle with Piyomon, Agumon, and Gabumon’s twisted evolutions were proof of that. Gomamon was returned to Jou unceremoniously, apparently due to the fact that the Digimon Kaiser couldn’t do the same to him. Perhaps then, Miyako concluded, that the Digimon Kaiser hadn’t yet given up on her egg just because it didn’t hatch, and as such the possibilities of the Digimon inside were unknown.

Or the Digimon Kaiser had something far worse in mind.

Miyako violently shook away the thought and buried her head beneath the pillow as she curled up into a ball. If she had the God Crest power of Hikari, or maybe just that little nudge of a transformed Digivice like Iori…

Come to think of it, Hikari’s Digivice changed at precisely the point she summoned Tailmon to her, didn’t she?

Miyako bolted upright, not caring how it sent her pillow tumbling off the bed. What if evolved Digivices had that sort of power? What if the reason Gomamon returned wasn’t because the Digimon Kaiser sent him back, but because the Evil Collar had been removed and Jou’s evolved Digivice had done the rest? After all, Tailmon was the only one who never had been successfully collared.

What if they could have summoned their Digimon to them all this time?

Within moments Miyako was on her feet, pacing around the room as she followed this train of thought with a dogged fervor. Granted, there were a lot of unknown factors in this hypothesis, but if conditions were favorable…

If the egg wouldn’t hatch until it was safe in her arms, it wouldn’t be collared, and without an Evil Ring, then the Digimon Kaiser’s power wouldn’t interfere with the signal from _her_ Digivice, especially if it was upgraded.

The more Miyako considered the possibility, the more she itched to test it out. The only obstacle was her woefully primitive Digivice; she _needed_ to find her altar and get it upgraded.

Fleetingly, the thought of suggesting Taichi and Yamato test her theory flittered through her mind, but Miyako banished it in an instant. With how much mental stress the more experienced Chosen Children were under as a result of losing their partners, bringing up what could be false hope was the _last_ thing they needed. She had the unpleasant ‘benefit’ of never having a chance to bond with her partner, so if her test didn’t work, well, then she’d just be waiting some more with a more powerful Digivice - hardly a poor result.

All that remained was to find the temple.

Miyako hurried over to her computer, booting up the Digital World program she and the others had helped Koshiro make. Before, they had simply wandered based off directions that had been given them, but both Koshiro and Ken had seen an end to that. The scanner, while useless for finding the Digimon Kaiser with his current tactics, was still a very valuable service.

After all, it still showed precisely where the altars were. Much like during the first demonstration, Miyako changed the screen to show the natural flow of their crest energy. It showed the dualized positions for all the altars, most of which they had already seen. However, there was still one that they hadn’t visited - the concentration of Passion and Pride, buried to the far north.

“How convenient,” Miyako said, with a small smirk. More than that, it was rather typical that her altar was at the _last_ temple. Whether it was Passion or Pride, both were in the final location the Chosen would visit - if they ever got permission from the Holy Beast that dwelled there.

Of course, given what happened to Xuanwumon, odds were great that the final Holy Beast would be even _less_ inclined to meet with the humans. There was no telling when or if he’d ever feel confident enough to allow the Chosen Children entry into his domain.

That was assuming that she intended to go in through the front door.

Miyako glanced over to her Digivice, her smirk growing in intensity.

  
  


\---

  
  


Ken reclined in his throne, dressed in full Kaiser regalia. The screens in front of him clicked by, slowly showing different areas of the Digital World still under his control. The corrupt Chosen barely paid it any mind, looking rather exhausted as his eyes half-drooped.

“You _could_ just go to bed, y’know,” FlaWizarmon said as he draped his arms over the back of the throne, dangling them to either side of Ken’s head. “Sleep never hurt nobody.”

Ken made a noncommittal sound as he continued to browse the screens.

“I mean, look at Wormmon,” FlaWizarmon said, tilting his head to look at the child Digimon in question. Wormmon had fallen asleep on his pillow, curled up peacefully as he slumbered. “He’s got the right idea. ‘Sides, who wants to come back from a party only to _work_?”

“There’s too much to do,” Ken said. “And never enough time to do it. We lost most of the army, and Piyomon.”

“It’s easy enough to get ‘em back,” FlaWizarmon said, with a shrug. “We kept Agumon and Gabumon, an’ _they’re_ the important ones.”

“Just send out some Evil Rings,” Witchmon said, with a nod. “We’ll get the numbers back in no time.” She then smiled, showing off her razor-sharp teeth. “The important thing is that Xuanwumon is dead. With him gone, there’s no risk of him finally getting the guts to stick his head out of his temple long enough to vote. Now the stalemate will continue indefinitely… we have all the time in the world.”

“Right,” FlaWizarmon nodded. “At the very least, you can get more than a couple hours of sleep every now ‘n then.”

“We don’t know how long Baihumon will remain impartial,” Ken muttered.

“Old tigerface is pretty stubborn, once he’s got his hackles raised,” FlaWizarmon said. “At the very least, he won’t start a fight if _we_ don’t.”

Witchmon leisurely stretched her arms over her head. “Which means we can actually afford to take a little time off for a change.”

Ken paused as he considered that before he slouched back. “That’s true. We’re… finally at an advantage. Well, so long as one of _them_ doesn’t try anything stupid-”

A loud beeping sound interrupted the conversation, causing all three to pause and look up at the monitor in question. It was an overview of the entire Digital World, in black and white, with a single flashing light beeping away noisily.

“Speak of the devil,” FlaWizarmon said, with a blink. “Someone just gated in.”

“Isn’t it a bit late?” Witchmon asked as she pursed her lips. “They have _school_ in the morning.”

Ken stared at the beeping light for a moment as he examined the area in question. Seconds ticked by as he furrowed his brow, trying to mentally place the location the gate had opened up at. Then, as realization filtered through, the Digimon Kaiser jerked straight up before leaping out of his chair with a startled cry. “That _idiot_!”

FlaWizarmon jerked as he turned to stare at Ken. “K-chan? What’s-”

The scarecrow never got a chance to finish his question as Ken yanked out his Dark Digivice and, with a shout, disappeared into a glowing gate of his own.

  
  


\---

  
  


Smoldering heat greeted Miyako as she arrived at the temple of Passion and Pride. The source became immediately obvious, as boiling lava surrounded her from all sides, casting the otherwise dark cavern in a deep red glow.

Miyako paused before she glanced about, finding herself on a small island at the exact center of the cavern, surrounded on all sides by the dangerous molten rock. On the island, side by side, were the altars of Passion and Pride.

The right altar, Pride, was made out of solid crystal. White quartz that glistened with hints of all the colors of the rainbow as sharp and jagged edges stuck out haphazardly around the central altar. Sitting on the altar, rather proudly, was a Digimental. Alarmingly, it looked like the skull of a dragon, with twin curved horns sticking out the back, with white markings that resembled fangs along the front. Right on what could be considered the forehead was the symbol of Pride, boldly commanding attention.

On the left side, the altar of Passion could not have been any more of a contrast. While Pride was made of rigid and sharp quartz, Passion’s altar was instead made entirely of _fire_. From the ground up, fire whirled and danced about, while still somehow maintaining the impression of a structure, with different colored flames mingling together. The flames themselves danced about a small black disk that acted as a base, supporting it when by all rights it should’ve destroyed it long ago.

Much like Pride, Passion also held its Digimental before Miyako. Reminiscent of a shinto shrine bell, the egg sat on a base reminiscent of an elegantly coiled red rope cord with matching a small red cushion with gold tassels resting on the top.

Miyako examined the two altars and their Digimentals as an idle thought of the narrative trope of ‘choose only the correct one or disaster will fall’ that she had seen in various stories. She shook away the notion and just snatched up both Digimentals at once before storing them away in her backpack. Fortunately, the costume she wore this time - bright yellow bike pants with black trim, yellow skull cap, pink turtleneck underneath a white jacket with pink bands on the sleeves, and sneakers - had one built in; she would’ve had a difficult time juggling both wearing a sentai ranger costume, after all.

All that was left was to touch the right altar with her Digimental. She considered the crystal altar of Pride, a jewel that dazzled the eye, then she looked to the altar of Passion made of living flames that flickered alluringly. It reminded her of the electricity that flowed across her skin when she first held the egg of her partner, and with that the choice of which to try first became obvious.

Placing her Digivice on the altar of Passion, she was immediately vindicated when it transformed - becoming white with light orange markings. Drawing her hand back, Miyako regarded her new Digivice with a wide smirk on her face. “Now-”

A flash of light erupted behind Miyako, catching her attention. However, she could do little more than turn to face the sudden Digital Gate before she suddenly found the Digimon Kaiser directly in front of her, lashing out to grab her arm roughly.

“How stupid _are_ you!?” the Digimon Kaiser demanded as he gripped her arm like a vice.

“ _You-_?!” Miyako sputtered as she tried in vain to pull free of the tyrant’s grasp. “Let me go!”

The Digimon Kaiser yanked back with surprising strength, pulling Miyako forcibly forward. She could only let out a scream before she was dragged into the open Digital Gate, being sucked away from the altars along with the Digimon Kaiser.

As the Digital Gate disappeared, the small island was once again left desolate.

From within the shadows of a far doorway hidden among the cavern crevices, four large glowing red eyes watched in silence. They belonged to a massive bird Digimon with eight wings on a serpent-like body, bright red with yellow and orange markings reminiscent of flames. Four red orbs floated about his black neck, while his face was obstructed by a large red beak mask, with yellow plumage around the back of his head. The silence lingered on before the bird Digimon narrowed his eyes, then turned and disappeared into the darkness once more.

  
  


\---

  
  


Miyako had very little time to process what had happened before she found herself in a large, dark room filled with computer monitors. She stumbled forward, trying to catch her balance, before the Digimon Kaiser threw her forward furiously.

Thankfully, the Chosen of Passion didn’t hit the floor, as FlaWizarmon was quick to catch her, with a smile.

“Howdy, Passion Darlin’,” FlaWizarmon said, brightly. “Out for an evenin’ stroll, are ya?”

Witchmon sighed as she placed her hand against her forehead. “You kids really have a knack for stumbling into dangerous places, don’t you, hon’?”

Indignantly, Miyako pulled away from FlaWizarmon and glared at her surroundings, as well as those present around her. In the dark light there was not much detail she could make out aside from the glowing scenes of the Digital World on the monitors. She glimpsed some sort of dark lump beside the hovering throne when the master of this fortress demanded her full attention.

“ _Idiot_!” the Digimon Kaiser screamed. He stormed about the room, stomping his feet as he waved his fists. “Idiot! Idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot _idiot_!” He then whirled to face Miyako and pointed his finger at her, accusingly. “ _You idiot_! Do you have _any_ idea how _dangerous_ that was!?”

The skittering of little feet from behind her almost made Miyako turn around, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the enraged Digimon Kaiser. Whatever was hiding in the shadows was nowhere near as dangerous as a mentally unstable child with the powers of a god.

Although Miyako knew she was at the Digimon Kaiser’s mercy, she straightened her back and folded her arms in front of her, her grip tight on her newly transformed Digivice. “No. I don’t. Enlighten me.”

“If he had seen you, he would have _incinerated_ you!” the Digimon Kaiser screeched. “If I hadn’t noticed you gate in, you’d… you’d be…!”

“You care?” Miyako asked. There was no accusation in her voice, no venom, just a question falling between them like a rock.

Ken stopped short, his eyes widening as he stared at Miyako. “Eh?” The boy paused before he stepped back, flustered. “I… ah...”

“‘Course he does,” FlaWizarmon said with a lopsided grin, which became rather hard when he turned to stare at Ken. “‘cuz the dumbass almost got his _own_ ass incinerated _rescuing_ you.”

“Wait, no, I…,” the Digimon Kaiser faltered. “That’s not…”

Witchmon floated up behind the Digimon Kaiser to place her large hands on his shoulders. “K-chan, sweetie, you didn’t even bring us along to _his_ den.”

Ken went quiet, dropping his arms down.

“Looks like we got _two_ idiots in the room, don’t we?” FlaWizarmon said, cheerfully. “Two _huge_ idiots~!”

“An idiot would act without past experiences as an indicator,” Miyako said before holding up her Digivice. “The temples have all been safe except when you bring in that war of yours, so what makes _that_ particular temple dangerous?”

“An idiot would _also_ act based off _assumptions_ ,” FlaWizarmon said as he leaned forward to poke Miyako in the cheek, only for her to smack it away. “And that’s one helluva assumption right there, Passion Darlin’.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ken grumbled. “Do you really think your _friends_ aren’t going to be just as angry once they find out what you did?”

Miyako stepped away from FlaWizarmon, her eyes still fixed on the Digimon Kaiser. “You’re dodging my question. _Why_ is that temple dangerous?”

Ken paused before he grit his teeth. While he wanted to blurt out the truth, he knew better than that. It’d only endanger her even more - if she even believed him in the first place. After what happened at Xuanwumon’s temple, there was no way he’d ever expose them like that again.

When the silence stretched on and on, Miyako decided he needed further provocation. “I was there to get the Digimentals and upgrade my Digivice to test a theory that I could use it to get back my partner.” She held out her empty hand. “If you care about any of us not doing anything so reckless like that just to get our partners back, you’ll return them and stick with every other bloody Digimon in the Digital World to use as your slaves until we cure you.”

Ken jerked before he bristled, lifting his gaze to glare at Miyako. “You… you went _there_ … for something like _that_!?”

Miyako couldn’t see the Digimon Kaiser’s gaze, but she could feel it, and she glared back even harder, her voice coming out in a dangerous hiss. “Tell me you wouldn’t if it was _your_ partner.”

Ken faltered, flinching slightly. He stared at Miyako in silence before several moments, his fists clenching and unclenching, before he lowered his head. Then, gritting his teeth, he let out a scream of frustration and grabbed his whip, lashing the ground in front of Miyako.

Not even waiting to see her reaction, the Digimon Kaiser whirled and stomped away into the darkness, disappearing from view with only his angry footsteps hinting at his departure.

FlaWizarmon watched Ken as he stormed off, then turned to Miyako and let out a heavy sigh and reached up to pull the brim of his hat over his eyes. “Honestly, you kids are gonna be the death of me.”

“I take it now I’m your hostage again?” Miyako asked as she glanced between the pair of Digimon.

Witchmon shook her head and clucked her tongue. “I don’t think K-chan could stand keeping someone like you locked up anywhere near him.”

“You two know he’s sick,” Miyako said. The seconds of silence that followed served as enough of an answer for her accusation. “Why are you encouraging it?”

“We ain’t any happier about this than you are,” FlaWizarmon said, his voice devoid of his usual cheer. “If there was any other way, we wouldn’t be letting him have _anything_ to do with all of this.”

Witchmon moved closer to Miyako, her eyes sad. “Sweetie, K-chan is responsible for basically everything you see here.” She threw her arms out to the sides. “Tell me, what makes you think we could do _anything_ to help him if we weren’t on his side?”

Miyako’s expression skewed with distaste, but she was given no chance to respond.

“K-chan is sick _because_ of the war,” Witchmon said. “He survived the worst of it because he sat on the sidelines and had to watch as everyone he loved disappeared. He’d break the Digital World in half if that’s what it took to finish it, and none of us, not even you, can stop him. So the best thing we can do is keep him from breaking in the process.”

“Any more than he already is,” FlaWizarmon agreed, with a nod.

Miyako let their words sink in, the gears turning in her head. “So you’re performing a controlled burn on a forest fire. But what abo-”

The sound of harsh footsteps against tile caught Miyako’s ear and she turned to the doorway just in time for the Digimon Kaiser to return. What he carried with him brought her thoughts to a complete halt.

The Digimon Kaiser held Miyako’s egg firmly in his hands as he emerged from the darkness, storming towards her as if he had done the entire walk in a rage. Stomping right up to the Chosen of Passion, Ken shoved the unhatched egg towards Miyako with great force, causing her to automatically grab it lest it drop.

“You better not forget what you said!” the Digimon Kaiser snapped. “If you do, I’ll take it right back!”

Miyako clutched the egg close to her breast, her heart racing at the sight of it. It looked exactly as it did when she first saw it, held the same gentle warmth that made it hard for her to doubt that it was. There was no cracks, no Evil Ring wrapped around it, and no other sign of tampering, but she couldn’t simply accept such sudden generosity.

“So…” Miyako paused to wet her lips. “You’re trading my partner for a promise never to go back to that temple then?”

“Or anywhere else so recklessly and _stupidly_ dangerous!” the Digimon Kaiser snapped.

“Send me a map of all the dangerous areas with information as to why we shouldn’t go there,” Miyako said. “If you didn’t notice, we keep getting left in the dark about what the hell is even going on in the Digital World, so how are we supposed to know what’s safe, especially when you’re enslaving all of it and coming after us too?”

“Just use some common sense!” Ken snapped. “If you have to sneak in, chances are you _shouldn’t be there_!”

Miyako nearly pointed at the Digimon Kaiser, but couldn’t bring herself to move either arm away from her egg. “I snuck in to avoid _you!_ ”

“You didn’t ask _him_ to be let in, so it still counts as sneaking!” Ken retorted as he pointed at Miyako.

“It’s our temple!” Miyako snapped.

“Tell that to _him_!” Ken snorted dismissively, then paused as he realized what he said. “No! Don’t! Don’t go _near_ him! Don’t talk to him, don’t look at him, don’t _anything_ to, for, or with him!”

Miyako’s expression deadpanned. “That’s going to be hard if I don’t have the slightest idea who the hell you’re talking about!”

“The last Holy Beast!” Ken snapped, stamping his foot in frustration. “Zhuqiaomon!”

Miyako’s mouth contorted into a twisted line, but she tried to keep herself calm; she was finally starting to get somewhere. “Why would he try to kill me for getting my Digimental?”

“Because he’s-!” Ken began to blurt out before he caught himself, pausing. He went quiet for a moment before he shook his head. “No! Just stop arguing with me, _listen_ to what I’m saying, and _go home_!”

“I _am_ listening,” Miyako said, trying not to grit her teeth in frustration. “You’re the one stopping yourself from telling me why something is dangerous. If I don’t know why someone wants me dead, how I can stay safe or tell the others how to stay safe too?”

Ken lapsed into silence again, lowering his gaze to the floor. After several moments, he lifted his gaze to stare at Miyako through his glasses. “Zhuqiaomon is the enemy of every Chosen Child.”

“Why?” Miyako asked, her brow furrowing. “Is it because of what you’ve been doing to the Digital World?”

The Digimon Kaiser flinched, as if he had been struck, before his anger returned in full force. Biting back a growl, Ken yanked out his black Digivice and aimed it directly at Miyako. “ _Go - home - now_!”

The command rung loudly in Miyako’s ears before she was suddenly kicked out the Digital World, as if she had been thrown. Before she could even recover from the force, Miyako found herself being tossed roughly onto her on bed, staring at her bedroom ceiling. She barely had the wherewithal to curl protectively around her egg, using her body to protect it from the impact.

The Chosen of Passion grimaced before she flopped back on her bed, her egg resting comfortably on her stomach. Staring at the ceiling, she opened her mouth to speak when a loud crack cut her off.

In alarm, Miyako jerked up to stare down at her egg. The shell was splintering in front of her, with increasing speed. Before she could even begin to suspect that she had actually damaged it during the transfer, the egg exploded to reveal the Digimon within it - a little white puff ball with large black eyes and rabbit-like ears with black tips.

“What a rude brat,” the Digimon said with a huff in a delicate, regal voice. “After all that, he _still_ didn’t answer your question!”

Despite being roughly tossed out of the Digital World, Miyako found herself smiling at her partner. “At least I got _something_ from that little talk.” She reached up to fondly stroke her partner’s head. “Thanks for waiting until we left to hatch. It’s nice to finally meet you…”

“Pafumon!” the Digimon said brightly.

Miyako lifted up her glasses to brush aside the unwanted dampness that made it hard for her to keep staring at her partner. “Pafumon. I’m so glad we finally get to meet.”

“So am I!” Pafumon said, flicking her ears. “There’s no way I would’ve let that brat be the first person to see me!” She then squirmed happily in the remains of her egg. “Now we can be together forever, Miyako!”

Miyako sighed in contentment as she hugged Pafumon close. “That’s right. Together forever - exactly how it should be. Welcome home, Pafumon.”

 


	38. Chapter Thirty Seven

Dawn came to the Hida residence, bringing with it gentle sunbeams and crisp morning air that wandered their way into the dojo. The atmosphere would have been peaceful, save for the furious blows of Iori’s bokken as they struck the straw training dummy with intense force.

Iori had been up for quite some time at that point, though it had little to do with his morning ritual. While he certainly went through the motions, his actions were far sloppier than they had any business to be. Each and every mistake was a fresh blow to his pride, though he kept moving forward.

Fufumon sat on a cushion, safely watching from the sidelines with bright and eager eyes. He saw nothing wrong with Iori’s stance or his blows, though he admittedly would never find fault in anything his Chosen did.

However, Iori couldn’t stop thinking - not about his poor form, but something else entirely. He couldn’t stop thinking about how completely pointless he felt.

Iori narrowed his eyes as he puffed, swinging his arms almost mechanically even as his mind wandered far and away from where he was. Visions filled his mind of Imperialdramon flying through the air and crushing enemies like insects before vaporizing them with no effort. The monstrous dragon Digimon dwarfed everything around him, a terror that had quite literally rivaled a god.

And Iori had stood there with his stupid wooden stick, thinking he had any hope of achieving anything but his own death - and the deaths of those that had depended on him.

Iori grit his teeth as he smacked the dummy with his bokken, his jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. In his mind, he visualized Imperialdramon turning to glare down at him as he stood before the behemoth, pointing his bokken at him.

A bokken that did absolutely nothing, save disintegrate into ash with the rest of him as Imperialdramon spat out a blast of energy at him.

Iori spat out a curse before he threw the bokken against the wall, hearing it clatter noisily before falling to the ground in a lump.

Without anything to vent his frustration on, Iori’s entire body gave a shudder before he collapsed to his knees, sinking to the floor. He bowed his head as he panted, closing his eyes.

“I-o-ri!” Fufumon called as he hopped over to his partner, before climbing into his lap. “Did you win? Did you beat the straw man?”

Iori panted for several moments before he shook his head. “No. I didn’t. I lost.”

“Really?” Fufumon asked, his eyes wide, before he smiled. “Well, that’s okay~! You tried reaaaally hard, and that’s what matters!”

“No, it’s not,” Iori said, his voice low. “‘Trying really hard’ doesn’t protect anyone. People still  die .”

Fufumon let out a quizzical hum as he tilted his head. After a moment, he perked up with a bright smile once again. “Well, that’s why  everyone needs to try hard! If we all work together-”

“Useless, totally useless,” Iori murmured.

Fufumon blinked before he furrowed his brow. “I - o - ri?”

“There was nothing I could do,” Iori said, his voice soft. “Nothing I could  ever do. That thing… whatever that thing was that V-mon had become, there was  nothing I could do.”

“Well, that’s because it was up to Daaaaaaaisuke!” Fufumon said, with a nod. “V-mon is his partner, so Daisuke had to be the one to reach him!”

“Are there other Digimon like that?” Iori asked, his voice shaking. “Other Digimon who can… who are…”

Fufumon hummed thoughtfully. “I’m sure there aaaaare.” He perked up. “But that’s fine~! It just means I have to work harder and get even stronger! That way, if we  do come up against such strong Digimon, I’ll be ready!”

“How?” Iori asked, trembling. “How can you possibly do that? You’re so small!” He opened his eyes to a warped vision of his partner as tears filled them. “You’re so small! How can you possibly get that strong?!”

“Because I have  you , I - o - ri!” Fufumon said, cheerfully. “With you, I can get as strong as I need to! I’ll protect you, and Mi - ya - ko, and ev - ery - one!”

Iori stared at his partner, tears slowly trickling down his cheeks. “How? I can’t… I can’t even give you my energy. I can’t even…” No matter what, he couldn’t bring himself to trust in his tiny partner - to believe in him. He couldn’t say the words, but he knew it was true.

“That’s fine~!” Fufumon said. “I’ll just try hard, until you  can believe in me!”

Iori stopped at that, staring at his partner. “Fufumon...?”

“Just you watch!” Fufumon said as he puffed up, his smile becoming determined. “I’ll become so strong and protect  everyone !”

Iori trembled before he closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around his partner to hold him tightly to his chest. He hunched over as his body shook, tears flowing freely. “Fufumon...”

“It’ll be okay, I - o - ri!” Fufumon said as he nuzzled his partner. “Just watch!”

“I w-will,” Iori choked out. “I’ll watch… so-” He paused as a sudden light appeared, startling him. His eyes flew open wide as he jerked back instinctively to stare as Fufumon glowed in his hands, even as the Digimon grinned at him. “Fufumon!?”

Suddenly, Fufumon shifted before Iori’s eyes. His golden body grew serpent-like, save for tiny flippers where his feet and arms would be. His single unicorn horn disappeared, instead replaced with two long, sharp purple-tipped horns that curved back, with smaller red-tipped horns protruding out the back of his head. A gray underbelly snaked its way from his jaw, down his stomach, to the tip of his tail, and black markings slashed vertically across his sharp green eyes, vivid against the black outlines. The Digimon looked up at Iori, his expression fierce and filled with determination.

“Keep watching me, I - o - ri!” the Digimon said. “We can do this  together! ”

“Fufu… mon?” Iori repeated, slowly.

“I’m Kyokyomon, now!” Iori’s partner replied, triumphantly. “And with your help, I’ll only get stronger! Strong enough for the both of us!”

Iori stared at his partner before his expression softened, his eyes still moist but no longer spreading the tears across his face. A small smile appeared on his face as he reached up to pet Kyokyomon on the head. “I’ll do my best, Kyokyomon.”

From the doorway of the dojo, Iori’s mother watched the scene with a furrowed brow. Neither Iori nor his little friend had seen her, and she meant to keep it that way as she retreated back into the house with quiet footsteps. She didn’t understand anything she had seen, or where the little monster had come from, but it seemed that whatever storm had come over her son had passed - for the moment.

When he was ready to tell her the rest, she’d listen. But for now, she could only hope that his special little friend could help him get through it.

 

  

\---

  

The Yamagi residence was crowded, as always. Most of the Chosen had already arrived for their daily meeting, though thankfully the mood was considerably brighter than it had been the day before.

“I know I said it before, but thank you again,” Takeru said as he turned to smile at Ken, Patamon in his lap. “I had a really good time.”

“We  all did,” Yamato agreed as he rested his elbows on the back of the sofa, standing behind Takeru. “I think we all really needed that.”

“You’re very welcome,” Ken said, with a smile. “I had fun, too. We should really do that again, sometime.”

Sora nodded. “It’s easy to forget how important it is to keep morale up. We should keep that in mind from now on, and make sure we take the time to recover before we rush back into danger again.”

“Yeah,” Taichi agreed. “We’re not trapped in the Digital World, so it’s not like we have no choice. It’s just easy to forget when things get… heavy.”

“I had a lot of fun!” Kyokyomon said as he bounced about on Iori’s shoulder, excitedly. “And so did Iori!”

Iori smiled at his partner before he glanced about, furrowing his brow. “Miyako is late…” He turned to his bag to take out his D-Terminal, flipping it open. “And she didn’t send a message saying she would be, either.”

Takeru blinked as he turned to look at Iori. “That’s strange. She’s usually the first one here.”

Ken paused at that and glanced at Iori and Takeru before he furrowed his brow. He tightened his grip on Wormmon, to hide the way his hands twitched. He wanted to quickly check and see if Miyako had gone back on her word, but was doing his best to give her a bit more time before he excused himself and began a manhunt. With FlaWizarmon and Witchmon watching the monitors, they’d see her quickly enough if she  had gone somewhere she shouldn’t have -  again .

“Stupid idiot…” he thought, with a sigh. “Honestly, none of them have  any idea-”

A chime cut through the air, snapping Ken’s head up to see Koshiro pull out his D-Terminal. The Chosen of Knowledge frowned at what he saw.

“It’s Miyako,” Koshiro said. “She’s on her way. She says she got in trouble with her parents over loud music and had to take a shift at her family’s store for a few hours for it. She would’ve sent an email sooner, but she didn’t want to risk them seeing her typing on the D-Terminal.”

“Her… music?” Iori repeated, slowly. It couldn’t have been the classical music, so all he could imagine was that they must have heard some of her pop-music instead.

“Huh,” Yamato blinked before he turned to grin at Taichi. “I never would’ve imagined Miyako could get in trouble for  anything , let alone something like  that .”

Koshiro shrugged. “Me either.”

“Indeed,” Iori said, thoughtfully. “She’s normally much more discreet. She’s very good at hiding her hobbies from her parents.”

Takeru quirked an eyebrow as he looked at Iori. “I, uh, don’t think that’s really the issue…”

Ken tried to keep his expression from facefaulting. There was something a bit bewildering about worrying that the worst had happened, only to find out it was something as mundane as  parent troubles . “I… see.”

“That’s so weird,” Daisuke said before he looked over at Ken seated next to him. “It’s probably not weird to you, but you don’t go to school with her - the teachers  love Miyako, probably wish all kids were her. It’d be like if  you got grounded!”

Ken blinked slowly as he tried to visualize his parents grounding him. In the end, he completely failed and could only let out a small ‘snrk’, covering his mouth and nose with his hands. Neither had the backbone for it, between his mother’s spineless fluster and his father’s pointless masculine bluffing as ‘patriarch of the family’. More than that, it’d require that they actually pay attention to him for more than five minutes, and  that was humorous all on its own. “Y-yes, I think I can see why that’d be… hard to take.”

“Since she’s on her way, we’ll just wait for her,” Jou said. “Then we can decide what to do next.”

The other Chosen Children murmured their agreement, none in any particular rush to ruin the good mood just get and get to work. Even a small reprieve was still welcome enough to delay the heavy topics for as long as they could.

It wasn’t that long after - five minutes at most - before Miyako arrived with a smile and a backpack. “Hi everybody! Sorry for being late, but I’ve got some  great news that’ll make up for it.”

Before anyone could even begin to greet Miyako, Pafumon drifted upwards out of the girl’s backpack and landed on her head, grinning brightly. “And that great news is named  Pafumon~ !” The baby Digimon flashed the Chosen a wide grin, showing off her teeth. “Charmed, I’m sure~!”

The Chosen Children in the Yamagi residence all stopped to stare at the new Digimon, their expressions completely blank as it took them several moments to realize what they were seeing. Pafumon continued to grin, her ears wiggling, as she soaked in the stares without shame.

“That’s… a Digimon,” Takeru said, slowly.

“Yes,” Yamato agreed. “That is… definitely a Digimon.”

Hikari rose from her seat to approach Miyako and Pafumon, her eyes wide in wonder. “Miyako… is that your…?”

“I am!” Pafumon said, proudly. “I’m Miyako’s partner! Be amazed!”

Miyako giggled, practically bursting with excitement. “Isn’t she fabulous?”

“That’s… how?” Iori asked, gawking at the tiny Digimon. “Didn’t the Digimon Kaiser-!?”

“I’ll be sending all of you the events in full detail tonight,” Miyako said, “but the short version is I talked the Digimon Kaiser into giving her back.”

“You did  what !?” Iori demanded, standing up abruptly as he nearly jostled Kyokyomon from his perch. “When!? How!?”

Daisuke’s jaw dropped as he hung over the back of the couch to gawk at Miyako. “How the hell did you pull  that  off?”

Miyako tilted her head back slightly and considered how best to condense the story. “Basically I stopped by the last temple to pick up our last two Digimentals, figuring the Holy Beast was on our side like the others, but it’s apparently so homicidal against humans the Digimon Kaiser himself showed up to yank me out of there before Zhuqiaomon caught me. He gave me back my egg if I promised not to go off on my own again in the Digital World, even to places that we think might be safe.”

At seeing the astonished faces surrounding her, Miyako reached back into her backpack to retrieve the two Digimentals. “I’m Passion by the way, so I guess Pride must be yours, Ken, since that’s the only one left unaccounted for.”

Ken jumped at the sound of his name and turned to stare at Miyako, and then the Digimentals. “Ah, I… oh.” He faltered before he fidgeted, holding Wormmon close even as the newly christened Chosen of Passion approached him to offer the Digimental of Pride. “T-thank you. I suppose that solves one mystery...!”

Tailmon glanced at Ken before she wordlessly turned to look at Hikari.

Hikari looked back at Tailmon, her expression troubled. The presence of Pride and their recent revelation about Ken revealed a new problem that they hadn’t even realized before - there was still one more Chosen Child out there that they didn’t know about.

“The Digimon Kaiser…!” Iori sputtered before his expression grew livid. “Miyako! That was…  beyond reckless!”

“And brilliant!” Pafumon said, proudly. “Because she now has  me ~!”

“You could have been kidnapped!” Iori snapped. “Or  worse , if the Digimon Kaiser’s to be believed!”

Miyako shrugged. “I’ll admit it, I underestimated the danger. With how Mimi’s been going off on her own a lot in the Digital World to visit Kyoumon so often, and everyone heads off to the temples to recharge, I made an error in judgment. It won’t happen again, especially not with Pafumon to protect me. I made the mistake of assuming Zhuqiaomon was on our side, but given how badly freaked out the Digimon Kaiser was about him, I don’t think it was just Dark Ocean paranoia going on there.”

Iori faltered at that, particularly at the reminder that the others made constant trips by themselves. Even worse, Miyako wasn’t arguing with him - she was readily admitting that she had done something dangerous. “That is…”

Ken stared at Miyako, stunned. He had expected her to sugarcoat what she had done, or try to spin it some way to lessen the anger directed at her. Instead, she was being completely honest - and blunt. Even more, she was owning up to it so casually, without any defensiveness like he had seen the night before.

“I can’t exactly blame him. He probably doesn’t trust us, thanks to one of us going off the deep end,” Yamato said, crossing his arms. “I mean, Xuanwumon was locked up in his fortress and refused to see us at all, and he  still got blown to bits.” In the end, Xuanwumon had refused to even let them visit the altar - which they ultimately did anyway. Of course, by that point, there was no Holy Beast left to care.

“Yeah. He has a lot of reasons to think humans are out to kill him,” Taichi agreed. “And in at least one case, he’s not  wrong .”

“That was my first thought too,” Miyako said. “I don’t think the Digimon are very happy about the recent human presence in the Digital World given, you know, everything involving the Digimon Kaiser.”

“Fight or flight reflex,” Iori said, slowly. “Some flee, others attack.”

“I think the only reason Baihumon agreed to see us is because he’s not afraid of us,” Tailmon said, with a snap of her tail.

“I don’t think he even knows the  meaning of fear,” Takeru said, with a chuckle. “He’s not even afraid of being killed. To him, it’s just one more battle.”

“But, hey, we did verify one thing,” Miyako said with a crooked smile. “The Digimon Kaiser is definitely unstable, but everyone is right about him - he doesn’t want us to get killed and he’s trying to save us in his own messed up way.”

“What about Agumon and Gabumon?” Taichi asked as thoughts began to form. “Do you think if we try to-”

“I would think it’d be better  not to endanger ourselves any more than we already have,” Ken said, his voice surprisingly sharp. His expression remained harsh, even when the other Chosen turned to stare at him. “Especially not on theories and possibilities.”

“Ken has a point,” Miyako said, though it gave her a sour taste on her tongue. “I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat to get Pafumon back, but the only reason it worked was because the Digimon Kaiser  chose to give me back her egg. It’s probably better to just keep going after the Kaiser directly about Agumon and Gabumon and either talk him down or snatch them back, whichever comes first.”

“I agree,” Sora said as she nodded. “Besides, if he really is that determined to get Omegamon, I get the feeling that he wouldn’t give them back for  any reason.”

“Right,” Miyako said. “I argued for them too before he gave me Pafumon’s egg. If he was going to do it to keep Taichi and Yamato from doing what I did, he probably would’ve done it by now.”

“But I don’t get it,” Jou said, frowning. “Why did he give you your egg back? He didn’t give anyone else  their  partner back.”

Hikari tried to be discreet as she looked at Ken while her face was directed at Jou. “I think he did. Remember when Gomamon came back to you? He didn’t have an Evil Ring on him, and we haven’t heard that anyone went to rescue him.”

Ken’s fingers twitched before he tightened his grip on Wormmon, holding the insect Digimon tightly against his chest as he kept his face unreadable.

“Wait, what!?” Jou turned to stare at Hikari. “You think…  he’s the one that saved Gomamon!?”

“I don’t buy it,” Daisuke said, frowning. “Tiny Tower’s the one who kidnapped and brainwashed all of them in the first place.”

“And he did terrible things to them,” Mimi whispered before she bent down to pick up Palmon and hug her partner tight.

“Jou was attacked,” Tailmon said as she turned to look at Daisuke. “Remember? When we tried to get Gomamon back, and we found that… bizarre Digimon instead. He went right for Jou. If Witchmon hadn’t intervened...” She trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.

Jou immediately went silent as the memory made his blood run cold. Gomamon’s expression became grim and he moved closer to his partner, protective even though the danger had long since passed.

Iori’s cheek twitched at the memory. The Digimon had been abnormally fixated on him, and in turn attacked everyone around him. He didn’t know if the Digimon had wanted to goad him or just didn’t care, but it was still inexcusable.

“But he was the one that was  controlling that Digimon!” Yamato said, with a sweeping gesture. “It had an evil ring!”

“Some of the Digimon seem to have more free will than others,” Ken said, doing his best to keep his voice neutral even if he wanted to scream that they were all wrong - and that he never approved of Gladimon’s actions. “From what we’ve seen, at any rate. Sometimes they have no will whatsoever, and others have enough will to carry a conversation. It’s hard to say how much was Gladimon’s own will and how much was the Digimon Kaiser’s.”

“We never did figure out why some Digimon have more free will than others,” Yamato said, slowly. “But we do know that our partners never had  any will.”

“It could be like with Tailmon,” Sora said as she glanced to the Digimon in question. “It had no effect on her whatsoever. Maybe it can’t work on all Digimon? Maybe some Digimon are immune to it, or have some kind of resistance.”

“Like those Digimon he was fighting while attacking Xuanwumon!” Koshiro said, slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand. “He didn’t even try to take control of them, or the other army!”

“Maybe the Holy Beasts are immune, too,” Takeru said. “He didn’t even try to put any Dark Towers around Baihumon’s land, so we could evolve there just fine!”

“K-chan isn’t evil,” Hikari said, her voice like silk wrapped around iron. “In his mind, he’s  saving all of us and the Digital World, even if that means the Digimon suffer in order for it to happen. It doesn’t make sense to us because we’re not being influenced by the Dark Ocean and Zeed Millenniumon. Even still, he’ll always be the Chosen of  Kindness .”

Ken turned to look at Hikari in spite of himself, his expression softening. It still amazed him that Hikari spoke so positively about someone she barely knew - even when he was doing things that she considered horrific. She was truly the Chosen of Light, whether she realized it or not.

Miyako looked to Takeru. “Maybe someone who’s been tainted has some insight into what he might be thinking.”

Takeru paused as he considered that before he looked thoughtful. “The whole time I was tainted, I just… kept thinking that I had to do everything myself. That I couldn’t trust anyone, that everyone was judging me for ‘being weak’ and didn’t think I could handle anything. And that I couldn’t trust  anyone else .” He turned to look at Patamon who stood on the back of the sofa, the Chosen of Hope’s smile becoming wry. “It was me against the world… and no one could understand me, or wanted to understand me.”

Patamon’s wings drooped a bit before he took flight to be closer to his Chosen Child. “I’m glad that’s over with now, Takeru.”

“So am I,” Takeru said as he reached over to touch the top of his partner’s head.

“So if it’s anything like the Digimon Kaiser, he thinks he has to save the world by himself,” Yamato said. “But then he’s really not, is he? He’s using Digimon to do the work for him.”

“ Controlled Digimon,” Takeru pointed out, lifting his right hand to point at his brother. “Digimon that do what he says, when he says, no matter what he says.”

“Whether they want to or not,” Mimi muttered against Palmon’s petals.

“Which means he doesn’t have to trust them,” Sora said, her eyes widening. “He just has to trust in his own ability to control them.”

Koshiro let out a rumbling hum in his throat as he touched his chin. “That’d explain why Witchmon killed Gladimon instead of just ordering him away. If his Evil Rings aren’t effective at controlling certain Digimon the way the Digimon Kaiser wants, then those Digimon are just another enemy to him.”

Ken looked down at the back of Wormmon’s head, a slight tremor running through his body. He couldn’t speak up to defend himself, even if he wanted to. It was a terrible feeling, but it was far too risky to try and say anything. It was better to just let them talk and hope the conversation would end soon.

“So his Evil Rings aren’t the be-all-end-all tool we thought they were,” Yamato said as he rested his arms against the back of the sofa, standing behind Takeru. “But if he can’t trust anyone, why is he trusting those two? FlaWizarmon and Witchmon. They seem to have pretty much free reign.”

“Because they’re friends,” Miyako said with a slight shrug. “I’ll write up the transcript with my report, but pretty much what they said was that they’re loyal to the Digimon Kaiser before his cause. I can pretty much get why friendship would go that far. If Iori suddenly decided to take over the world, I know I’d be right there by his side trying to talk him down even if it meant I had to take over cities while doing it.”

Iori’s expression grew wry, as he wasn’t entirely certain if he should feel touched or amused. “Well, I know who to depend on if I ever decide to switch from kendo to global conquest.”

Miyako smirked. “What can I say? I couldn’t be your enemy even it meant switching sides.”

“That’s right, that’s right!” Kyokyomon said as he flapped his flippers, hovering above his partner’s head. “It’d help I - o - ri too, because I know he’d have to have a good reason!”

“Then I suppose I’d better do my best not to drag you two down to hell with me,” Iori said, chuckling.

“Exactly!” Pafumon agreed. “Besides, Miyako’s more like a ruler than a general. You can lead  her army instead.”

“Shh!” Miyako mock whispered as she raised her finger to her lips. “Don’t give away my secret plans for world domination.”

Takeru cracked a sly smile. “Well, you should probably wait at least until after college. Maybe take politics or economics first. They might be helpful for ruling the world.”

Miyako continued to smile, though her expression grew a bit more sober as she placed her hands on her hips. “I was going to get into politics when I grew up until I found out about Digimon. This is way more important.”

“Yeah,” Yamato agreed. “I can’t even think about college - or anything else - when  this is going on. There’s no way I’d just leave the Digital World to rot.”

“Especially not for some mind-numbing office job,” Taichi snickered.

“Salaryman or savior of the Digital World,” Yamato said, cracking a smile as he glanced to Taichi. “What a hard choice.”

Taichi flashed a wide smile in return. “The only job we have over here is being amatadors to the Digital World.”

Sora paused as she faltered at Taichi’s words, before realization dawned on what the Chosen of Courage had meant. “Ambassadors.”

Taichi blinked at Sora then blushed, which only deepened when the others started giggling. “Uh, yeah, what she said.”

Ken watched the Chosen throughout their silly conversation, the tension leaving his face. Watching them interact, it made him feel wistful. But on the same token, it gave him hope - hope that maybe they might start to understand him.

Which would be the perfect time to get them all killed .

Ken flinched slightly and bit his lower lip, glancing down.

“Anyway, now we have more Digimentals,” Takeru said as he turned to Miyako. “Enough for almost everyone, I think. We should think about seeing who’d be best with what.”

“We should also think about taking Ken to the altar of Pride to get his Digivice upgraded,” Yamato agreed.

“N-n-no, no, that’s fine!” Ken said as he raised his hands as though to ward off the awful idea, nearly dropping both Wormmon and ‘his’ Digimental. While he recovered quickly enough to catch the insect Digimon, the Digimental wasn’t so lucky.

Thankfully, Daisuke was quick to grab the Digimental of Pride before it fell off Ken’s leg. “Hey, don’t Digimentals evolve Digivices? Ken can just do it right now.” He eyed the draconic features of the Digimental. “Or maybe I could borrow it and see what kind of badass dragon it’ll evolve Chibimon into?”

“I-it’s fine, please don’t worry on my account,” Ken said, shaking his head. “I… it’d be useless for me.” He trailed off before he looked down at Wormmon. “I-I mean, I’d rather not give Zhuqiaomon any more reason to distrust us, and it’d be better for someone who can actually fight to keep the Digimental.”

“Actually, I don’t think we should use them,” Hikari said as she drew closer to the boys and gently took the Digimental of Pride from Daisuke. “If Zhuqiaomon really is that dangerous, then we can’t recharge these Digimentals without risking a fight with him.”

Ken felt a wave of relief as Hikari took the Digimental, which he could barely hide as he slouched back in the couch. “That’s… that’s true…”

Takeru’s eyes widened. “You’re right. Once they run dry, we’re out of luck.”

Pafumon huffed, her cheeks puffing up in a pout. “That’s totally stupid. They’re not even  his altars!”

“It’s fine,” Miyako said. “Ken doesn’t want to fight, remember? Besides, the Digimon Kaiser isn’t the final boss we need to take down, so Pafumon and I can just focus on practicing regular evolution where there’s no Dark Towers until we can all get him on our side.”

Ken turned his grateful gaze to Miyako. It was a relief that he had people willing to say the words for him, even if he was having trouble saying them himself. “Thank you…”

Miyako’s gaze softened as she turned to Ken and smiled. “Don’t worry about it. We’re friends, you know?”

“R-right,” Ken said with a nod, his face turning red as his heart squeezed in his chest.

“It’s okay, Daisuke!” Chibimon said as he raised his paws. “Once we stop the Digimon Kaiser, Zhuqiaomon is sure to see that we’re the good guys! Then, we can totally use the Digimentals as many times as we want to evolve into cool dragons!”

Daisuke grinned as he raised his fist to bump it lightly against Chibimon’s paw. “Yeah!”

A loud chime interrupted the conversation, causing all the Chosen to jump. They all shared glances before turning to their D-Terminals, to see what Narakumon had to offer.

  

While it would not be nearly as effective as the altars of Pride and Passion, the Digimentals can be charged on my altar. Darkness is a fundamental part of both. It will simply take much longer than their respective altars.

  

“Huh, really?” Daisuke asked before his eyes widened. “So we can try them out now!?”

“Sounds like it,” Yamato said. “So long as we know they’ll take longer to charge than the others.”

“It’s inconvenient, but it means we can still make use of them,” Tailmon said as she turned to Hikari.

“Well then, why don’t we go into the Digital World and try swapping the Digimentals around?” Takeru asked. “See what we get.”

“It’d be good to know what our options are in a battle,” Koshiro said. “If we can surprise our opponents and keep them guessing about what our strategies are, then we would have a huge advantage.”

Piyomon jumped up in front of Sora, flapping her wings to keep herself as close to her Chosen Child’s face as possible while she spoke. “I want to try our Digimental, Sora. I want to see what kind of Digimon I’ll evolve into!”

“Yes, let’s do that!” Sora said as she stood up. “Let’s go to one of the safe areas and just try everything out!”

“Oh, I know!” Mimi said as she clapped her hands together. “Let’s go to the Battlefield Memorial! That way we can visit Kyoumon too. I’m sure he’ll have lots of fun watching our Digimon change into different evolutions.”

Ken stopped at that, his eyes widening. “The… the Battlefield Memorial…?” His voice went weak as the very name sent a chill through his body.

“Sounds good,” Taichi said as he folded his arms. “That’s probably the only place we know the Digimon Kaiser won’t show.”

Koshiro nodded as he went to his laptop to prepare the Digital Gate. “We can also check to see how the Digimental of Darkness is doing while we’re there.”

Hikari couldn’t help but show the pity she felt for Ken in her expression and placed her hand on his shoulder. “You can go ahead and sit this one out, Ken. You probably have a full schedule tomorrow, right?”

Ken turned to stare at Hikari as relief once again flooded his features, this time far too enormous for him to hold back. It was hard enough coming up with constant excuses, but Hikari’s support made it far more easier on him. “Y-yes! I… t-thank you!”

Daisuke couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Again? You sure you can’t stick around just a little longer, Ken?”

Miyako’s expression deadpanned. “You just want to see what kind of dragon his Digimental will change Chibimon into.”

Daisuke’s cheeks pinked as he shook his head. “Well, yeah, sure, but-”

“Y-you’re more than welcome to take the… my Digimental with you,” Ken said as he did his best to smile reassuringly at Daisuke, though it only ended up looking awkward. “I don’t mind.”

“Ken can’t go there for the same reason he doesn’t want to fight,” Miyako said. She pointedly ignored the curious looks shot her way and folded her arms rigidly. “That’s all I’m saying on the matter.”

Daisuke felt more than a little put off at Miyako’s briskness, but turned to Ken with a cocked eyebrow. “What does that mean? Did something happen?”

Ken faltered at that, staring at Daisuke as the boy returned the gaze. His fingers twitched as they held Wormmon, and he was left at a total loss. As words failed him, the boy genius averted his gaze to stare at the back of his Digimon’s head. “I…”

When an uncomfortable silence settled in for a long stay, Daisuke shooed it away by awkwardly clearing his throat as he looked away. “Well… if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay.” He gave his friend a lopsided smile. “How about we meet up afterward? Maybe get some more pizza?”

Taichi lunged at the opportunity to lighten the mood as he threw Daisuke a smirk. “Now you’re just looking to score some more free pizza from Ken.”

Heat flooded Daisuke’s cheeks as he whipped his head around to the older boy. “Th-that’s not…! I was just saying…” He awkwardly trailed off when Taichi laughed and leaned over to give him a playful punch in the shoulder.

“Just teasing,” Taichi said.

“I would like that,” Ken said softly, a gentle smile on his face. “Thank you, Daisuke.”

After the two exchanged smiles, Ken stood up. He felt awkward as everyone watched him head for the door, but he tried to maintain his composure. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to see him fleeing, as he was certain it’d only add to the awkwardness - and questions he couldn’t answer.

Yamato watched as Ken walked out the door, excusing himself before closing it behind him. He waited several moments before he turned to Miyako. “Okay, mind letting us in on what just happened?”

“Ken never  has fought with us, or evolved his Digimon,” Takeru said as he glanced at his brother, then turned to Miyako. “I guess I assumed it was like with Mimi and he just… didn’t want to hurt anyone, but…”

“There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to hurt anyone,” Mimi muttered as she held tightly onto Palmon. “We’re  children , not  soldiers .” She honestly wished that she didn’t have to fight, and that she could sit out like Ken, but obligation as one of the oldest and one of the first to get her partner back made her feel like she couldn’t. However, she wasn’t about to begrudge Ken for it.

“Well, y-y-yes, of course not!” Jou agreed before he reached up to adjust his glasses. “But he... does seem to actively avoid it, and even going to the Battlefield Memorial.”

Without a word, Miyako went to Koshiro’s side and slid the laptop across the table so that she had access to the keyboard. She ignored his token protest as she switched out of the Digital World-based programs and went to the internet. Within seconds she had the right page and stepped back so that the others could see the news article as clearly and vividly as she did when she first researched Ken Ichijouji.

  

Boy genius dies in accident, leaves behind devastated family.

  

The headline leapt out immediately to the Chosen, visible even when the small text underneath wasn’t. It was enough to silence everyone, who turned to stare at the laptop screen with disbelieving gazes.

Takeru gaped at the headline for several moments before he stood up, drawing closer to the screen so that he could read the text below it. “‘Tragedy hit Tamachi today, when a drunk driver lost control of his vehicle and jumped a curb, striking boy genius Osamu Ichijouji and his younger brother…’” He faltered as his eyes widened. “...‘Ken Ichijouji’.”

Yamato stared at his brother, his face going pale. “What!?”

Jou quickly got up to join Takeru by the laptop, adjusting his glasses as he squinted. “‘Both boys were taken to a nearby hospital, where the eldest was declared dead upon arrival. The youngest Ichijouji eventually recovered, and was later released.’”

A tremor ran through Iori, his breathing hitching. He wrapped his arms around Kyokyomon, his fingers curling into fists to the point that his knuckles were turning white. Lowering his head, the Chosen of Honor said nothing as his Digimon partner reached up to nuzzle him.

“‘A memorial service has been held for Osamu Ichijouji,’” Takeru read slowly, his mouth going dry. “He was 12 years old at the time of his death.’”

Hikari’s hands hid her mouth as she choked back a gasp or a sob - she wasn’t sure which. Such a thing seemed unbearable to consider, and that wasn’t even considering the other tragedies Ken must have faced when he lost Keiko and Ryo.

Sora brought her hands up to her chest, her face twisting in pain as her heart ached in sympathy. “That… that poor boy…!”

Yamato stared blankly at the screen before he slowly turned to stare at Takeru. His mind struggled to comprehend what he had heard, what it must have felt like to survive an accident that had claimed the life of his brother. The very idea formed a lump in his throat, making it difficult to swallow. “I…”

“H… horrible…,” Mimi whispered, tears prickling in her eyes before she buried her face in Palmon’s petals. “How horrible…!”

Taichi had no words. He could barely comprehend the news article. It didn’t seem real that one of their friends had gone through such a traumatic event and could still manage to ever smile again. It reminded him of how they recently learned of the tragedy surrounding Iori and his father, not to mention what happened to Keiko and Ryo.

For Koshiro, the news story brought a sense of unwelcome familiarity from the time he went digging for the article that detailed the accident that cost him his birth parents. It left him feeling itchy beneath his skin, at a loss.

Jou felt numb as he stared at the screen. As a doctor, he knew he’d have to see many such tragedies in the process of trying to save people. That knowledge did little to help him then, staring down death so close and personal. Shakily, he scrolled further down the article, before stopping on a sudden image at the end of the article. “There’s a… picture.”

The image was a picture of a boy, who was unmistakably a younger Ken Ichijouji with his short purple hair. Even with the bandages on his body, one of which covered his left eye, it was clear to everyone assembled who he was. He stood before a casket at what appeared to be a funeral, with a face of pure anguish as he held a large framed photo of who was presumably Osamu Ichijouji - a glasses-wearing boy with wild, spiky hair - in his arms.

“That’s… that’s  sick !” Yamato protested in anger as he clenched his fist. “Making him stand like that, with that photo… after what he just went through!? What the hell were they  thinking !?”

“They  weren’t ,” Iori said, his voice as sharp and hard as a steel knife. “They just wanted a photo - something to invoke emotion in their readers. They didn’t care at all about how Ken himself felt.”

“I - o - ri…” Kyokyomon said softly before he nuzzled his partner again.

“S… seriously?” Daisuke mumbled, staring in disbelief at the article. “This is a joke… this is a sick joke, right?”

Miyako’s expression was stone. “There’s at least ten other news sites with their own version of the same story.”

The color bled from Daisuke’s cheeks.

Hikari couldn’t take her eyes away from the sad gaze of the little boy holding the black and white photograph of a brother who died so tragically. Then and there, she knew that she and Ken had to have a talk, a real talk to at least ease a little of the weight crushing his soul. Even with only one blue eye exposed, the Ken from years ago seemed to cry out to her for help and understanding.

A tiny frown tugged at the corner of Hikari’s mouth. Something was amiss with the picture. She continued to scrutinize the image, at the sorrowful look that had been directed at the pitiless cameraman who had intruded on the funeral years ago.

Then it hit her - Ken’s eye was the wrong color. In that photo it was blue, blue, blue - so blue that it was like looking at a cloudless clear sky. The Ken Hikari knew today had gray eyes - eyes the same shade as the taint, the Dark Ocean…

A chill ran its way up Hikari’s spine, and then she was moving for the door.

“Hikari?” Taichi asked, concern in his eyes.

Hikari managed a smile at her brother, though she looked like she was about to be sick. “I need some fresh air. The rest of you should go. I… I don’t think I feel like going to the Battlefield Memorial today either.”

Taichi frowned, but wasn’t about to argue against his little sister choosing  not to push herself too hard for a change. “Okay. Take it easy and rest up. We’ll see you later.”

After a slight delay, Daisuke dashed just close enough to catch sight of the entryway as Hikari put on her shoes. “Hey, Hikari-chan. Since you’re not up for it either, how about you hang out with Ken?” He glanced back at the article, his stomach churning and sour. “I… I think he could use the company.”

“So do I,” Hikari said softly with sad eyes and a wan smile before she and Tailmon left the apartment.


	39. Chapter Thirty Eight

The trip to the Battlefield Memorial was a somber one, which was utterly befitting the location. With the revelation of Ken’s past still hanging over their head, the Chosen Children reluctantly arrived through the Digital Gate right in the middle of the area. The memorial statue seemed to greet them, a grim reminder that Ken wasn’t the only one who had suffered immense loss.

Kyoumon was quick to greet the Chosen, with Neemon wobbily following after with a big grin on his face. “Mimi~! And everyone else, too~! Kyoumon was hoping you’d come visit again~!”

In spite of the weighty atmosphere, Mimi couldn’t help but feel her mood brighten as Kyoumon lunged to give her and Palmon a big hug. “It’s nice to see you too, Kyoumon.”

Kyoumon giggled, grinning brightly, before he paused and glanced at the others. “Is something wrong? Everyone looks very sad.”

“Maybe they’re gassy?” Neemon asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Takeru said as he offered a reassuring smile to the plush Digimon. “We’re fine.”

Kyoumon pursed his lips, not quite convinced but not willing to push any harder. “Oooookay…”

Neemon spread his noodly arms apart and wobbled them about. “They just need to fart, Kyoumon. That’ll make them all better. Like this!”

“N-no!” Daisuke protested. “We _definitely_ do _not_ -!”

Unfortunately, the Chosen of Tenacity couldn’t get the words out fast enough. An unpleasant noise echoed in the air as a noxious green cloud erupted from Neemon’s stretchy red pants and brought with it the stench of a thousand rotten eggs. The Chosen were quick to scramble away, coughing as they fled upwind.

“Ah…,” Neemon sighed with a contented smile. “I feel better.”

Kyoumon giggled, fortunately spared from having to remain in the cloud when Mimi carried him to safety. “Neemon, that smells _terrible_! Kyoumon wants to throw up!”

“Please warn me first if you do,” Mimi gagged. Next time she visited, she would bring perfume, or potpourri, or an industrial-sized fan along with a gallon of air freshener.

“Kyoumon will do his best!” Kyoumon said, cheerfully.

“S-seriously,” Takeru said as he lifted the collar of his shirt, slipping it up over his nose. “You’re like a _skunk_.”

Neemon giggled. “I’m not Skunkmon, I’m Neemon! Did you forget?”

“I don’t think anyone _could_ forget, even if they wanted to,” Yamato grumbled.

“No kidding,’” Taichi said as he fanned his face, squinting as the stench made his eyes sting.

“A-anyway, can we get _away_ from the juvenile fart jokes and back to why we’re _actually_ here?” Miyako asked, holding her nose tightly shut as she glowered at Neemon with disapproval.

Pafumon fixed Neemon with a poisonous stare of her own. “So keep your gas to yourself, Farty!”

“Huh?” Neemon tilted his head to the side, furrowing his brow. “I’m Neemon, not Fartymon.”

“Sounds good to Kyoumon~!” Kyoumon agreed. “Kyoumon is just happy that Mimi came to visit! Kyoumon is always happy when Mimi visits~!”

“That reminds me!” Mimi said, doing her best to be cheerful. “I brought you some more cookies, Kyoumon.” She was confident the plastic bag she brought them in kept the cookies from being contaminated by the stench of nightmares. Hopefully.

Kyoumon immediately perked up, eyes bright. “Yay~! Kyoumon _loves_ Mimi’s cookies!”

Taichi looked at the others, taking in the weight still looming over them in spite of Neemon’s disgusting diversion. He drew a deep breath after verifying that the air had finally cleared and straightened up. “Okay!” he said and slapped his hands smartly together. “I think it’s about time we get started. Let’s see what these Digimentals can really do. Right, guys?”

Takeru nodded before he turned to the others, holding up his Digivice. “Who wants to try Hope first?”

“Me!” Daisuke shouted as he thrust his hand to the sky. “Let me and V-mon go first. Please?”

“Go for it!” Takeru said with a laugh as he turned to his Digivice, sending his own Digimental to the goggle boy. “Let’s see what Hope gives us!”

“I’m ready, Daisuke!” V-mon said, excited.

Daisuke felt his insides thrum with excitement like a plucked bowstring as he thrust his Digivice towards his partner. “Digimental up!”

V-mon began to glow with the light of evolution before he transformed, taking the shape of a larger, lankier Digimon. Reminiscent of a pure white gargoyle, the new evolution had large feathered white wings and metal bands over his arms, shoulders, upper thighs, chest, stomach, and even a silver X-shaped band over his face like a mask, with feather-like frills on his cheeks. Twin gold X-bands sat on his forearms, among the numerous bands, and he bore metal shoulder guards similar to Angemon’s own. Only his tail and nails were blue, hinting at his previous evolution. “Gargomon!”

“So cool!” Daisuke practically squealed. “You look so cool, Gargomon!”

Gargomon grinned down at Daisuke, flashing his sharp teeth.

“So cool, so cool!” Kyoumon agreed as he held Mimi’s camera to his face, snapping pictures of Gargomon, before turning it on all of the Chosen. “Snap, snap, snap!”

“I definitely see the hints of Angemon in him,” Takeru said as he looked over the new evolution. “Looks incredible, Daisuke!”

“What kind of attacks do you have, Gargomon?” Daisuke asked, excitedly. “Maybe lasers or something?!”

“I can do _this_!” Gargomon said before he fanned his wings and threw his lanky arms forward. Seemingly out of nowhere, several sizable statues appeared out of thin air, reminiscent of classical white marble statues found in ancient Greece. In particular, there was a statue of a naked woman with long flowing hair that she used to try and cover herself, a similarly naked man sitting on a rock as he appeared to be thinking, and an equally naked little boy with curly hair with his hand between his legs, holding _himself_. All three had strange bat wings attached to their back as they flew across the sky before slamming into the ground. “ _White Statue_!”

Takeru stared at the statues in disbelief for several moments before he furrowed his brow. “So… a Digimon based off of a statue has an attack where he… throws other statues.” He lifted his hand, giving Gargomon a thumbs up. “Why not.”

“ _Naked_ statues,” Yamato said as he quirked an eyebrow.

“Was it just me, or was one of them jerking off?” Taichi muttered out the side of his mouth to Yamato.

“ _Not_ just you.” Yamato muttered back.

Kyoumon turned to look at the nearest statue, which just so happened to be the little boy statue that both Yamato and Taichi were referring to. The puppet blinked slowly before he snapped a picture of the statue.

Oblivious to the obvious nudity of the statues, Daisuke pumped his fist into the air with a cheer. “Awesome! You’ve got an attack that can also make the place look cooler afterward.”

“Those are reproductions of famous works of art you’re flinging around,” Miyako said as she focused on the statues. “If you’re going to add wings to them, can’t you make them look like they actually belong there instead of just slapping them on? It makes them look cheap.”

Daisuke let out a dismissive puff of air through his lips. “They’re supposed to look cool when smashing into bad guy’s heads, not go in some museum.”

Miyako slid her glasses upward. “I’m just saying if you want the bonus of using these statues as decoration after a fight, you can’t half-ass any new additions to the reinterpretation.”

“I have another attack,” Gargomon said, helpfully. Rearing back, he threw his arms forward again. “ _Black Statue_!”

In response to his words, a large black marble statue flew forward before landing harshly on to the ground with enough force that it no doubt would have crushed whatever opponent was beneath it. The statute in question was of large man devoid of any clothing, apparently in the process of attacking a group of four babies. He was kicking one with his right foot, while he was deflecting the other two with his arms - two with his right, and one with his left. Both the man and the babies had little bat wings attached to their bodies, for what they were worth.

Yamato blinked as he stared at the newest statue. “Yeah, someone clearly didn’t like kids.”

“The hell those babies ever do to _him_?” Taichi asked. “And is _everyone_ naked?”

“No idea,” Daisuke said, with a small shrug. “I guess people didn’t wear clothes back then?”

“Somehow, I’m not sure that’s right,” Takeru said, with a chuckle.

“It’s _art_ ,” Jou said, matter-of-factly as he crossed his arms and nodded sharply. “Art is an important aspect of any civilized society, used to express creativity, invoke philosophy, and provoke thoughts about how we see the world!”

“Especially naked thoughts!” Gomamon agreed, grinning brightly.

Jou paused as he felt a bead of sweat fall down the side of his face. “Um...”

“Boys can be such _children_ , Palmon,” Mimi said as she waved her hand dismissively in front of her face. However, even as she spoke, she made a point _not_ to look at the statues’ bare marble buttocks as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

“Yeah,” Palmon agreed as she waved her hand in front of her face, mimicking her partner. “Such _children_.”

Miyako clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Tacked on cheap bat wings again.” She turned her focus from the newest statue to Gargomon. “Are you sure you can’t change those?”

Gargomon turned to look at Miyako. “Why?”

A wry smile touched Miyako’s lips as she readjusted her glasses. “Wings that look like they actually belong on the art would make your attack at least 20% cooler.”

Daisuke blinked at Miyako. “You think so?”

Miyako’s smile widened. “Maybe even 200% cooler.”

Gargomon perked up, grinning brightly. “Okay! I’ll try it!” Throwing his arms forward in another strike, yet another white statue went flying across - this time, a muscular man standing casually as he held the pouch of a sling draped over his left shoulder as he glared over it. It was none other than the Statue of David, lovingly recreated in a Digimon’s attack. Unlike the statues before it, he instead had feathered wings like an angel’s.

Miyako clapped briefly. “Much better. These wings actually have detail.”

Gargomon grinned brightly before he continued to toss statues, littering the area with them. They came in all shape in sizes - a statue of a man wearing only a cape draped over his gesturing left arm, a woman in a crouching position as she tried to shield herself with her arms and legs, a man arching his arm back as he prepared to throw a discus, two men wrestling with one straddling the other’s back as he raised his fist, and so on and so forth. Each had a different subject, a different pose for each human. But what they all shared in common was the _nakedness_ of the subject matter. Bare butts and genitals surrounded the area, in either white or black marble, with little wings tacked on to every back.

“Stop!” Mimi screamed as she raised her hand, clenching her fists. “Stop, stop, _stop_! No more naked statues! Why are they all _naked_!?”

“It’s classical art,” Miyako said as she adjusted her glasses. “Most _are_ naked-”

“I don’t care!” Mimi stomped her foot as she shook her hands. “No more naked! No more, no more, _no more_! You somehow made this place even _creepier_ than it was before!”

“Well, they’re an attack,” Miyako said. “They should be temporary.”

Koshiro hummed thoughtfully as he looked towards the first statues Gargomon created. “That might not be the case with this one. Some Digimon attacks have a lasting effect on the area.”

“Noooo…!” Mimi wailed, holding her fists to her chest. “So I’m going to see a bunch of _naked people_ every time I come to visit Kyoumon!?”

Neemon peered over at the statues in wonder and pointed at the crotch of the famous statue of David. “Heeeyyy… what’s that bedangly thingy?”

Koshiro’s cheeks tinted a faint shade of pink. “Uh, that’s a p-”

“Kyoumon!” Mimi shrieked, red in the face. “Kabong it!”

Kyoumon hopped up from his seat on the memorial base as he suddenly manifested his guitar out of nowhere. Gripping the handle, he swiftly swung it about like a bat, striking the statue directly in the gonads, shattering them upon impact - as well as the rest of the statue’s crotch, caving it in. Bits of marble flew everywhere, narrowly missing Neemon as he stood blankly in place. The puppet Digimon hopped back as he twirled his guitar before holding it triumphantly upwards. “Kyoumon _Kabonged_ it!”

The gathered boys cringed at the carnage, their expressions contorted in sympathetic pain to the statue’s sudden violent castration.

Mimi put her hands on her hips and let out a huff. “Subject over!”

“Erm, right,” Daisuke muttered, wilting.

“No disagreement here,” Takeru agreed as he shifted weight between his feet, slightly hunched over.

Iori grimaced as he glanced at Mimi. “D-dangerous…”

Jou’s glasses slid down his nose as he was left completely speechless.

Yamato crossed his legs as he leaned back. “Yowch…”

Taichi let out a hiss between his teeth as he fought the sudden urge to cover up his delicates from potential attack. “Was that really necessary?”

Mimi’s expression was stone as she nodded. “Completely.”

A part of Koshiro wanted to make a remark about the preservation of classical works of art and how nudity wasn’t inherently shameful. That impulse was summarily squashed out of an instinctive fear not to risk Mimi’s wrath, which would no doubt lead to a violent bobbitting of every last naked man in the area.

And there were a _lot_ more male genitalia to smash.

“Sora!” Mimi said as she held out her Digivice, whirling to face the startled Chosen of Love out of her gawking. “Why don’t you see what you get when you use _your_ Digimental?”

“S-sure!” Sora said, her cheeks tinting slightly as she glanced at the other Chosen before focusing on her screen, where the Digimental of Love suddenly appeared. She turned to Piyomon. “Are you ready?”

“Let’s evolve, Sora~!” Piyomon agreed, raising her wings upwards.

As the Chosen of Love activated her namesake Digimental, Piyomon began to evolve and quickly turned into a large red hawk with a white head and white wing tips. Twin black curved horns rested on her head as her feet turned gray with massive black claws. “Aquilamon!”

Sora stared at her partner, eyes wide. “Wow…”

Aquilamon spread out her wings, puffing up her chest. “I feel _powerful_ , Sora! Like my wings can take us anywhere!”

Kyoumon clapped his paws as he sat on the base of the memorial, making awestruck ‘oooh’ noises at what he was seeing.

Neemon sat beside Kyoumon, squirming in place as he clapped his hands as well. “Encore, albacore, big snore, close the door!”

“What should _we_ try, Gomamon?” Jou asked as he glanced down at his partner.

“Why don’t you try Friendship?” Koshiro asked as he held up his Digivice.

“Oh, oh! And you can try Courage, Koshiro!” Daisuke said as he waved his Digivice about excitedly. “I’ll send it right over!”

The two elder Chosen Children nodded at each other before the three quickly made the switch, sending Digimentals through their devices. Within moments, both Tentomon and Gomamon were evolving with the flash of light. While Gomamon evolved into a pale purple anthropomorphic wolf cub in leather and jeans similar to the outfit that Weregarurumon wore, Tentomon transformed into a bright red, flaming lizard with flame markings on its back - and _literal_ flames all over.

“Strabimon!” the Digimon that Gomamon had changed to said, then turned to flex his muscles. “How about that, eh~?”

“Salamandamon,” the former insect Digimon turned lizard declared, before he snaked his head to look at Koshiro.

Daisuke stopped to stare down at Salamandamon. “How does a _bug_ turn into a _lizard_?”

“How does _he_ ,” Takeru jerked his thumb towards Patamon. “Turn into an _angel_?”

Patamon chuckled. “It’s a Digimon thing.”

“How does a Neemon turn into a…,” Neemon stopped then tilted his head from one side to the next. “Huuuuuuuhhhhh… Oh, wait, a Neemon doesn’t evolve into anything.”

Kyoumon tapped his chin with a cookie, as he sat munching on them. “Kyoumon only evolved to Kyoumon, too.” He pouted as he let out a small whine. “Kyoumon’s not lucky enough to have a Chosen, so both Kyoumon and Neemon are stuck being boring.”

“I’m a boring?” Neemon asked. “Yay!” He flung his arms up into the air and left them there for five seconds. “What’s a boring? Is it like a lizard?”

Kyoumon blinked and turned to look at Neemon, his expression blank. “What’s a lizard?”

Neemon pointed at Daisuke. “He said it!”

With an uncomfortable smile, Daisuke rubbed the back of his neck. “Nevermind. Forget I mentioned it.”

“Okaaayyy…,” Neemon said.

“Kyoumon forgot already~!” Kyoumon said, brightly.

Neemon turned to Kyoumon. “Forget what?”

“Kyoumon doesn’t remember.” Kyoumon said, with a shrug.

“I wonder what it’s like going through life with just plush and gas for brains,” Yamato asked, his voice low.

Taichi pointed towards Neemon and Kyoumon, cracking a slight grin. “Like _that_.”

“Um…” Koshiro cleared his throat. “Maybe we should get back to figuring out what forms the Digimentals give our partners.”

“Me next, me next!” Mimi said as she clapped her hands together excitedly. “Let’s see…”

“Try Hope!” Daisuke said before he turned to look at Gargomon. He had a particularly excited glint in his eye. “I wanna try _Pride_ now.”

“Okay~!” the Chosen of Purity agreed. “I bet you’ll be _adorable_ , Palmon!”

As Gargomon quickly de-evolved back to V-mon and Daisuke sent the Digimental of Hope on his way, Miyako physically handed over the newly acquired Digimental to the eager goggle boy.

“Damn, this thing looks so _cool_ ,” Daisuke said as he admired the dragon-skull egg, then turned to V-mon. “I can’t even wait, V-mon!”

“Then let’s do it!” V-mon agreed.

“You got it!” Daisuke agreed before he absorbed the Digimental in to his Digivice, then turned to his partner.

“You too, Palmon!” Mimi said as she aimed her screen at the plant Digimon. “Digimental Up!”

Within seconds, the two Child Digimon were gone, instead replaced with their new armor evolutions.

In Palmon’s place stood what appeared to be a blue-eyed human girl with a long blonde ponytail tied in a huge green ribbon, and large bangs that dangled over her face. She wore thick brown boots with a massive pink spike in the front, bronze-colored gauntlets with hook-like nail protrusions on the tips, green shorts with dangling pink suspenders, and a cyan tank top with a bell necklace. She could have been mistaken for human, if not for the massive gold pixie wings on her back. “Tinkermon!”

V-mon himself transformed into a humanoid red dragon man, covered in scarlet-colored scale armor from head to toe adorned in countless black spikes. From his claws and scales, to his heels and forearms, his shoulders, and any other nook and cranny that might allow a spike to jut forth without jabbing himself. Red quills extended out the back of his hips and shoulders, with three curved black horns sticking upwards - similar to the three horns on the Digimon’s face, two over each eye and a larger one on his nose. “Dorbickmon!”

“Tinkermon!” Mimi squealed as she jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “You’re just like Tinkerbelle from of Peter Pan!”

“I wonder if there’s a Petermon too,” Koshiro mused.

“W-whoa...,” Daisuke gaped up at the massive dragon Digimon, who turned to peer down at him with a toothy grin.

“Cool, huh?” Dorbickmon asked, with a cocky grin.

“The coolest!” Daisuke cheered.

Pafumon watched the Chosen as they excitedly gushed over their Digimon, then hovered down to land on Miyako’s head with a mighty huff. She puffed her cheeks out in a sulk, furrowing her brow. “I don’t want someone else to use _my_ Digimental before me.”

Miyako reached up to pat Pafumon’s head. “I wasn’t planning on it, so don’t worry. We can test it out after your big debut.”

“Does it bother _you_ , Kyokyomon?” Iori asked as he looked down at his partner. “I… didn’t think to ask you.”

“Nope~!” Kyokyomon said, brightly. “Don’t care~! They can evolve as much as they want. Digimentals are just a fake you, and I’ve got the real thing!”

Iori blinked slowly before he offered his partner a small smile. “Is that so.”

“Y’know, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Daisuke said as he looked up at Pafumon. “Why do you keep floatin’ way up there?”

“Because it makes you all shorter than me,” Pafumon said, matter-of-factly.

Daisuke blinked slowly, his expression blank. “Huh?”

Pafumon smirked, looking far more smug than the puffball had any right to. “You’re all tiny compared to me!”

“Is… is that how it works?” Takeru asked as he quirked a grin, trying not to laugh.

“Absolutely!” Pafumon said, brightly.

The light of evolution continued to flash as the Chosen evolved, each taking a turn with the Digimentals to see what forms were available. With all the evolving, de-evolving, and evolving again, it was almost like the flickering light of the paparazzi for the Chosen Children currently sitting out.

“Hey,” Yamato said as he sat on a bit of rubble beside Taichi. “I just realized something.”

“What’s that?” Taichi asked, turning to look at his best friend.

“We were the main fighting force the first time around,” Yamato said. “And yet, we’re now the last ones to get our partners.” A crooked smile appeared on the Chosen of Friendship’s face as he turned to Taichi. “What the hell’s up with that?”

Taichi chuckled. “You’re telling me. Guess we can’t be the big damn heroes _all_ the time.”

“Okay, Palmon!” Mimi said, excitedly. “Let’s try Friendship this time!”

“I’m ready when you are, Mimi~!” Palmon said, with a giggle.

Soon enough, the plant Digimon had evolved, into yet another pixie Digimon form. This time, she was a scantily clad fairy with long purple hair and ephemeral blue wings, with knee-high purple boots with black trim and purple armor reminiscent of lingerie with a garter belt that attached to the top of her boots and the bottom of her belt. A metal visor covered her face, which had ephemeral blue wings of their own on either side - as did her purple gauntlets and boots. “Fairimon!”

A squeal of delight escaped Mimi as she admired her partner’s newest evolution. “You keep getting cuter and cuter, Fairimon!”

Fairimon giggled before she punched quickly in the air with both her fists, then did a sweeping roundhouse kick, sending her foot around her in a powerful windmill.

“Okay, there’s the Friendship aspect,” Yamato said with a chuckle. “It looks like a lot of them call back to WereGarurumon and _his_ fighting style.”

“Yeah, and some kind of animal-like features-” Taichi agreed, before he was cut off.

“Virgin Bomb!” Fairimon said as she slammed her butt on one of the white statues that littered the area, shattering the stony visage of a pair of men apparently urinating on the Czech Republic beneath her perky behind.

Both Yamato and Taichi stopped and turned to stare at Fairimon, their eyes going impossibly wide.

The other Chosen had a similar reaction, with everyone stopping and turning to Fairimon as the pixie Digimon hopped away from the rubble she had decimated - with her behind.

Sora gawked at Fairimon with a horrified expression on her face. “What.”

Miyako reacted much the same, reaching up to adjust her glasses as if they were responsible for what she had just seen. “ _What_.”

Iori stood silently beside Miyako, his expression completely blank.

Even Neemon’s eyes were wide open, finally revealing that he could in fact open them, as the pupils were mere pinpricks. His cheeks turned bright red as a bit of blood trickled from his nose. Beside him, Kyoumon continued to clap his hands, completely oblivious.

“Yay~!” Kyoumon said, happily. “The Chosen Children are so _strong_ ~!”

“U-um,” Takeru muttered, at a complete loss for words.

Jou’s glasses slid down his nose as his cheeks turned bright red, sweat appearing on his brow. “I-I… that was...!”

Koshiro opened his mouth, then closed it with no sounds escaping him. He repeated the action several times before he finally gave up and slammed his mouth shut.

Daisuke blinked slowly before he turned to Takeru, even as he pointed at Fairimon. “Did... she just smash her cro… her _butt_ into a rock to blow it up?”

Mimi stood with her mouth slightly agape as she stared at her partner, silent for a long time as pink slowly darkened her face until it was a rosey hue. “V-v-v- _Virgin_ Bomb!? What kind of perverted attack was that!?”

“It’s my strongest attack,” Fairimon said before she lifted her arms and gave a sharp jerk of her hips.

“Why would you have an attack that uses your… your…” Mimi faltered for words for a moment. “Your _virginity_?”

“ _Two_ attacks,” Fairimon said as she lifted her hand and gestured with two fingers. “I have _two_ attacks where I hit Digimon with my butt.”

“Two!?” Sora shrieked, her face red as she clenched her fists. “Not one, but _two_!?”

“I guess the Digital World really is influenced by the internet after all,” Koshiro muttered to himself with tinted cheeks.

“I-inappropriate!” Jou sputtered out. “It’s _vastly_ inappropriate!”

“It’s supposed to stun them,” Fairimon said, tilting her head.

“Yeah, it’d ‘stun’ them alright,” Yamato muttered.

“A face full of camel toe has a way of doing that,” Miyako said, her voice and expression utterly deadpan.

With that, Mimi lost control of her composure as well as her hands as they flittered about her wildly in wide arcs. “No! No no no no no! Never!” Finally she stopped her flailing to point a shaking finger at her partner’s visored face. “Never, ever, _ever_ use that attack again! Either of them! You deserve more self-respect than that!”

“Okay, Mimi,” Fairimon said, reaching up to scratch her cheek. She didn’t really understand it, but her partner knew best.

Mimi turned, red faced, to the rest of the Chosen. “Someone give me another Digimental! Right now!”

“Well, I guess this means Mimi’s never going to use Friendship ever again,” Yamato said, slowly, as he watched Fairimon quickly de-evolve as the other Chosen scrambled to send her a Digimental - _any_ Digimental.

“Man… that makes me wonder if Tailmon or Piyomon have an evolved form like that,” Taichi said before an odd expression twisted his face from curiosity to nausea. “Okay, taking the thought of those two doing sexy attacks and throwing it off a cliff now.”

“Yeaaaaah,” Yamato agreed, his own face twisting up. “The Digital World is really screwed up sometimes.”

“Makes me kinda glad Hikari sat this one out,” Taichi said. “With an evolved form like Angewomon, I can only imagine what Tailmon’s armored forms might be like…”

“Yeah, you and me both,” Yamato agreed as he reached up to brush back his bangs. “The only way this could’ve been any _more_ awkward would be to throw your _little sister_ into the mix.”

Taichi turned green. “Ugh… don’t even joke about something like that.”

\---

When Hikari left the apartment complex, she worried where to start her search for Ken. There was no telling how much of a head start he had gotten when he owned a limousine that could take him anywhere he wanted to go at a moment’s notice.

Thankfully, it seemed that her concerns were for nothing. As soon as Hikari and Tailmon reached the street, they were greeted by the sight of Ken Ichijouji himself, sitting on one of the benches by the side of the road. Ken hadn’t noticed her, instead keeping his head bowed as he held Wormmon tightly, the Chosen Digimon trying in vain to cheer up his partner with a worried expression on his face.

Tailmon flicked her ears as she stared at Ken, then turned to look at Hikari.

Hikari sighed with relief and a touch of worry before she silently moved to take a seat beside Ken. “Hey,” she said gently. “Do you want to talk?”

Ken jerked before he looked up sharply, staring at Hikari with startled eyes. However, he quickly recovered and offered her a weak smile. “I-I’m sorry, you surprised me. I didn’t… see you.”

Wormmon turned his concerned gaze away from Ken to wave at Hikari briefly before he returned his focus to his partner.

Hikari gave Ken a small smile in return. Up close, she could better see the hauntingly familiar shade of gray that painted his eyes. “Sorry to startle you. I didn’t feel like going either, so I thought maybe we could hang out for a while?”

Ken blinked slowly before his expression softened. “You don’t have to do that on my account.”

“We’re friends, Ken,” Hikari said gently. “I care about you, and so does everyone else.”

Ken faltered before he lowered his gaze to Wormmon, who continued to look at him with concern quite obvious in his big blue eyes. “I know. Thank you.”

It took a bit of time for Hikari to choose what to say next, feeling as though she was plotting her way through a particularly volatile minefield. “You know… despite everything that’s happened to us there… I love the Digital World.”

Ken didn’t respond right away. After several moments, he let out a soft chuckle. “Yes… so do I.” It was the truth. It was the place that held his happiest memories. It was just unfortunate that it also held most of his worst.

Hikari tried not to be obvious about the way she watched Ken out of the corner of her eye. “I think all of us feel the same way, including K-chan.”

Ken furrowed his brow before he closed his eyes. “I’m sure he must. He seems to spend all his time there.”

“He’s very focused on his work there,” Wormmon said, his gaze lowering.

Hikari took a moment to breathe deeply before her next words came out with a sigh. “I wish I could get K-chan to believe that we’re not his enemies. I wish I could talk to him. I want to help him. He must be hurting so badly… He needs friends right now.”

Ken churned over the words in his head as he held Wormmon tightly, before he finally opened them again to look at Hikari. “You seem to really care a lot about him. Why?”

Wormmon nuzzled Ken, trying to offer as much support as he could without words. He feared that if he said too much, he might ruin the charade Ken had so delicately created.

Hikari chewed on the question like it was made of steel wool. There was such a fine line to walk and one slip would cost any chance they had at earning the Digimon Kaiser’s trust. “Because he’s suffering,” she finally said. “I can’t just stand back and watch when someone is suffering, and the more I learn about K-chan, the more I see how much he needs my help.”

Ken looked at Hikari, searching her face for even the slightest hint of deceit. Finding nothing, he instead looked away. He had to admit, it was a little disorienting to hear Hikari talk about him in such a way, showing so much concern for someone that - by all rights - she should have despised. It once again brought the idea of confessing to the forefront, that perhaps if he just spoke to Hikari, things would work out.

_Of course, she’d totally be singing a different tune if she knew who she was_ **_really_ ** _talking to - the Digimon Kaiser, masquerading as her friend._

Ken grimaced. Even if Hikari had the temperament of a saint, there was sure to still be a limit. And finding out that he had been lying to her this whole time would surely be that limit. The betrayal was too much, there was no doubt in his mind that the other Chosen would find it beyond inexcusable - as if the possibility even existed after what he used their partners for.

“It had to be done,” Ken thought, dismally. “I needed the extra strength, there was no way any of this could have been achieved with just-”

_It was_ **_necessary_ ** _; it_ **_had_ ** _to be done. The fate of the Digital World_ **_far_ ** _outweighs the life of a_ **_human child_ ** _._

Ken shivered before he reached up to clutch at his chest, and the Crest of Darkness beneath his shirt. He clenched his teeth as he snapped his eyes shut. “It’s not the same… it’s absolutely _not_ the same…!” he hissed, his voice rough.

“Ken-chan…,” Wormmon whispered, only allowing a hint of strain to escape on his voice; he didn’t want to admit that his partner’s hug bordered on crushing him.

A spike of fear stabbed Hikari when she heard those words and saw the expression of pain and anger on Ken’s face - fear for him. She was convinced now more than ever of the Digimon Kaiser’s identity once she realized just who he was talking to. Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder to bring his attention back to her.

Ken jumped and his eyes snapped open as he turned to stare at Hikari. His gray eyes swirled with hints of black, which quickly subsided when his eyes came into focus on the Chosen of Light’s face. The corrupt Chosen Child hesitated, taken aback, before an awkward, weak smile appeared on his face. “I-I’m sorry. I… it’s fine. I’m… it’s nothing.”

It took Hikari a while to respond, but her eyes were filled with somber understanding. “I know,” she whispered. “That’s what I told everyone too when… whenever the Dark Ocean spoke to me.”

Ken gave a start as his eyes widened, his expression going completely blank as he stared at the Chosen of Light. “What?”

Wormmon’s antennae perked up as he focused on Hikari. “You were…” He forced his mouth shut when he realized he was about to say too much.

Despite the sadness in her eyes, Hikari smiled, her gaze never wavering. “I’m your friend, K-chan. That’s why I can’t call you the Digimon Kaiser anymore. I can’t fight you… I don’t think I ever could. I want to help you, Ken. I really, truly do.”

Ken stared at Hikari before his eyes widened, his pupil shrinking. Hikari’s words rang loud and clear in his head - she knew who he was. Shock and fear flooded his features as he felt like the world was cracking around him, just about to shatter. “I-I-I’m not-!” Panic quickly took hold as he stumbled up to his feet, shaking his head violently as he held Wormmon to his chest. “Y-you’re… wrong! I’m not-!”

Tailmon moved quickly to block Ken’s escape route, her gaze unyielding as she spread her paws out wordlessly.

“Ken-chan!” Wormmon said, trying not to panic. “It’s okay, it’s okay. We can still talk this through.”

Panic flooded Ken as he stumbled back, then glanced between Hikari and Tailmon. He felt boxed in, even as every part of him screamed to flee - or deny. And despite his desperation, neither were working. “I-it’s not what you think-!”

“Ken,” Tailmon said, holding her position.

“Ken-chan,” Wormmon said, his digits patting Ken’s shoulder in a futile effort to calm him.

“Ken, it’s alright,” Hikari said, trying to remain calm in spite of the growing concern that Ken might do something drastic out of fear. “I’m not angry with you. I just want to talk.”

“Are you… have you told-?!” Ken couldn’t even get the words out as he stepped back, bumping into the bench as he was boxed in. “Are you... trying to blackmail me!?” The only reason he could possibly imagine for Hikari not immediately airing her suspicions in front of the others was if she intended to gain from it somehow - using them as leverage.

Tailmon let out a snort through her nose. “Is that a serious question? Do you really think Hikari’d be interested in that?”

“Then what… then what do you want!?” Ken demanded to know, unwilling to calm down in face of his identity being unraveled around him. “What do you want from me!?”

Hikari held her open palms upward in plain view. “We haven’t told anyone yet. I just wanted you to know that Tailmon and I figured it out, and you don’t have to hide it anymore. We’re not your enemies.”

“I-I… there’s nothing to figure out!” Ken protested. “I’m not…!”

“There’s really no point in denying it,” Tailmon said as she pointed a claw at Ken. “Your entire reaction up until this point has pretty much confirmed _everything_.”

Ken grimaced, his breathing hitching. “N-no, I…”

“Ken-chan?” Wormmon tugged on the front of Ken’s uniform, frantically. “Ken-chan!”

“Don’t-!” Ken blurted out, trembling. He wasn’t entirely certain what he was asking, or what good the words would even do, but they came out regardless. Even as his mind whirled, trying to figure out how things could have possibly gotten to such a point, what he had done wrong, he was drawing a complete blank. He truly felt like everything was crashing down around him, and images of Daisuke and the others looking upon him with hate and revulsion made his stomach churn.

_“You sick bastard!” Daisuke snarled, glaring with genuine venom. “I can’t believe I ever trusted you!”_

_“You played us for fools,” Takeru agreed, his expression icy. “Did you really think we’d want to be friends with you?”_

_“If you think we’re just going to let you get away with this…,” Taichi said as he cracked his knuckles._

_“I’ll never forgive you!” Mimi screamed, clenching her fists with tears in her eyes. “I_ **_hate_ ** _you!”_

_“I’m going to tell everyone,” Hikari said, her expression hard. “We’ll make you sorry for what you’ve done.”_

Ken shook his head, hunching forward as he held Wormmon to his chest. “Please don’t…!”

A pair of arms wrapping around him brought him out of his visions of condemnation. “It’s okay,” Hikari said near his ear as she held him. “It’s okay. I don’t hate you. I’m not mad. I’m here for you. We’re friends, and nothing you’ve done will change that.”

Ken shivered as his breathing hitched. He was afraid to move, even as he felt Wormmon being squeezed between them. “Hi… Hikari…?”

“It’s okay, Ken-chan,” Wormmon said, too worried for his partner to truly feel relieved. “Hikari doesn’t hate you or the Digimon Kaiser, remember? It’s okay.”

“I want to help you, Ken,” Hikari said, her voice soft as she touched his cheeks. “I’m not going to fight you, and I’m not upset that you didn’t tell us everything from the start, so don’t be scared. I won’t tell anyone until you’re ready to tell them the truth yourself, okay?”

Ken swallowed hard, his breathing still rough as he felt as though his lungs were clenched in a vice. After several moments, he finally managed to find his voice enough to whisper softly. “W-why…?”

Hikari lowered a hand down the length of Ken’s arm to take one of his gloved hands in hers. She initially met some resistance before Ken finally relented, allowing her to raise his right hand towards her, while the other was kept firmly around his partner. “Because I’ve been there too. In my worst nightmares, I drowned in the Dark Ocean.”

Ken’s eyes widened as he stared at Hikari, before furrowing his brow as his eyes wandered to his captive hand. He could see the way his fingers trembled in her grip, which was surprisingly gentle. “You… too…?”

Hikari nodded as a shudder ran through her. “It’s hell.”

Solemnly, Wormmon bowed his head and nuzzled it against Ken’s chest. “I wish I could’ve gone there with you to protect you from it, Ken-chan.”

Ken chewed on his lower lip as he kept his gaze on his hand. It only made sense that the Chosen of Light would be a target of the Dark Ocean - he knew all too well what they wanted from him, and Hikari had far more than _he_ could ever provide. But unlike Hikari, he at least had some manner of defense against it.

Hikari made it obvious when she directed her gaze from Ken’s gray eyes to the gloves he always wore. “May I see?”

Ken looked up sharply, his eyes going wide once more. Hikari didn’t even need to say the words, as he instinctively knew what the Chosen of Light was looking for. He grimaced as part of him screamed violently against the idea, and against him for not resisting her. It yelled at him to shove her away, to run quickly before she could call the others, and flee to the safety of his castle.

However, the Chosen of Kindness did none of that and instead tentatively nodded his head.

With deft hands and a delicate touch, Hikari peeled off the glove, and though she expected it, she still gasped at the taint revealed underneath. From his wrist to the very tips of his fingertips, there was absolutely no denying the gray flesh before her eyes. It was the exact same color as Ken’s eyes, and the same shade as in her nightmares.

Ken’s grimace deepened until it spread across his face, twisting with shame and guilt as he could feel the Chosen of Light looking over the stain that he had kept hidden for so long. It felt as if she were looking deep into his soul, the parts of him that made him unworthy of even being a Chosen - let alone the Chosen of Kindness. His fingers curled, as if trying to retreat from her sight despite having nowhere to go.

“Disgusting, isn’t it?” Ken murmured, softly. “It’s disgusting. I’m… _I’m_ disgusting.”

“No you’re not, Ken-chan!” Wormmon protested as tears began to form. “You’re wonderful, and nothing will ever, _ever_ change that. Ever.”

Ken felt his eyes begin to grow moist as his brow creased. He knew that Wormmon would defend him no matter what, even against the complete truth. The fact that he’d take such a pure and loving person down to hell with him was all the more painful. “Wormmon… I…”

“Ken,” Hikari said, her gentle voice drawing his gaze back to her. In her red eyes he saw pain, but a smile was there too. “You’re just sick and dealing with awful symptoms, that’s all. I know what that’s like to be sick all the time. It makes you feel worthless, like you can’t do anything to help the people you care about, but it’s not true. You just have a bigger weight on your shoulders than most people, and the people who love you want to help you carry that weight.”

Ken stared at Hikari for several seconds, stunned both by her words and by her kindness and understanding. As it fully filtered in what was happening, that Hikari wasn’t shunning him, a wage of emotions flooded the corrupt Chosen. Desperation, fear, loneliness, and need mingled together to create an expression of pure anguish on his face, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. “H-Hi… Hikari…!”

Tears slipped free from Hikari’s eyes as her heart went out to Ken, but still she continued to smile even as she ached for him. “Let us help you carry that weight, Ken. Please?”

Ken couldn’t contain it anymore. A painful sob escaped him, sending a shudder through his body. He lowered his head as his hand clenched into a fist, the other pressing Wormmon against his chest in an unconscious plea for support - something the Digimon was more than happy to give.

When Hikari drew Ken into her arms, it released the floodgates and he practically collapsed against her. Even with his face buried against her shoulder, he wailed, unleashing sounds that carried years of pain and sorrow.


	40. Chapter Thirty Nine

Ken slouched into his chair, tilting his head back as he enjoyed the soft comfort the plush seat offered. He felt weak, exhausted even, as large bags appeared under his eyes. It took a lot out of him just to get into his limo at Hikari’s insistence, leaving him with nothing left. He couldn’t even lift his head to look at Wormmon as the Digimon scurried back from the refrigerator to hand him a juice pack, instead mechanically accepting it before holding it numbly in his lap. He felt as if all his energy had drained out of his eyes, leaving him completely raw and spent. But then again, that was only natural after crying his heart out.

Hikari sat beside Ken in the limo, watching him with obvious concern. Across from her, Tailmon sat by the seat closest to the door, looking about the luxurious interior in mild amazement. The Chosen of Light would have shared her partner’s feelings, if she weren’t so worried about the Chosen of Kindness beside her.

“Ken-chan, you should drink your juice,” Wormmon said as he climbed into the seat beside his partner, then reached out to touch his leg gently.

Ken made a noncommittal humming sound, but obediently leaned forward to look down at the juice can in his hand. He slowly reached over to open it, snapping the tab to elicit a sharp ‘hiss’ before he took a reluctant sip.

Hikari waited for Ken to swallow before she dared say a word. “Ken… Do you need anything?”

Ken’s eyes shifted to his right hand, which was still exposed with no glove to cover the taint beneath. He hesitated before slowly turning his palm, looking at the ruined flesh as if for the first time. His hand felt so naked without the glove, and the sight of it brought complicated emotions - many of which he didn’t want to deal with at the moment.

The lingering gaze was enough for Hikari to draw Ken’s glove from her pocket where she hastily stashed it earlier. She held it out like a peace offering. “Here.”

Ken glanced over to Hikari before he gave her a weak but grateful smile. He accepted the glove and set his juice can down long enough to slip the glove back on, hiding his shame once more from view. Looking at his now covered hand, the Chosen of Kindness furrowed his brow before letting his hand drop down to his lap heavily. “...Thank you.”

Hikari nodded with a small smile of her own. “Do you feel up to talking about when it happened?”

Ken closed his eyes as he mulled over the question. He was hesitant to talk about it in the first place, especially with someone who had been in direct opposition to him for over half a year at this point.

However, he also couldn’t deny that he was just so _tired_ of everything. He was _tired_ \- of the war, of the fighting, of the death, of being treated like an enemy. He just didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

“What’s to say?” Ken said, softly. “It was the worst day of my life, and the Dark Ocean knew it. It called to me, and I listened.” He leaned back, resting his head against the back of his chair. “Before I knew it, my hands were deep in the water, letting it seep into my Digivice.”

Hikari suppressed the urge to cringe. She didn’t need to ask what happened on that day to make it his worst. “So that’s why it looks the way it does?”

Ken nodded. “It used to be white and pearl pink… now it’s black.”

Hikari’s first instinct was to suggest Ken let Koshiro examine the corrupted Digivice, but a second later she reminded herself that the boy in front of her was a computer genius who had more knowledge than all of them about the Digital World. “Do you know what the Dark Ocean might’ve done to it besides change its color?”

“If a stain on my skin gives it a direct line into my head,” Ken said, slowly. “Then a stain on my Digivice means…”

Wormmon’s antenna drooped as he placed his digit on Ken’s gloved hand.

There was no stopping the cringe this time, as Hikari her nightmares made it very easy to imagine what sort of hellish evolution that might result from the Dark Ocean’s influence. “So that’s why… why you only evolve other Digimon.”

“My Digivice is… corrupt,” Ken said, with a pained grimace. “If I evolved Wormmon…! Even as it is, I couldn’t get Metal Greymon or WereGarurumon. Once I started using more of my power, the worse… the worse they became! I didn’t even have a direct line into them, like I do Wormmon! If I evolved to _him_ , then I…!” He shuddered before he sat forward, clasping his hands around the can tightly. “What would I do to him!?”

“Ken-chan, it’s okay,” Wormmon said, trying unsuccessfully to keep his worry from his voice. “If you can handle the taint, so can I. I’ll be alright. I’ll always be by your side forever.”

“You saw what I did to V-mon!” Ken snapped, clenching the can so tightly he was beginning to crush it. “That… that _thing_! You saw what I turned him into!” He shook his head again as he lowered it. “If Daisuke hadn’t reached him…!”

Hikari breathed deep for a long moment to calm the burst of panic fluttering inside her chest. What they had seen so far had been absolutely terrifying, and she could easily imagine them getting even worse. “I think… I think you need to stop evolving Digimon, Ken… for their sake and yours.”

Ken closed his eyes as his hands gave a small shudder. “It’s not like there’s much of a point anymore. There’s only two left… and I can’t...”

Hikari placed her hand on Ken’s shoulder. “You’re trying to defeat Zeed Millenniumon when he returns, aren’t you? You don’t have to do it alone. He’s our enemy too, and we’ll all fight him together when the time comes.”

“So you all can die, too?” Ken muttered, more to himself than Hikari. “Yes, what a _delightful_ idea.”

A flinch ran through Hikari’s body and it took her a moment to respond. “It’s not fair to make you take all the risk yourself. I… none of us want you to die, either. Zeed Millenniumon is an enemy to all of us and the Digital World. We need to protect each other… so what happened on that day doesn’t happen again…”

“I…,” Ken faltered before he forced his hands to release the can, which had become slightly mangled under his grip. “I can’t…”

“Trust us,” Tailmon finished, flicking her ear. “Right?”

Ken paused at that before he looked away, grimacing.

“Because we might betray you,” Tailmon said, her arms crossed. “Because we’re weak. Because we’re just children. You’re the only one who can do this.” She made a show of quirking an eyebrow. “Something like that?”

Ken didn’t respond, slowly running his thumbs along the exterior of the ruined can.

“The Dark Ocean has a lot of excuses like that, and it all seems to involve isolating you,” Tailmon said. “Fancy that.”

“It’s what the Dark Ocean does,” Hikari said softly. “It did it to Takeru too. It even did it to me without tainting me by making me feel like I couldn’t even confide in Tailmon about my nightmares.”

“Which I put an end to, very quickly.” Tailmon said, with a sharp nod.

Ken turned to look at Hikari, his expression weary. “We had an army and two god crests. Now, we-”

“We had even less than that, and we took out Apocalymon, the Dark Masters, Vamdemon, and the rest,” Tailmon said. “You weren’t the only one having an adventure.”

Ken hesitated at that before he shook his head. “Zeed is… you can’t even comprehend...”

“Then tell us about him,” Hikari said. “If we knew everything you know about him, about the Digital World itself, then we’ll have a better idea of what we’re up against.”

It took Ken a moment before he could finally respond. “Gennai should have already told you that he can control time,” he said, his voice low. “But he can also rebuild his body, fixing any damage you do to him. Each and every fight… it was always, _always_ a battle of attrition… until he decided the body wasn’t worth repairing and fled.”

Confusion filled Hikari’s features. “Wasn’t worth repairing?”

Ken hesitated before he reached up to run his fingers through his bangs. “We never actually… faced Zeed. The _real_ Zeed. He always seemed to control bodies he built, like puppets, while his real body was somewhere else. We didn’t know it at first, but… the longer we fought, the more we realized that we were wasting our time. He’d throw his false bodies at us to exhaust us, then run away once he got tired of rebuilding them. We hoped… Gennai _said_...”

The Chosen of Kindness trailed off before he grunted, and threw his crushed drink can against the wall of the limo, not caring as he splattered the rest of his juice on his upholstery. “The orb was supposed to trap his real body… but all it did was _feed_ him!”

“Gennai must’ve had a Dark Seed in him too,” Hikari said, her voice pained. “I can’t… he wouldn’t willingly betray us if he could’ve helped it.”

“I’d like to think that, too,” Ken muttered as he reached up to hold his head with both his hands. “But after everything that’s happened… how can I trust anyone at all...?”

A chill ran through Hikari. “Were that many Digimon infected by Dark Seeds?”

Ken dug his fingers into his hair, gripping it tightly. “Who can tell who has a Dark Seed, and who’s just _evil_?”

“Evil?” Hikari repeated slowly, wondering now if there was something worse than Dark Seeds infecting those on the side of Ken’s group.

“Certainly not someone suffering from a Dark Seed themselves,” Tailmon said, her expression flat.

“I suppose I’m not the best judge,” Ken agreed, softly. “Everything I do is in question. How do you know you’re not talking to Zeed right now? How do you know I’m not pretending, and this is all an act?”

Hikari took a moment to consider her response. She doubted simply claiming she trusted him would be enough. “If you being our friend was an act, then you would’ve done something horrible to us a long time ago. We’ve trusted you completely from the start; it wouldn’t have been hard to lead us into a trap or kidnap our Digimon again, or worse.” She gently took a hold of Ken’s hands and squeezed them. “But you didn’t. You’ve helped us, been our friend. I know everyone loves you and are glad you’re with us, especially Daisuke. You’ve helped him even more than I ever could. He’s so much happier now, and I’m so grateful for that.”

Ken glanced to Hikari’s hand before he lifted his gaze to meet her own. His cheeks tinted slightly before he looked away again. “T-thank you… I…”

_It was so easy for you to manipulate them. If only you hadn’t been such a terrible spy._

Ken hesitated before a flash of pain appeared on his face. “I never planned to… _hurt_ anyone. I just… wanted…”

“To keep an eye on us?” Hikari guessed.

Ken nodded before he turned to give Hikari a flat stare. “You lot seemed to always show up at the worst places, at the worst possible time - for the both of us.”

In spite of everything, Hikari let out a little laugh and gave Ken a wry smile. “I know. We had a knack for it during our last adventure too.”

Ken chuckled, in spite of himself. “I can believe it. I-” A sudden beep interrupted the Chosen of Kindness, drawing his attention to his D-Terminal. Frowning, he reached over to answer the message, flipping it open. “It must be from Daisuke, checking to see if I’m-”

The Digimon Kaiser froze as he found a picture of a white marble butt staring right at him. Ken’s eyes widened as he gawked at the pristine chiseled rump before he quickly glanced about to see if he could find any context that might explain what he was seeing. Standing beside the backend of the statue, posing with their own rumps towards the camera, was Daisuke and V-mon. Both of them held their hands in a ‘V’ victory sign as they purposely arched their butts to emphasize them, while puckering their lips in an exaggerated kiss.

Ken stared at the screen in silence before he burst out laughing, quickly clasping his hand over his mouth to try and stifle it.

Hikari was startled by the outburst, but delighted and curious as well. “What? What is it?”

“O-oh my _god_ , Daisuke…!” Ken choked out before he turned his D-Terminal to show Hikari the screen, his face turning red as tears formed in his eyes.

Hikari stared at the screen, dumbfounded, before a snort of laughter escaped her before she could stop it. “Wh-what are they even…?”

Ken shook his head as he tried to get himself under control, laughing so hard that his sides actually began to hurt. “I can’t…!”

Hikari unsuccessfully tried to stifle laughter behind her hand as she examined the picture again, noticing the plethora of naked statues in the background. “It looks like they’re having fun redecorating.”

Ken sniffled as he wiped at his eyes, his laughter finally tapering off as he leaned back into his chair. “I… I needed that…” His expression grew wistful. “I don’t know how he _would_ know, but… he always seems to.”

A fond smile graced Hikari’s lips. “Daisuke is really good at that.”

Ken gave a small sigh as he chuckled before he typed into his D-Terminal.

_I don’t know what’s going on, butt it looks like you’re having a good time._

Ken waited for the message to send before he closed the D-Terminal.

Tailmon looked at the D-Terminal for a moment before she lifted her gaze to Ken’s face. “You’re the one that made Ryo’s D-Terminal, aren’t you? The one that Koshiro tried to copy when he made ours.”

Ken paused at that before he nodded. “Y-yes, those were… mine.”

“How does Koshiro’s compare?” Tailmon asked, curiously.

“Oh, it’s… nice,” Ken said as he looked down at the D-Terminal. “It doesn’t do nearly as much as mine can, but it’s still functional and convenient. It’s rather amazing how Senpai was able to make this based off just a glance.”

Hikari smiled. “You two have been able to do a lot together, haven’t you?”

Ken’s cheeks tinted lightly. “Ah, well… yes. It’s… nice to have someone that can understand what I’m talking about.”

“Maybe you can help him give our D-Terminals an upgrade,” Hikari suggested. “Who knows, you two might be able to make them even better than the one you have now.”

Ken looked down at the D-Terminal in his lap. “We… could, yes.” He had considered it, but had always held back in the end. It seemed silly to make something that his ‘enemies’ could use against him. “There are a lot of areas where it could be improved, and added functions that’d be very helpful… like a built in camera.” He turned to look at Hikari, with a wry grin. “I suspect that when Mimi-senpai finds out that Daisuke used her camera to take pictures of butts, she’s going to have a few _words_ with him.”

Hikari stifled a giggle behind her hand. “Don’t worry, I’m sure Daisuke deleted it off the camera after he sent it.”

“So long as she doesn’t _catch_ him in the act, he should be fine.” Tailmon agreed, with a sly grin.

Hikari nodded before shifting her attention back to Ken. After a moment, her expression softened. “I’m right, aren’t I?” When Ken turned to look at her, the Chosen of Light met his gaze with a solemn expression. “You’re the one that gave Gomamon back.”

Ken hesitated before he looked away. “Jou-senpai, he… after what happened...”

“He was devastated,” Hikari said in just above a whisper. The memory was still painful to recall.

Ken grimaced before he fidgeted with the D-Terminal, before putting it away. “Yes, he was.”

“That was very kind of you,” Hikari said as her smile returned, as gentle and light as morning dew.

Ken’s cheeks tinted as he did his best not to look directly at Hikari, his embarrassment abundantly obvious on his face. “I…”

“Jou recovered thanks to you,” Hikari said. “He needed Gomamon.” Her eyes strayed to Tailmon. “I think we all need our partners a lot more than we even really know.”

Ken glanced to Wormmon, his expression softening at the sight of the insect Digimon’s loving, concerned gaze. “Yeah. We… all do.”

On instinct, Hikari pulled Tailmon into her lap for a hug. “That’s why I think you need to give Agumon and Gabumon back to Yamato and my brother.”

Ken tensed at that, his fingers twitching. “They… they seem to be doing just fine by themselves. Unlike Jou-senpai.”

The smile slipped from Hikari’s eyes though her lips still formed an upward curve. “Jou never could hide his feelings very well. Yamato bottles things up until they explode, and my brother…” She faltered before a sigh escaped her. “He talks himself into believing that he’s okay even when he’s not. He knows just how big an impact he has on all of us, and he blames himself for not being good enough even when something is out of his control. It makes him do… reckless things sometimes.”

Ken looked down at Wormmon, his expression becoming strained. He really couldn’t deny Hikari’s line of thought, as he had seen it too. It brought to mind memories of Osamu, and the walls he created around himself to hide the suffering he felt beneath the illusion of a perfect boy genius. And even then, Ken was the only one who could see through it. “But even so, I… I need...”

“You want Omegamon to fight Zeed Millenniumon when he returns, right?” Hikari guessed.

Ken nodded, slowly. “Omegamon is… the only one strong enough.” The Chosen of Kindness lifted his head, his expression wistful. “The way he destroyed Diablomon, I knew… he was the only one…!”

Hikari nodded. “Omegamon is the most powerful Digimon ever, no question.” She refocused her gaze on Ken. “Which is why you need to let Agumon and Gabumon come home. Omegamon was the combination of Yamato and my brother’s love for their Digimon, I’m sure of it.”

“You can’t fake that,” Tailmon agreed. “Not with all the crests in the world.”

Ken grimaced. He didn’t want to admit it, but he couldn’t deny that he had begun to believe the same thing. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get them to jogress - he couldn’t make Omegamon. Countless efforts had gone into it, and not once had he ever come close. He had peaked at Skull Greymon and Skull Baluchimon. They were powerful, but they were nowhere near Omegamon’s level.

Ken had always assumed that if he just figured something out, he’d be able to resolve the problem. But with Hikari voicing the same concerns he felt, it was hard to argue with what seemed like such an obvious answer. He would _never_ succeed, because he would never be able to replicate their feelings.

Even a Miracle couldn’t achieve something like that.

“Besides,” Hikari said, her words shattering Ken’s revere. “Zeed Millenniumon is our enemy too. After what he’s done…” A shudder of tension in her muscles ran through her before she got her feelings back under control. “We can’t let him k… we can’t let him take any more of our friends.”

“I… I need to think,” Ken said, softly. “I need to think about it…”

Hikari sighed softly before the corner of her mouth quirked upward. “Okay. I understand, but just remember that you’re not fighting alone against Zeed Millenniumon. Whether you want us to or not, this fight involves all of us.” Her gaze dropped down to the top of her partner’s head. “I don’t think I could just sit and watch… not after what he’s done.”

Ken closed his eyes as he considered Hikari’s words, at a loss for how to respond. Thankfully, he was spared from having to - at least for the moment - as a sudden knock on the car door interrupted his thoughts. The boy genius paused and glanced to Hikari before he stood up and approached the door. He peered through the tinted glass and immediately saw Daisuke, which brought a smile to his face.

Ken reached down to open the door, smiling at the goggle boy. “Welcome back. I assume everyone’s finished for today?”

“Yep!” Daisuke said, brightly. “I can’t wait to tell you about all the cool evolutions V-mon has!”

Chibimon hopped into the limo before rushing over to Wormmon. “It’s so great, Wormmon! Your Digimental turned me into an awesome dragon!”

“Really?” Wormmon asked, his eyes wide in wonder. “Did you get a picture?”

“Yup!” Daisuke said as he slipped into the limousine to sit next to Ken. “Saved ‘em all to my D-Terminal. I was gonna send them too, but I wanted to see what you thought in person.”

Hikari hid a smile behind her hand. “So you sent a picture of butts instead?”

Daisuke snickered, his grin wide and mischievous. “One of V-mon’s forms has an attack that uses statues of naked people. I’ll bet anyone wound too tight like Tiny, er, the Digimon Kaiser would have a fit if we threw _that_ at him.”

“I imagine he would,” Ken said, somewhat absently as he glanced at Hikari before returning his attention to Daisuke. “Though to be fair, I’d suspect _anyone_ would panic at a statue being thrown at them - naked or otherwise. The nudity just… adds to it.”

“That’s true,” Daisuke said, “but the look on someone’s face when a statue flies at them is funnier when they realize they’re about to be clocked with someone’s stone junk.”

Hikari snickered a little. “That reminds me… Did Mimi catch you taking that picture?”

Daisuke paused for a moment before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Not when we were taking it, but she grabbed it back from me to take a pic of Palmon’s evolution when I was about to delete it.” An awkward laugh escaped him as he tapped his fingertips together. “Let’s just say I’m not allowed to borrow her camera ever again and skip the highlights of the lecture she gave me, okay?”

Ken snickered as he covered his mouth. “I thought something like that might happen…”

“Well, at least you managed to send it before getting caught,” Hikari giggled.

“I’ll be sure to save a copy of it,” Ken agreed, his expression mischievous. “It’d make a nice Christmas card, I think.”

Daisuke’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! That’s a great idea!”

A snort of laughter escaped Hikari, though she tried to stifle it with her hand. “Just don’t send it to Mimi.”

Ken looked thoughtful as he tapped his chin. “And it’d say ‘Merry Christm _ass’_ right across the top.”

It took Daisuke a second, but once he caught the joke he howled with laughter, slapping the empty seat beside him. “Yes! Perfect!”

Hikari had to use both hands to stifle herself, but snickers still escaped her at the dirty pun.

Ken pointed, as though the card was in front of him “And on the bottom-”

“Oh, yes,” Hikari said between giggles, trying to keep a straight face and failing spectacularly. “We can’t forget about the _bottom_ of the card.”

Ken turned to grin at Hikari. “‘And a Happy New Rear’.”

Laughter filled the limousine as the tension from earlier evaporated and the children could enjoy in what they knew to be juvenile humor. Even the Digimon joined in, not as much because of the jokes but because their Chosen Child’s delight was infectious.

When the laughter leveled out and everyone caught their breath, Daisuke was beaming. “Hey, how about we all go out to get pizza? I thought of a ton of puns about naked statues that I’ve been holding in all day.”

“Of course,” Ken said as he wiped at his eyes, between chuckles. “T-that sounds fantastic.”

A sly smile twitched at the corner of Hikari’s lips, ruining her otherwise innocent appearance. “Oh, you didn’t want to push anyone’s buttpuns while you were there?”

Daisuke snorted through his nose and waved in the air. “Sorry, but that was terrible, Hikari-chan, _butt_ I like your enthusiasm for reaching for the _bottom_ of a good joke.”

Hikari giggled. “You still laughed.”

“True!” Daisuke snickered.

“I’d say it’s a-butt time we get down to business,” Ken said, grinning. “And let the puns all hang out.”

“You said it my dear _ass_ -ociate!” Daisuke said as he wrapped his arm around Ken’s neck.

Tailmon glanced at Wormmon, cracking a sly smile. “They’re not going to stop any time soon, I can tell that much.”

“I hope not,” Wormmon chirped, his blue eyes dancing with delight. Good friends were exactly what Ken so desperately needed. Finally, after so long without, he could feel a true sense of hope that his beloved Chosen Child might finally begin to heal from so much tragedy.

\---

“How can you stand by while our own Digimon are slaughtered!?”

Mystimon’s furious shout echoed through Baihumon’s fortress, aided by the tall walls that surrounded the courtyard. A large gathering of Digimon stood on the ramparts and along the sidelines, staring down at the confrontation. None dared to speak, instead watching in complete silence.

Baihumon sat in front of the furious knight, reclining almost casually with one of his mighty forepaws draped over the other. He didn’t respond, his four eyes instead boring in to Mystimon as the knight Digimon stood defiantly before him.

“Even your own Devas died in that battle!” Mystimon said, sweeping his hand with a wide gesture. “Does that mean _nothing_ to you!?”

“They made their choice,” Baihumon said. “And died for it.”

“This isn’t a time for philosophy!” Mystimon said. “Surely you can see how vital it is to put aside your grievances with Lord Zhuqiaomon?”

“I have already given you my answer,” Baihumon said. “I vote ‘no’.”

“But _how_!?” Mystimon demanded to know. “We’ve confirmed his identity! Lord Zhuqiaomon himself saw the boy with his own eyes, when he attempted infiltrate his base and assassinate him!” The knight Digimon made a sweeping gesture. “Think what you may about Lord Zhuqiaomon, but surely you can’t believe he would lie about _that_!”

“Whether he lied or not is irrelevant,” Baihumon said. “I simply do not _care_.”

“‘Do not care’-!?” Mystimon repeated, thunderstruck. “Lord Xuanwumon was _murdered_ and you do not _care_!?”

“That coward made his choice, then thought he could hide from the consequences. He was _wrong_ ,” Baihumon said. “It was an important lesson, one that he would do well to _remember_ when he is eventually reborn - once the Village of Beginnings has resumed functioning, at any rate.”

“And _that_ would be the boy’s fault as well!” Mystimon said, positively seething. “If you _care not_ for your fellow Holy Beasts, then surely the plight of the unborn means _something_ to you?!”

“It’s a simple, strategic move,” Baihumon said. “One that is not new to our world. The Dark Masters were guilty of it, as were numerous threats in the past. It is only logical to cut off the path to rebirth in order to avoid your enemies being reborn as soon as you kill them.”

“If no Digimon are reborn, our world will _die_!” Mystimon all but shrieked.

“It will not get to that point,” Baihumon said, his tone indifferent. “If the Digimon Kaiser is who you say he is, then he will eventually restore the Village of Beginnings and cease his open hostility against this world. He has no choice - it is his very nature.”

“So you would rather just wait until he has finished what he started!? Until you and Lord Zhuqiaomon are dead!?” Mystimon asked, pointing an accusing finger at the tiger Digimon. “For no other reason than some misguided belief!?”

“I will not change my vote,” Baihumon said, simply.

“You are being _asinine_ -!” Mystimon began before he jerked back as the tiger Digimon suddenly stood up, looming high above him.

Baihumon glared down at Mystimon, who gaped back with a stunned expression as the Holy Beast exerted his full presence upon him - and the watching Digimon as well. The tiger Digimon was silent for several moments, allowing the thick tension to increase, before he narrowed his eyes.

“You tell that _snake_ that the day he gets what he wants from me is the day that I am _dead_.” Baihumon growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Mystimon could only stare as Baihumon turned and stalked in to the temple, leaving the knight Digimon stunned silence in the foyer of the fortress as his words hung above the air with the finality of a funeral toll.

\---

Ken stood on the metal pathway above the training ground, staring down at Agumon and Gabumon as they mindlessly practiced their attacks against each other in a sparring match. He said nothing, but his brow was creased with worry, his hands gripping the railing tightly.

A sudden weight pressed down atop Ken’s head, flattening the wild mop of hair that was part of the Digimon Kaiser’s signature look.

Ken jerked as his eyes widened, his cheeks turning red as he immediately realized the source of the sudden weight - Witchmon’s breasts. His back went rigid as he did his best to scowl, trying to deny the witch Digimon the flustered reaction she desired - and failing. “How many times have I told you to not do that?”

“Recently, or all together?” FlaWizarmon asked as he reclined against the wall, snickering with a big grin on his face. “Not that it matters, considerin’ we lost count.”

“You looked like you had a lot on your mind, dearie,” Witchmon said with a sharp smile. “Care to share?”

Ken hesitated before he grimaced, his eyes trailing down to the Digimon below. “I…” He trailed off, the words not forming as he intended, before he let out a soft sigh. “I’m… a failure.”

FlaWizarmon’s eyebrows arched upwards before he glanced at Wormmon, silently.

Wormmon returned the look with a solemn one of his own before he moved to Ken’s side and placed his digit on his Chosen Child’s leg. “Ken-chan, you’re not a failure. You’re doing what needs to be done for the sake of everyone.”

Ken reached down to touch Wormmon’s head, though he kept his eyes on Agumon and Gabumon. “I… just keep… first Gomamon, then that egg, and now...”

FlaWizarmon stood up and approached the boy, glancing at Witchmon before peering down at the two Digimon. “I can’t deny that Light Darlin’ is probably right. You’ve tried so hard and _still_ never came close to gettin’ Omegamon… so it probably means it just ain’t possible, even for a genius.”

Ken trembled before he lowered his head, not caring that it made Witchmon’s breasts move with it. “...And if I give them back, I _never_ will.”

“Still, look at what you’ve gained,” Witchmon said cheerfully. “Light Darling figured out about you and still wants to be friends and help. Isn’t that marvelous?”

“...It could be a trap,” Ken murmured.

“From _Light Darlin’_?” FlaWizarmon repeated before he chuckled. “That girl doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body and you know it, Ken-chan.”

Ken closed his eyes. “I know.” He admitted, after a moment of silence.

FlaWizarmon watched Ken for several moments before he looked to Witchmon, who returned the glance with one of her own. Nodding to each other, the scarecrow Digimon leaned forward to rest his elbows on the railing. “If it ain’t workin’, it ain’t workin’. And we’ve come a long way _without_ Omegamon. Sure, it’d make things a lot easier if we _did_ have him, but it’s not like he’s our only hope.” FlaWizarmon cracked a grin at the Digimon Kaiser. “You’ve done an amazing job so far, Ken-chan, so don’t think for a second that yer a failure.”

“Besides,” Witchmon chimed in. “If things keep going the way that they have, you’ll have Courage and Friendship evolving those two _on their own_.”

“That’s right,” FlaWizarmon said with a nod. “They’ve taken their trainin’ a lot more seriously this time. They’ve been visitin’ Baihumon a lot, and workin’ hard. You gotta give ‘em credit for that.”

“That’s only because they’re trying to fight _me_ ,” Ken grumbled.

“You inspired ‘em to get stronger,” FlaWizarmon replied. “That’s a victory for you, too, dontcha think?”

Ken paused before he let out a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat.

“It’s up to you, dearie,” Witchmon said. “If you want to give them back, that’s fine. If you don’t, that’s fine too. We can just take them back if we need to - we got them once, we can do it again.”

“Not to mention you still got yer ol’ Trump Card,” FlaWizarmon said. “I’d say even the _threat_ of us usin’ it if they _don’t_ cooperate would be reason enough to put a fire under their butts. So don’t think you’re being forced to make a choice. We’ll be behind you, no matter what.”

Ken opened his eyes to look at Agumon and Gabumon again, his expression pained. After several long moments of silence, he finally lifted his head to glance at Witchmon. “So, how long do you intend to stand like this?”

“Stand?” Witchmon repeated as she cocked an eyebrow before gesturing to the broomstick she rode. “Dearie, I can _float_ like this as long as I want.”

Ken’s expression deadpanned, more felt than seen through the glasses obstructing his face. “So the fact that you’re arguing semantics means ‘until I get bored or K-chan runs away’.”

Witchmon let out a mischievous little cackle. “Oh, K-chan, you know me so well~!”

“That’s a _butt_ the long and short of it!” FlaWizarmon said, brightly.

Ken jerked, his eyes widening as his face turned bright red.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff, _derriere_ -ie~!” Witchmon giggled.

Ken trembled before he threw his fists up. The fact that they had latched on to the puns meant only one thing - they had been watching, if not in the limousine then definitely while he was out with Hikari and Daisuke. “Y-you… you don’t have to watch me _everywhere_ I go!”

“Now, now, no need to get _cheeky_ ,” FlaWizarmon said as he leaned over to poke the boy genius in the cheek. “We were just worried about you.”

“Keep your concern - _and_ your comments - to yourself!” Ken sputtered, shaking his fists at the two Digimon.

“ _Butt_ of course!” FlaWizarmon said as he straightened up, putting his hands on his hips. “You got it, K-chan~!”

Ken let out a shriek of frustration before he whirled on his heels, pulling away from Witchmon as he fled from the conversation. “Enough! We’re _done_ here!”

FlaWizarmon and Witchmon watched as Ken quickly retreated, trying to hide his mortified face as he rushed through the doorway. The two shared a look, grinning brightly at each other as Wormmon followed after his stomping partner.

“Well, I thought it was _fanny_ ,” Witchmon cackled.

\---

Tailmon sat on Hikari’s bed, watching as the Chosen of Light as she prepared for bed, changing into her white pajamas. The cat Digimon flicked an ear before she turned to look at the door to Hikari’s bedroom. “Taichi’s going to be really mad that we’re keeping this from him, _especially_ since he already told us to _stop_ hiding things.”

A weary sigh escaped Hikari as she buttoned up the front of her top. “I know… but it can’t be helped. Ken almost had a meltdown when we confronted him about it, and the others are still trying to forgive the Digimon Kaiser for what the Dark Ocean and Zeed Millenniumon have been manipulating him to do. If he gives Agumon and Gabumon back, it’ll go a long way towards trusting him… especially after everyone finds out he’s been spying on us all this time.”

Tailmon nodded. “ _If_ he does, at any rate.” She then crossed her arms, leaning back against the wall. “We’ll tell them eventually, and deal with the anger when it comes… but for now, it’s pretty much guaranteed that revealing Ken’s identity right now would only result in him being chased away - which is the exact _opposite_ of what you’re trying to do.”

Hikari nodded, her expression solemn. “This is our chance to reach him. We can’t let it slip away from us this time.”

Tailmon nodded, her own expression grim. “If we mess this up, we won’t get a second chance.”

Hikari let out another heavy sigh before she flopped back onto the bed beside Tailmon, her gaze focused on the ceiling. “I hope the Digimental finishes absorbing all the darkness from the memorial soon…”

“It’s getting there,” Tailmon said as she curled up beside her partner. “The area’s shrinking with each passing day, as more and more Darkness is absorbed out of the land.” She closed her eyes as she got comfortable, her tail flopping down against the bed. “At the rate it’s going, it should be ready in a matter of days. Now it’s more a matter of getting Ken to agree to it, and letting us use it on him.”

Hikari’s expression grew wistful. “Has it really been that long? Has this whole war… really gone on so long?”

Tailmon nodded, with a sigh. “Time really flies, doesn’t it? Between school and the Digital World, it feels like there’s just not enough time.”

“We just have to keep doing our best,” Hikari said, closing her eyes. “And believe in Ken.”

Tailmon was about to respond when she paused, flicking her ear as a soft tapping noise caught her attention. The cat Digimon opened her eyes and glanced over to the window just in time to see a large smile filled with razor-sharp teeth. Tailmon jerked, her ears sticking straight up, before she got to her feet. “That’s… Witchmon!”

Hikari sat up quickly and turned to stare out the window, her eyes locking with the witch Digimon. Witchmon grinned as she tapped the window again with her pointer finger, then gave the Chosen of Light a saucy wink of her right eye.

Hikari blinked before she hurried to the window, even as the witch Digimon drew back. The Chosen of Light opened her window and peered out, looking up to see Witchmon riding her broom upwards before disappearing in to the night sky.

Tailmon hopped on to Hikari’s desk and peered out the window alongside her partner. “What was _that_ abou-”

A startled yowl interrupted Hikari and Tailmon, who both jumped before whirling to stare at the door to her bedroom. It was a masculine shout, easily recognizable as belonging to Taichi. Hikari hesitated before realization dawned on her, and a bright smile appeared on her face. She turned to grin at Tailmon, whose expression was still quite blank, before she hurried to the door.

Hikari threw open her door and barely gave her confused parents a glance as she rushed to Taichi’s bedroom, with Tailmon recovering enough to race after her. The two moved to the bedroom right next to Hikari’s own, with youngest Yamagi flinging the door open. “Big Brother!”

Taichi sat on the floor in just his pajama bottoms, his arms wrapped around the neck of a familiar orange dinosaur - Agumon. The Chosen of Courage held Agumon tightly with both arms, burying his face in his partner’s neck. “Agumon!”

“Taaaaiiichi!” Agumon responded, returning the hug with one of his own as his tail wagged in happiness. “I’m home!”

“A-Agumon!” was all that Taichi could blurt out, his body trembling as he tried to contain his emotions, without much success as tears formed in his eyes.

Hikari stood in the doorway to Taichi’s room, her smile bright. The sight made her spirits rise like never before, touched both at the reunion and what it meant for them - and for Ken. There was no doubt in her mind that Yamato was currently having his own reunion with Gabumon, and they would be receiving an email confirming it soon enough.

She had reached Ken, she had convinced him. Even if no one else understood what was happening, _she_ did, and it gave her far more hope than she had felt in a very long time.

“Welcome home, Agumon,” Hikari said.

\---

Darkness settled across the land, like a heavy blanket. Shadows reigned supreme, obstructing everything so that even the harmless appeared ominous in its grip. The remnants of Xuanwumon’s temple was no different, the massive crater with its small central plateau looking downright _sinister_ in the night.

But considering what had transpired there, it was only fitting.

Mystimon knelt at the center of the plateau, between the two altars as they stood before him like a makeshift shrine. The knight Digimon kept his head bowed, as if in prayer as he remained perfectly still - like a statue, a living monument to his master.

It was the least he could do, after failing him so miserably.

“Jeeeeez… are you really just going to sit there and cry the whole time?” a voice came from behind Mystimon. While oddly distorted, the derision was abundantly clear. “Like servant, like master, I guess~!”

Mystimon jerked and got to his feet in an instant, drawing his sword as he whipped about with an expression of pure wrath. “Who dares-!?” The knight Digimon stopped as his eyes fell on nothing but emptiness, darkness as far as the eye could see. “-What?”

“So, Kitty-Kat didn’t want to play, huh?” the voice continued, coming from somewhere within the emptiness. “Who knew he was such a _human lover_? Kind of gross, if you ask me.”

Mystimon furrowed his brow as he glanced about, seeking the owner of the voice to no avail. “Identify yourself immediately!”

“Nah,” the voice said with a casual air. “Besides, I don’t think that’s anywhere near as important to you as _revenge_.”

Mystimon hesitated, his eyebrows arching upwards. “Revenge…?”

“Ken-chan’s been a _bad boy_ , hasn’t he?” the voice continued. “To be expected of a _human_. That’s why Turtle-Tot had you spy on them for so long.” A sharp laugh echoed in the darkness. “Fat lot of good that did!”

Mystimon clenched his jaw. “I wasn’t _spying_ , I was _supervising_ them as I assisted them-”

“A dog’s still a dog, even when you call it a _bitch_.” the voice said, with a sneer that could be _felt_ even without a visual cue.

Mystimon’s expression went hard as he glared about, still searching for the source of the voice. It felt familiar, and yet he couldn’t quite place it at all. One thing he was certain of - whoever it was knew things that they shouldn’t have.

“So Ken-chan gets to run amok and Kitty-Kat refuses to vote, so Birdy-Boo can’t just swoop in and _punish_ him,” The voice said before it paused for a moment, then began to chuckle. “But _two_ can play that game, can’t they?”

“...What do you mean?” Mystimon asked, cautiously.

“It’s _aaaaall_ about choices,” the voice said. “Your choices, my choices, Ken-chan’s choices. And just because Birdy-Boo can’t do anything on his own… does that really apply to _anyone else_?”

Mystimon blinked slowly, then frowned. “No, it does not. The vote only applies to the Holy Beasts themselves.”

“So what’re you moping around here for when there’s kids to kill?”

Mystimon stared out at the darkness as realization dawned on his face. He clenched his sword tightly, his hands beginning to shake as his jaw clenched with anger - and hatred. “...Let us be clear, first and foremost. This is _not_ revenge.”

“Hooooh?” the voice asked, cheerfully. “It _isn’t_?”

“No,” Mystimon said, firmly. “It is _justice_.”


	41. Chapter Forty

Ken checked out his reflection in the mirror, his hands moving up his shirt to button up his lavender silk shirt. He wanted to look presentable - but not _too_ presentable - and the shirt combined with his black slacks managed to meet his expectations. He could have tossed on a tie as well, but opted it might be going too far - it was a celebration, not a formal dinner.

After checking his appearance, Ken turned to make sure Wormmon’s bag was comfortable. It would be a short trip for the Digimon, only as far as the limo. Once out of the house, he’d be free to leave the bag without concern. Ken just needed to _get_ to the limo, and that meant venturing through his house.

And it’d be a cold day in hell when he’d let his parents see Wormmon.

“Are you ready?” Ken asked as he turned to his partner.

Wormmon nodded before he crawled in to the bag, getting comfortable among the blankets that acted as a cushion - and provided definition to the bag so that it could obstruct his shape. “Let’s go, Ken-chan!”

Ken nodded before he secured the dufflebag, slipping the strap over his shoulder. Carrying it, he headed to the door of his bedroom. Unlocking it, he quickly hurried in to the hallway before locking the door behind him. He made his way to the front entrance, pausing only to slip on his shoes, before he reached for the front door.

“Ken?”

Ken tensed, pausing as his hand hovered just over the doorknob. After a moment, he lowered his hand to grip the doorknob even as he turned to glance over his shoulder - just in time to see his mother moving to stand in the hallway. “...What is it.”

Her expression concerned, Ken’s mother Yui came to a stop a few steps away from Ken. “Your father and I have noticed that you haven’t been studying as much as you used to.”

Ken’s face became a mask of ice as he stared at his mother. His parents’ idea of ‘studying’ was Ken disappearing in to his bedroom and locking the door. They had no idea that he would simply gate in to the Digital World through the computer, and instead assumed he was pouring his efforts in to his studies. “Is that so.”

“Don’t you think you should be spending more time studying, and less time hanging out with your friends?” Yui asked, her tone making it quite clear that she was attempting to scold her genius son as if he had done something wrong.

Ken, however, wasn’t in the mood for her nonsense.

“What is it to you?” Ken asked, his tone sharp. He didn’t even hesitate when his mother flinched, taken aback by her son’s lack of contrition. “My grades haven’t slipped in the slightest, I’m meeting all my contractual obligations with my manager, you’re still getting all the _pointless praise_ for _supposedly_ raising a genius, and I’m providing you with a nice, fat stipend for whatever _nonsense_ you both feel you need to have but can’t afford on _Father’s_ income.” The boy genius’ eyes narrowed. “You, quite frankly, have absolutely no business complaining about _anything,_ though I’ll be sure to take your _concerns_ in to _consideration_.”

Yui gaped at her son, her lower lip quivering as she stepped back. However, she recovered enough in face of her son’s open hostility to not back down immediately. “Ken, you can’t just talk to me like that-!”

“And that’s not even addressing the _ridiculous_ idea that you’ve noticed _absolutely anything_ about me,” Ken continued, cutting his mother off. “You and I both know that the only time you ever pay attention to what I’m doing is when you’re _bored_ , or when you feel some _sliver_ of guilt and decide to give _parenting_ a try.”

Yui bit her lower lip before she summoned her anger, gesturing back towards Ken’s room. “You go right back to your room, young man, and stay in your room until your father gets home! I will not have you-”

Ken turned his back on his mother, opening the door before stepping out. He paused only a moment in the doorway, without so much as glance back. “I won’t be back until late. Don’t bother staying up.”

“Ken, did you hear me!?” Yui demanded, flustered. “Ken, I am your _mother_ and I _said-_ ”

The corrupt Chosen Child slammed the door behind him, cutting off both his mother and the conversation with a ringing note of finality.

\---

When Taichi and Hikari arrived at the ‘Slice of Heaven’ pizzeria and game parlor with their partners, they were immediately struck with how _quiet_ it was. The parking lot was empty, and there didn’t seem to be any customers mulling about. In fact, had two employees not been currently standing by the door to the large brick building, the two Chosen children would have thought the place was closed for the day.

“Taichi, what is pizza like?” Agumon asked, looking quite strange even with his jacket on to try and disguise his non-human-ness.

Taichi let out a thoughtful hum as his eyes drifted to the sky. “It’s kind of like okonomiyaki without the cabbage, I guess.”

“Though you _can_ ask for the cabbage, if you want it,” Tailmon said. “This place had all sorts of options, the last time we were here.”

“I like okonomiyaki,” Agumon said as he tapped his chin with a claw, then glanced around. “But where is everyone?”

“Dunno,” Taichi muttered as he looked from one side of the empty lot to the other. Most shops he ever visited never even had places to park due to the heavy emphasis on public transportation in such a major city. It was almost unnerving to see the place so barren, especially when he recalled how crowded the restaurant was last time they visited.

Hikari glanced at the two employees by the door, who were watching them closely. She frowned before she approached them, prompting the others to follow her. “Excuse me? We were supposed to meet with our friends…”

“Are you guests of Ken Ichijouji’s?” the male employee to the right of the door asked.

Hikari paused at that, blinking, before she nodded. “Yes, we are.”

The female employee to the right, who was holding a clipboard, flipping the front page over. “Names, please?”

“I’m Taichi Yagami,” Taichi said as he jabbed a thumb to his chest. “And this is my little sister, Hikari.”

The female employee nodded before she turned to look at Agumon and Tailmon. “And you?”

Tailmon hesitated, startled that she had been addressed directly despite rather obviously looking like a cat. But before she could recover, Agumon lifted his arms skyward.

“Agumon!” Agumon replied. “And this is Tailmon!”

“W-wai-!” Taichi jerked before he hissed through his teeth at his partner. “Agumon!”

“Huh?” Agumon turned to stare at his partner. “We’re guests too, aren’t we?”

The female employee used her pen, writing something on the paper in front of her, before she smiled at the group. “Yes, you’re all on the list. Welcome to ‘A Slice of Heaven’ pizzeria!”

The two Yamagi siblings blinked and turned to stare at each other in confusion before they entered the pizzeria, with their two partners in tow. Inside, they were immediately greeted by the sight of their friends and partners scattered about the main lobby. Unlike before, where they had stayed in a private room in the back, the Chosen Children and Digimon had total run of the place, with some playing the games while the others enjoyed their food.

But what struck the new arrivals the most was the fact that there was literally no other customers in the entire place. The only other humans besides them were employees, easily recognizable by their uniforms, as they waited on the assembled crowd.

“What the…” Taichi muttered.

“You made it!” Ken said as he got up from his table and approached the new arrivals. He smiled brightly. “Welcome~! It looks as you’re the last to arrive. You can ask for a menu to place an order, or you can get some complimentary tokens and go straight to the games.”

“Are we… the only people here?” Taichi asked as he glanced about.

Ken nodded with a smile. “Yes. I rented the whole place, specifically for this party.”

Taichi jerked as he stared at Ken, his jaw dropping. “Wait, what!? You can do that!?”

Ken’s smile widened. “I know the owners - I’m a friend of the family.”

“That’s one hell of a friend!” Taichi blurted out, still stunned.

“That explains why you come here so often,” Tailmon said as she glanced up at Hikari.

Hikari nodded, wondering who this friend was and if they were aware Digimon weren’t just little kids in costumes with unusual names.

“Yo, Hikari!” Daisuke called out, drawing the Chosen of Light’s attention to where he and Takeru stood, near a skeeball machine.

Takeru looked up to smile at Hikari. “Want to find a game we can all play together?”

Hikari returned the smile and hurried to her friends. “That sounds great.”

“Come on, Ken!” Daisuke said, waving his arm vigorously. “This race car game looks like a four-player!”

Ken smiled before he hurried over to join the group, leaving Taichi by the doorway. “Coming!”

Yamato chuckled as he approached Taichi, then tilted his head over towards a large table in the corner, where Gabumon was already scarfing his face on pizza, though he was taking care not to get any of the food on his fur. “C’mon, let’s get something ordered for Agumon. I’m sure he’s just as hungry as Gabumon.”

“Yeah!” Agumon cheered as he raised his claws in the air. “I’m ready for _pizza_!”

The two boys headed over to the table, with Agumon rushing forward. They were both greeted by Sora, who smiled as they approached the table she shared with Yamato, then glanced over to Piyomon to watch as the Digimon sang happily as she hopped around the pizzeria. “We’re finally back together… all of us.”

“Yeah,” Taichi said as he sat down, relief flowing through his entire body.

“I still can’t believe they just both turned up suddenly,” Yamato said as he flopped down in to his chair, straddling it backwards as he rested his arms on the back of the chair. “Not that I’m complaining.”

Sora looked thoughtful as she took a sip of her carbonated drink, then glanced at Taichi. “Do you… think it really _is_ possible that the Digimon Kaiser gave them back? Like Hikari thinks he gave back Gomamon?”

“No idea,” Taichi said before he ruffled the top of Agumon’s head. He smiled at the content look on his partner’s face. “I’m just glad everyone is finally back home.”

“Same here,” Yamato agreed, turning to smile at Gabumon, who gave him a bashful glance in return. “It doesn’t make any sense why he would, but I don’t really care. Gabumon and Agumon are back, and it doesn’t really matter _why_.”

Sora considered their words before she smiled. “You’re right. We should just be happy that we’re all together again.”

“That’s right, So-ra~!” Piyomon agreed as she hopped up to the table, falling her wings. “Don’t worry, be happy!”

Over by the machines, Chibimon hopped about excitedly as he stood on the dancing platform for the music game that both Daisuke and Ken had used before. “Daisuke, Daisuke, Daisuke! It’s the dance game! It’s that game where you danced with Ken!” He hopped between the arrows, diving back and forth, before he flopped down at the center and drooped. “I can’t do it! My legs are too tiny!”

“Yes, that’s a rather large design flaw. Wormmon can’t play with me, even if he wanted to,” Ken said as he patted Chibimon on the head sympathetically, causing the little dragon to perk up and squirm happily at the attention. “It doesn’t really account for tiny bodies, with tiny legs.”

Daisuke’s eyes lit up with a sudden bolt of inspiration. “Hey, maybe you could make a machine that’s Digimon sized!”

Ken paused at that before he smiled at Daisuke. “I could! I’m sure the Digimon would greatly enjoy it.”

Wormmon waved his digits in the air. “I know I would! It always looks like fun when you play, Ken-chan.”

Ken chuckled as he glanced down at his partner. “I’ll have to look in to it.”

Tailmon looked at the game, and the step pads. She imagined she could probably manage far better than the other Digimon, given her agility - and longer legs. She glanced up at Hikari. “Did you want to try it with me?”

Hikari blinked before she smiled brightly at her partner. “Sure!”

Tailmon stepped on to the gamepad platform, carefully placing her feet on the arrows. She nodded with satisfaction to see that she was able to reach just fine. She glanced up at the screen, flicking her ears. “So, what do we do?”

“You follow the instructions on the screen, and try to step on the arrows it tells you,” Ken said as he put tokens in for Tailmon and Hikari. At the music selection screen, he turned to the Chosen of Light and her partner. “You should pick an easy song to start with, and just focus on getting a feel for the game rather than a good score.”

Hikari nodded as she got in to position behind Tailmon on the other platform. Her eyes glanced over the various songs, searching for something that jumped out at her. After a moment, her eyes focused on a single song and she knew she had to pick it - ‘Save the World’. She didn’t know the song, but the name alone called out to her.

Ken watched as the Chosen of Light selected her song before he quirked an eyebrow. He glanced towards Hikari, who met his gaze with a bright smile before she returned her attention to the screen. The Chosen of Kindness blinked before he chuckled, softly. “Why am I not surprised you’d choose _that_ song?”

“It seemed appropriate,” Hikari said cheerfully just before the music started to play.

“You can do it, you can do it!” Chibimon cheered as he waved his tiny paws, hopping from side to side in his excitement. “Yay, yay, _yay_!”

“I’m sure you’ll do great, Tailmon!” Patamon said as he sat on Takeru’s head.

“Just take your time~!” Wormmon said, brightly. “You’ll do just fine!”

Iori glanced over at the four by the dance machine before he returned his attention to his own partner, watching as Kyokyomon and Pafumon were busy chasing after the skeeballs as Miyako threw them towards their target, racing up and down the track as multi-colored lights flashed and flickered in a dazzling display. He cracked a smile as the ball disappeared in to its intended hole, narrowly dodging the Digimon like a mouse escaping a cat. “Somehow, I suspect the developers did _not_ intend for the game to be played this way.”

“That just means they lacked _imagination_ ,” Pafumon said as she hovered upwards, flapping her little ears to gain momentum quickly before she stopped and allowed herself to drift lazily back towards Miyako. “Sucks to be them!”

“I almost got it, I-o-ri!” Kyokyomon said as he scurried back to the Chosen of Honesty.

“Yes, you did,” Iori agreed, his smile widening. “Miyako’s going to have to step up her game if she wants to keep scoring.”

“Yeah!” Kyokyomon said as he reared up. “I won’t give up!”

Miyako’s mouth took the shape of a wicked curve as she put another token into the machine. “Okay then, let’s up the difficulty in round two.”

Jou let out a quizzical hum as he adjusted his glasses, looking at a large set up at the far back corner of the room. It had a microphone, two different kinds of guitars, a keyboard, and a drum set attached to a large screen that covered most of the wall. “This looks a lot like that game we watched Yamato play before…”

“At Wallace’s party, right?” Mimi asked as she clapped her hands together, a bright smile on her face. “Though, this one’s much bigger and has more instruments!”

“Well, that’s to be expected, isn’t it?” Koshiro asked. “This is an arcade version, while his was for personal use.”

“But what’s with the _two_ guitars?” Gomamon asked.

“One’s a bass guitar,” Yamato said as he approached the others, glancing over the multi-colored instruments with a critical eye. He turned his gaze at the drums in particular, before turned to smile at Gabumon. “They look adjustable.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve played the drums,” Gabumon said as he tapped his chin with his claw. At the pained expression that flickered across Yamato’s face, the furred dinosaur shook his head. “Though I really wasn’t aware of it. It was more like a very long dream.”

“Well, since we’re here,” Yamato said, softly. “How about we give it a try?”

Gabumon simply nodded as he smiled at his partner.

“It looks like it needs five players,” Jou said as he rubbed his chin. “So it looks like you need three more players.”

“Right!” Gomamon agreed before he hopped up to pat his Chosen on the back, causing Jou to yelp. “Thanks for volunteering!”

“W-what!?” Jou whirled to stare at his partner, his glasses sliding down his nose as he pointed at himself. “M-me!?”

“Koshiro, why don’t you try?” Tentomon asked. “You are good with a keyboard.”

Koshiro laughed awkwardly. “There’s a difference between a computer keyboard and a music keyboard…”

“What could it hurt?” Sora asked as she walked over, tilting her head. “It could be fun!”

“Yeah!” Mimi agreed as she raised her hands up, clapping. “Go for it!”

“So, who wants to sing?” Yamato asked as he picked up the microphone.

“Me, me, me~!” Mimi said eagerly as she reached up to take the microphone. She let out an excited giggle as she hurried to the front, then turned to face the others. “Let’s _do_ this~!”

“You got it,” Yamato said, chuckling, as he put in the tokens before picking up the guitar.

Gabumon moved to the drums, taking a moment to adjust them to his own height - which meant putting them as far on the floor as he could. He then sat down on a footrest, using it to prop himself up the rest of the way. “I’m ready, Yamato.”

Jou and Koshiro shared a look before glancing at the two remaining instruments, reluctant.

“Aw, c’mon,” Taichi said with a grin, sticking his hands in his pockets. “You’re not really going to back out now, after all that talk?”

Jou paused before he pointed down at Gomamon. “ _He_ was the one doing the talking!”

“Details, details,” Gomamon said, dismissively before he pushed his Chosen partner towards the guitar. “Go for it, Jou! Be the _rockstar_!”

Jou stumbled forward with a yelp before he glanced down at Gomamon. After a moment, he tentatively headed over to pick up the bass guitar. “F-fine! I’ll… I’ll do it! I’ll _rock_!”

Taichi glanced to Yamato, looking as though he was trying not to laugh. Yamato returned the grin even as he lightly elbowed the Chosen of Courage in the chest, then made a shushing noise to discourage any further commentary.

“It’s just a matter of pressing the right keys when the screen tells me to, right?” Koshiro asked as he glanced over the keyboard, then looked up at the screen. “That shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Yeah!” Mimi chirped as she held the microphone as high as the cord attached to the machine would allow. “Let’s do it!”

Yamato grinned as he looked through the song options before selecting one he thought wouldn’t be too difficult. The music immediately started playing as the screen changed to the image of a digital crowd cheering, with a musical bar cutting through the center of the screen. “Alright, here we go!”

Back at the dancing machine, the song was finally beginning to wind down. As the results screen popped on the window, Hikari let out a heavy pant as she leaned back against the bar, using it to prop herself up as she caught her breath.

“Whew!” Hikari said before she reached up to wipe her brow. “That’s quite a workout!”

“Oh yes, it definitely makes you work your muscles!” Ken said looked over the results. The screen gave the Chosen of Light a solid ‘C’ rating’ before he turned to smile at Hikari. “You did really well, especially for your first time!”

Tailmon stretched before she placed her paws on her hips, glancing at Hikari, smiling to herself for achieving an ‘A’ rank. “Once you know what to expect, it’s actually pretty fun.”

“Yeah, exactly!” Daisuke said excitedly before he turned to Ken. “C’mon, Ken! Let’s show them one of the _hard_ dances!”

Ken smiled. “Of course. I’ll let you pick-”

“Yo! Ken!” an adult voice called out, interrupting the boy genius. It caused Ken to jump before he turned to see two adult men standing by the door leading in to the back - presumably the kitchen. The owner of the voice, a tall man with chocolate brown hair, gray eyes, and a bright smile, waved towards Ken while holding a large box under his arm.

Beside the first man, in stark contrast to his casual blue jeans and white button-up shirt, was a man in a black suit with a gold dragon pin on his lapel. He looked very professional, with his deep black hair slicked back and tied up in a neat ponytail with a red ribbon. He wore thick black shades that obstructed his face, though he did take a moment to slide them down his nose so that his piercing red eyes could glance about the room and look at the Chosen - and their Digimon.

“[I brought them!]” the brunette man said, in English, before he reached over to point at the box under his arm. “[Did you want to look them over first?]”

Ken immediately perked up, his eyes brightening. “[I’ll be right there!]” he replied, before turning to the confused Daisuke. “Why don’t you do the next song with Takeru?” When the Chosen of Tenacity looked about to protest, Ken waved his hands reassuringly. “I’ll do the next one, I promise. I just have to take care of something first, and I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for a response, the corrupt Chosen hurried over to meet the two men, leaving the bewildered Chosen behind.

“...What’s _that_ about?” Takeru asked as he watched Ken, quirking an eyebrow.

“Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry!” Wormmon said, cheerfully. “They’re old friends of Ken-chan’s. Mr. Tengoku is the reason Ken-chan was able to rent out the pizzeria in the first place! He actually owns the place!”

“Wow, really?” Patamon asked, with a blink.

“I think Ken said the same thing earlier, when we first arrived,” Tailmon said thoughtfully.

Daisuke couldn’t help but feel a little starstruck and beamed. “Ken is so cool.”

“So cool, _so cool_!” Chibimon agreed, bouncing up and down as he waved his paws.

“Does that mean they know about Digimon?” Tailmon asked as she glanced at the two men, particularly the black-haired man in shades who watched them intently. “They don’t appear to be too surprised to see us.”

“Oh, yes,” Wormmon said, with a nod. “I’ve met them _many_ times!”

“That’s good to know,” Hikari said as she looked from Tengoku to his companion. There, her gaze lingered, as something about the angles of his pale face struck her as familiar, but she couldn’t quite place where the feeling came from.

It was only when their eyes locked that she was suddenly hit with a strong sense of familiarity. The sharp red eyes were distinct, and immediately brought to mind images of the look in Keiko’s own eyes - same in color and intensity. Before she even realized it, Hikari’s body was already moving, following after Ken towards the two strange men.

Tailmon stared at Hikari before she quickly glanced at Daisuke and Takeru, noting the two were preparing to perform the next song together. Both Chibimon and Patamon were distracted by their partners, similarly not noticing Hikari’s departure. The cat Digimon flicked her ears before she hurried after the Chosen of Light.

“[They came out great,]” Kigaru said as he sat the box on the table, opening it to show the contents to Ken. He kept the lid on just enough to obstruct the insides, allowing only the boy genius to see inside. “[I have to admit, I’m impressed. Just when I think you couldn’t get any better, you find a way to perfect perfection.]”

Ken smiled, though he looked more than a little embarrassed by Mr. Tengoku’s praise. “[Thank you, sir.]” He paused before he began to fidget, tugging at the side of the box. “[I apologize, I’m sure you have better uses for your company than to mass-produce-]”

“[Nope, can’t say that I do!]” Mr. Tengoku replied, cheerfully. He turned to meet Ken’s stunned stare, his smile widening considerably. “[You three saved my son’s life. Quite frankly, this is the _least_ I can do for you.]”

Ken paused at that before he lowered his gaze, his eyes growing moist as his expression softened. “[...Thank you…]”

“[I’m serious, kid,]” Mr. Tengoku said as he reached over to grip Ken’s shoulder. “[There’s no doubt in my mind that Tsu’d be dead right now, if not for you. And instead, he’s getting better every day. You gave my son a future. Helping you make your gadgets is _nothing_ compared to what you’ve done for me.]”

“[But that wasn’t me,]” Ken replied, softly. “[It was mostly…]” The Chosen of Kindness trailed off, unable to say the name - and not simply because of the company he kept. He quickly glanced over to the other man, his expression twisting in pain.

“[Don’t underestimate how much your friendship meant to Keiko,]” the black-haired man began as he pulled down his shades, turning to look at Ken.

That was when Hikari dared to invade the conversation. “[E-excuse me,]” she said with a thick accent as she focused hard on remembering English lessons from school. “[Do you know Makura Kei… Keiko Makura? Do you know?]”

The three stopped to stare at Hikari, though Ken looked more like a deer in headlights while the others seemed mildly curious about the Chosen of Light.

“Yes,” the man with red eyes said, immediately switching to Japanese. “She was my little sister.”

The relief Hikari felt at hearing the man’s flawless Japanese was tinged with pained sympathy that she couldn’t hide even with a faint smile. “I… I thought so. You look a lot like her.”

“We got that a lot. It’s the eyes,” the red-eyed man smiled wryly, lightly tapping his shades against the side of his face. “My name is Ryuzaki, Jin.”

Tailmon blinked. “Ryuzaki?” She admittedly wasn’t very familiar with human traditions, but she was vaguely aware that human family tended to share the last name - unless a divorce was involved, like with Yamato and Takeru.

“We were both Makuras,” Jin said as he used his shades to gesture at his golden pin. “Before we both became Ryuzakis, when I married my wife and adopted Keiko.”

“Adopted?” Hikari repeated, confused. “But you’re her older brother.”

“Yes,” Jin said, with a grin. “But as the older brother, it’s my responsibility to take care of my family… even if it means defining who is and is _not_ family.”

“Let’s just say that some people simply _shouldn’t_ become parents, and leave it at that,” Mr. Tengoku said, lightly.

“Oh,” Hikari said quietly; she could tell this was a topic she shouldn’t pursue.

“So, you’re a friend of Ken’s, are you?” Jin said as he looked at Hikari, tilting his head. “I’ll have to admit, I’m rather relieved that he’s back in the Digimon business again.”

“After everything that happened, it hit Ken the hardest and he just withdrew from everyone,” Mr. Tengoku agreed, with a nod. “We really didn’t know what to do, except try to be there for him.”

Ken squirmed in place, glancing between Hikari and the two adults as they spoke. He wanted to speak, wanted to end the conversation quickly and usher the both of them away from what could very easily become a complete disaster, but he lacked the courage to actually do it. So in the end, he just flustered and writhed like a worm on a boiling sidewalk.

“And then I find out that he’s made some friends, and venturing back into the Digital World,” Jin said, his voice deceptively light. “When Kigaru told me Ken had asked him for a favor, I decided to come along for the ride,” The black-haired man glanced at Ken before returning his gaze to Hikari. “I wanted to see if you were someone I should be worried about.”

“Worried about?” Tailmon repeated, slowly.

Jin’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Hikari, as if his eyes were boring into her very soul. “Ken’s been hurt enough.”

The intensity of the man’s tone and stare made Hikari flinch. A part of her wanted to reassure Jin and Ken that she and Narakumon would bring Keiko back, that she had spoken to Keiko directly already, but the harshness of those red eyes made her hesitate.

If Keiko didn’t believe she could be revived, then neither would they.

“I know,” Hikari said softly before her eyes slid to Ken, who shifted nervously at the topic. “I already promised to help. We’re friends after all.”

Ken stared at Hikari for a moment before his expression softened. “H-Hikari…”

Jin watched Ken and Hikari for a moment before his own expression softened - though only slightly. He straightened up as he slid on his shades. “I’m going to protect Ken, and not because I promised Keiko I would. He’s like family, him and Wormmon both. It’s why I’ve personally vetted not only his manager and driver, but _everyone else_ that works for him.”

Hikari blinked. “Eh?”

Tailmon stared at Jin for a moment before her eyes widened, instantly recalling the article they had read about Keiko and her home life. More specifically, the article had mentioned Keiko’s brother and _his_ background as well. “Yakuza.”

Jin blinked before he cracked a sly grin. “You’re pretty knowledgeable about humans, for a Digimon.”

“It’s nothing too impressive,” Tailmon said as she crossed her arms. “I just pay attention. When we were looking up Keiko, we saw an article that mentioned her family… and there were mentions of connections to the Yakuza.”

Unease crawled up Hikari’s spine as Jin’s demeanor all but confirmed Tailmon’s accusation. The idea that any of the Chosen Children could be related to a member of the yakuza seemed utterly absurd. Yet, now that it seemed to be the reality, she couldn’t help but recall urban legends of terrible things that happened to people when they crossed the yakuza. “You’re… you’re really…?”

Jin’s smile widened. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. You’ve got bigger things on your plate - like the Digital World that killed my sister. I’d say that’s far scarier than anything you’re thinking of.”

Ken flinched before he lowered his head, his fingers twitching uncomfortably. He didn’t even look up when Jin reached over to place a hand over his head, lightly ruffling his hair.

“My sister loved the Digital World,” Jin said, softly. “It saved her, when I wasn’t able to. I don’t blame it for what happened… or you. Don’t forget that.”

Ken didn’t respond, beyond a small nod of his head.

Hikari nodded slightly as well, but she couldn’t quite get over her unease. “Those… those rumors about yakuza… Are they really as bad as they say?”

Jin tilted his head as he looked at Hikari, though he kept his hand on Ken’s head. “Depends on the family, really. Each one’s different, with different morals and priority. No different than any other group.”

Hikari blinked, surprised. “There’s different kinds of yakuza?”

Jin nodded before he finally removed his hand to point at the dragon pin on his lapel. “This marks me of the Ryuzaki family.” He paused before his crooked grin became playful. “I’ve got tattoos I could show as well, but I think my wife would have my head if I did.”

“Quite literally,” Kigaru said, cheerfully. “Being married to the boss has its own dangers.”

Hikari paled as her hand went to her throat. “You… she’d really do that to you?”

“Oh yes, and much worse!” Jin said, his smile widening. “You see-”

“ _Mr. Jin_ ,” Ken said, his tone firm and his annoyance clear on his face. “You’re scaring her.”

Jin paused before he burst out laughing and reached over to ruffle Ken’s hair, far more vigorously than before. “Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help it! I’m really an awful person, you know that.”

Hesitant and uncertain, Hikari turned her gaze to Ken. Although words failed her, the question she wanted to ask was clear in her troubled red eyes.

Ken huffed as he reached to fix his hair, his irritation still visible on his face. He then turned to Hikari, his expression sympathetic. “I reacted the same way when I first learned about Keiko’s family, but don’t worry. While I don’t know _everything_ they do, I do know that everyone I’ve ever met is a good person - if a bit rough around the edges.” He turned to stare hard at Jin, who continued to grin at him. “It seems to be a _requirement_ , like it’s built in to their DNA.” The Chosen of Kindness then turned back to Hikari, a soft smile appearing on his face. “They operate outside the law, when the law doesn’t seem to work. I know it may seem hard to believe, especially when Mr. Jin is acting like a jackass, but they’ve helped us in more ways than I can even count… They’re the reason the government hasn’t gone after us - or _you_.”

That tidbit of information caught Hikari off-guard. “What?”

“The thought never crossed your mind, did it?” Ken’s expression grew wry. “There’s a _reason_ no information about that giant egg appearing over your school ever made it far.”

“It was a pain in the ass, I’ll admit,” Jin said. “The government’s getting a lot more active regarding Digimon - ever since that vampire thing. Still, it has it’s upsides. With them so eager for any information they can get, they gobble up everything - no matter how stupid. It’s fun to see what we can get them to take seriously. For a while, they thought aliens were invading.”

Despite everything, a small snort of laughter escaped Hikari. “R-really?”

“Oh yeah,” Jin’s smile turned in to a smirk. “There was quite a bit of fall-out over it, but they don’t seem to have learned their lesson - yet.”

The more they talked, the more Hikari managed to calm herself about the entire situation. Although part of her still felt uncertain about yakuza in general, she had to admit that there were a lot of things she still didn’t know about the world. Learning things were more complicated than they first appeared was part of growing up, she supposed. “Thank you for helping us.”

“Thank Keiko,” Jin said, reaching up to adjust his shades. “Her love for the Digital World was undeniable.”

A small smile graced Hikari’s lips. “We love the Digital World too.”

Jin nodded at that before he glanced at Ken, who looked particularly solemn. A sly smile appeared on his face before he leaned forward towards Hikari. “Good, as that’s pretty much a requirement for _anyone_ who wants to become Ken’s wife.”

Ken jerked at that and whirled to stare at Jin, his eyes going wide as bright red flooded his face. “Wi-wi… _what_!?”

“Wait, _what_?” Hikari blurted out. “ _Wife_?”

Kigaru snickered, though he tried to hide it by covering his mouth with his hand. “How interesting…”

“Of course,” Jin said as he crossed his arms, straightening up. “Ken needs to be taken care of, and you seem to have the wherewithal to do it!”

“S-shut up!” Ken sputtered, the red spreading down his face. “Shut up, shut up, _shut up_!”

“W-we’re not…,” Hikari stammered. “Where did you get the idea that we were…?”

Jin let out a quizzical hum before he turned to quirk an eyebrow at Ken. “Ooops, did I tip your hand too soon? Not ready to ask the little lady out yet-”

“ _Thank you for visiting, goodbye_!” Ken said sharply, grabbing the box with one hand and Hikari with the other. He whirled and all but dragged the Chosen of Light away from the two adults, who proceeded to burst out laughing at the retreating Chosen of Kindness.

Tailmon watched as Ken fled with Hikari, then turned to look at Jin with a quirked eyebrow before she followed after her Chosen. “Oh brother…”

Takeru stepped off the dance machine, the song ending just in time for him to see a flustered Ken and Hikari dart by, with a deadpan Tailmon following close behind. The bright smile on his face was promptly replaced with confusion as he stared at the hurrying Chosen, both of whom were a brilliant shade of crimson in the face. The Chosen of Hope blinked before he tilted his head, letting out a quizzical hum. “Did something happen?”

“Don’t ask,” Tailmon said, not looking at Takeru as she walked by.

Takeru blinked before he turned to look at Patamon, who had a similarly blank expression on his face.

Worry flashed in Wormmon’s eyes at seeing his partner so ruffled and he hopped off the top of the dance machine to dart after Ken.

Daisuke abandoned the game to follow after Ken and Hikari. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Ken-chan?” Wormmon called after his partner before turning to look at Jin and Kigaru, who were both trying to calm their laughter from their position on the other side of the room. The insect Digimon frowned before following his partner. “Did something happen?”

“Nope!” Ken said as he released Hikari’s hand and all but slammed the box down on the table, startling the other Chosen and drawing their attention to him. “Nothing at all!”

The commotion drew Taichi away from where his friends were creating a mixture of good and terrible music. He failed to notice the redness on Ken and Hikari’s faces that had already begun to fade, but instead focused on the object on the table. “Hey, what’s in the box?”

Ken took a moment to take a deep breath, attempting to calm his fluttering heart as he let the air back out of his lungs slowly. After he finished exhaling, he smiled and turned to look at the Chosen as they began to approach him. “I… have a gift for everyone.”

“A gift?” Yamato repeated before he looked at the box on the table. It was impossible to tell what might be inside, as the size really gave no hint at its contents.

Mimi dropped the plastic microphone and darted over to the table. “Oooh! I want to see!”

The Chosen of Kindness’s smile widened before he opened the box, revealing its contents - twelve devices that rather strongly resembled their D-Terminals. However, they were far more sleek and trim as opposed to the thick book-like devices they currently used. Ken reached in to pick up one of the devices before flipping it open. “I’ve re-designed Koshiro-senpai’s D-Terminals, and added a lot of features that I thought everyone would enjoy - including a camera and video chat feature. I call it the DT2.”

“Video chat!?” Koshiro repeated, thunderstruck, before he hurried over to the boy genius and the new D-Terminal. “Are you serious!?”

Ken nodded before handing the small device to the Chosen of Knowledge. “It also has a menu to show various statistics about your Digimon, such as their current health and location.”

Miyako let out a low, whistle as she picked up one of the new DT2s for herself. “Color me impressed, Ken. This is straight out of science fiction right here.”

“Rather fitting, considering the Digital World,” Iori said as he held Kyokyomon in his arms, while Pafumon sat on his head rather comfortably. “Don’t you think?”

Miyako chuckled softly. “True enough. We’re pretty much living in a sci-fi world.”

Sora took one of the DT2s and opened it. She quickly located the camera feature and quickly aimed the device at Taichi, who turned to blink at her. As his face appeared on the screen, the Chosen of Love pressed the button and an audible click issued seconds before Taichi’s face was immortalized in a frozen still. Sora giggled as she lowered the DT2, looking at her new picture of the Chosen of Courage’s confused face. “This is amazing!”

Ken felt a rush of pleasure at the praise, the redness returning - though thankfully for a different reason this time. “T-thank you…”

Daisuke laughed as he started taking pictures with a DT2. “Awesome! Ken is the greatest genius there ever was!”

“The greatest ever!” Chibimon agreed, then giggled and flashed Daisuke a toothy grin as his partner took his picture.

Tailmon watched as everyone else took their DT2s before she turned to look at Hikari, her expression wry. “There’s really no doubt what his crest is, is there?” she said rhetorically, her voice soft.

Hikari nodded, her smile soft, before she joined her friends in praising Ken. They were going to save the Digimon Kaiser, she was sure of it.

\---

It was late by the time Ken Ichijouji returned home. Night had already settled over the city as the limo pulled up in front of the apartment complex. The boy genius’ mood was cheerful when he initially left the limo, still riding off the emotional high off the party. However, the closer he got to his apartment, the more his mood began to plummet. By the time he got to the front door, Ken’s face was a mask of ice.

“Ken-chan,” Wormmon whispered from inside his duffle bag.

“It’s fine,” Ken said, his voice as hard as steel. He didn’t wait to give Wormmon a chance to respond, unlocking the door with his keys before heading inside the apartment. He was greeted by the sight of a darkened hallway and kitchen, with the only light coming from the living room off to the left - which told him all he needed to know.

Ken walked forward, right past the entryway into the living room as he headed for his bedroom. He felt the hair on the back of his neck raise as he walked by, keeping his footsteps even despite the tense anticipation he felt.

True to his expectations, the stern voice of his father called out from the living room even as he made it to his bedroom. “ _Ken_.”

Ken paused at his door, then swiftly unlocked it and opened the door just enough to slide his dufflebag - and by extension, Wormmon - into his room. With his precious cargo safe, he turned back and headed back to the living room.

It seemed his actions were unexpected, as Ken barely made it back towards the entrance before he nearly bumped into his father Haruto - a square-shouldered, middle-aged man with short, dusty dark blue hair with a widow’s peak. Ken’s father jerked back in surprise at the sudden appearance of his son, stepping back before scowling.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Ken’s father asked, his voice stern.

Ken’s mask was still firmly in place as he met his father’s disciplinary stance with cool indifference. “I heard you. What do you want?”

“We’re long overdue for a talk,” Haruto said. “Come with me to the living room right now. Your mother is waiting with your brother.”

Ken’s expression barely changed, save for a vein twitch. He then gave a small nod as he proceeded into the living room, with slow and measured steps. “I agree. We’re _very_ long overdue for a _talk_.”

In the living room, his mother was already seated on the sofa beside the shrine to Osamu, which took up a large portion of the wall space. The smell of incense hit Ken’s nose and he could see her eyes were red-rimmed, hinting at her activities before he came home.

“Sit,” his father ordered, voice severe. “We need to talk about your behavior recently.”

“I prefer to stand,” Ken said, his tone icy. “So, shall we start with _you_ first or shall I?”

“ _Me_?” Haruto stammered for a moment before his eyes narrowed. “Listen right here, young man, this is exactly the type of attitude that’s the problem. You’re disobeying me, keeping all hours without telling me where you’re going, and terrorizing your mother. This stops right now!”

“Since when have you ever cared where I am?” Ken asked, his tone deceptively light. “You’ve never showed any interest before.”

“Don’t you talk back to me, young man!” Haruto snapped.

Ken arched an eyebrow, seemingly unperturbed by his father’s anger. “We’re having a _talk_ , you said so yourself.” A smile appeared on his face, sharp and pointed like a knife. “Or did you mean that _you_ intended to talk, and I’m only allowed to listen and not defend myself?”

“I am your _father_!” Haruto said, pointing an accusing finger at Ken. “You _will_ treat me with respect!”

Quietly, Ken heard his mother starting to sniffle again and mutter prayers to the shrine. He only caught the occasional word, but it was enough to inform him that his mother was asking Osamu to help ‘bring back the real Ken’.

It was enough to set a hot lick of flame inside him, spurring him forward in his anger.

“Respect is _earned_ , not _given_ ,” Ken said, his tone icy. “And you both have done _nothing_ beyond _donating DNA_ to my existence. Now, are you done wasting my time? This _posturing_ has gotten _old_.”

His father threw his arms up into the air. “That’s enough! No more out of you! It’s _your_ turn to listen to _us_ for a change!”

“All I’ve _done_ is listen to you _whine and threaten_ , without anything substantial being said,” Ken said, raising his voice to emphasize his rejection of his father’s instructions. “If you have something to say, then _say it_! Or _keep your mouth shut_ and leave me in p-!”

The loud meaty slap of a man’s hand striking a child’s cheek cut Ken off and forced his head in the direction of his mother, who stared at him with wide, tearful eyes.

“That’s enough!” Haruto growled, his hand still raised from the strike. “You’re going to shut your mouth and listen. These new friends of yours are clearly a bad influence, even worse than your last ones, and if you’re not careful they’re going to drag you down with them just like the last ones-”

Ken’s head jerked due to the force of the blow, shock flickering across his face as a red mark began to form from where his father’s hand had struck. However, it was very quickly replaced with anger - burning, smoldering rage that turned his eyes completely black. Before his father could even finish his rant, the Chosen of Kindness whirled to slam his foot into the coffee table, shattering the wood beneath his foot as if it were made of glass. His mother screamed, but he could scarcely care. He lunged forward to his father, like a viper about to strike. “ _You will not speak about them like that_!” he roared, looking every bit like a wild animal about to rip the elder man’s throat out. “ _Is that understood_!?”

For a moment, fear flickered in the elder Ichijouji’s eyes, but he managed to not give more ground than a footstep backwards as he glared down at his son. “You… go to your room this instant!”

Ken reached into his shirt, suddenly pulling out his taser from its holster around his chest. He lashed it forward as if to strike his father, coming to a halt just in front of the man’s nose and making his father flinch back. He pressed the button so that the electricity sounded off, crackling dangerously. “ _Is - that - understood_.” His voice was low and deadly, like the rattling of a snake’s tail.

The electricity dancing so close in front of his face sent the man scrambling backwards so fast he fell onto the floor, wide eyes gawking at his son. “Wh… you… you can’t!”

“You will _never_ speak that way about my _friends_ again,” Ken snarled, his voice daring his father to argue with him. He held the taser outward even as he released his hold on the button to cease the flow of electricity, the threat still just as real as it had been seconds before. “Not Keiko, not Ryo… not _anyone_. You…. the _both_ of you don’t have the _right_.”

The man couldn’t find his voice, while his wife sobbed and prayed to Osamu. Both stared at Ken as though he was a stranger in their home, and a potential danger to them.

Ken held his father’s stunned gaze for a moment more before he slowly straightened up. He didn’t put his taser away, still holding it firmly in his left hand, even as his right reached up to gingerly touch his cheek where he had been struck. “This conversation is _over_.”

There were no words from either adult until Ken turned to leave. That was when he caught his mother’s desperate sob.

“Wh-what happened to our sweet little Ken?”

Ken stopped for a moment, just within the doorway. He didn’t look back at his mother, his ice of mask sliding back into place, smothering the sizzling rage that had been there moments before. “He _died_ when you weren’t paying attention.”

The Chosen of Kindness didn’t wait for a response, storming back to his room and leaving his thunderstruck parents to stare after him long after he slammed the door in their frightened faces.


	42. Chapter Forty One

The sky was dreary and overcast, an abrupt change from the sunny day the Chosen Children had left behind in the real world. Angry gray clouds gathered in the sky, threatening to unleash rain at any moment across the ruined ground beneath. With the destroyed buildings and rubble surrounding them, the assembled Chosen almost felt as if they had gated into the Battlefield Memorial. However, the comparison ultimately fell short as the ground - while littered with craters - wasn’t doing any inexplicable twisting and turning. All of the damage looked entirely plausible, and terrible.

“This is… h-horrible,” Mimi said, choking down tears as she reached up to clasp her hands together. There was no doubt who had done it - there was only one possible answer. “How can he keep doing such horrible things?”

“Where… are we?” Takeru asked as he glanced around, noting the surrounding area. Something about it seemed familiar, though he couldn’t quite place it. In particular, the faded once colorful patchwork pattern hidden beneath grime and filth rang a bell deep within his memory, which was struggling to come out. “This place…”

While the other Chosen didn’t recognize the area, Ken immediately knew where they were - though it did little to comfort him. He grimaced while glancing about, surveying ruins that he was far too familiar with. Shoving back the pang of guilt and discomfort over a long-done deed, he instead focused on far more pressing matters. “Koshiro-senpai, you didn’t really explain… why are we here? Whatever happened here, it’s obviously _long_ over. ”

Koshiro’s mouth contorted in a grimace as he took in the devastation close up instead of through the glassy wall of a computer monitor. “Not sure, but the message Neemon sent us sounded urgent, so…”

Ken gave a start as his eyes widened, staring at the Chosen of Knowledge as if the boy’s words had just punched him in the stomach. The name coming out of Koshiro’s mouth sent chills down his spine, making his blood run cold. “...Did you just say… _Neemon_?”

A wobbly figure of yellow in red emerged from behind one of the broken walls and Ken felt his chilled blood ice over. Those same weird steps and bounding movements from the creature stirred up unwanted memories of happier, more innocent times. He almost dared to hope it was some other Digimon that happened to be the same _type_ as the one he knew, but no, there was no other Neemon in the entire Digital World, he was certain of it, and the roadmap of scars he himself left behind on the little digital monster proved it.

“You’re here! You’re here!” Neemon squealed as he waddled over to the Chosen Children, wobbly arm flailing about in an energetic wave. “Welcome to the Village of Beginnings!”

Ken stared at Neemon, his mouth going dry as words failed him for a moment. His stomach began to churn as his skin grew slick with sweat, mingling with the cold to create a disgusting, clammy sensation. “Neemon… no one ever mentioned a _Neemon_ in _any_ of the reports.” His tone was almost accusing, if disoriented.

Miyako felt her pride ruffled by the statement. “He never did anything worth noting. I can’t catalogue every single Digimon we save in each report, or I’d never get them done.”

While Ken couldn’t deny Miyako’s line of thought, it was a very cruel irony that he knew none of them would have caught. The _one_ Digimon he would have _wanted_ to know about, and _no one_ had thought it important enough to mention. It was so typical that he would have laughed, if he didn’t feel like he was about to vomit.

Mimi waved back at Neemon with a smile, completely oblivious to Ken’s distress. “Hi Neemon! How are you?”

“Tiiiired!” Neemon sighed in an exaggerated fashion as he slumped over once he had reached the Chosen.

Takeru jerked as he whirled to give Neemon all of his attention. “Wait! Wait, wait, _wait_! Where did you say this was!?”

Neemon bounced back upright again and his arms wobbled like waves on the ocean as he gestured around him. “The Village of Beginnings! The first place the Digimon Kaiser destroyed, of course.”

“He destroyed the Village of Beginnings?” Taichi shouted, outraged. “How’re all the Digimon he killed supposed to be reborn without it?”

Koshiro’s brow furrowed as unpleasantness churned in his belly. “That might have been the entire point. Without the Village of Beginnings, the Holy Beasts and their armies, and all the other Digimon he’s killed, won’t come back to be a threat to his campaign.”

Takeru stared about the ruins as memories finally flowed freely through him. He had been there years ago, when he was younger and just starting out his adventure - Patamon hadn’t even evolved yet. To see what had once been a bright and colorful village reduced to rubble, with no sign of any baby Digimon in their little cradles or their guardian Elecmon, it filled the Chosen of Hope with a sick, boiling rage inside the pit of his stomach. He clenched his fists tightly, a tremor running up his spine. “This is…”

“What happened to all the baby Digimon?” Sora asked, anxiously. “Or Elecmon?”

“Gone, gone, gone!” Neemon said as he swayed back and forth, with even his head bending in to each movement. “All gone after the Digimon Kaiser blew everything into itty bitty bits of data. The Village of Beginnings is gonna be _really busy_ once it’s working again!”

Ken bit back a protest, his words twisting in his mouth like a foul taste. He wanted to deny the Digimon’s accusations, and insist that he hadn’t massacred the infant population as Neemon was implying. Unfortunately, doing so would only expose himself immediately. All he could do was bite his lower lip in an attempt to keep silent.

Trying to be discreet, Hikari pulled Ken to the side with her after noticing the expression on his face. “Do you need to leave?” she whispered. “We can talk about what happened here privately if you want.”

Ken flinched before he turned to face Hikari, desperation visible on his face. It took everything he had to keep his voice quiet, as he wanted to scream denials for everyone to hear. “Hikari, you’ve got to believe me, I-”

“Hi!” Neemon squealed as he popped up between Ken and Hikari, forcing them both to jerk back; Ken especially so to the point of crashing backwards to the ground. Wormmon darted forward and placed himself between them, but Neemon didn’t seem to notice. “Hey, I haven’t seen you with everyone before.”

Although the smile directed at Ken was completely innocent, even oblivious, the fact that Neemon’s expression was no different than when they first met was chilling enough. The only thing marring the Digimon’s dopey expression of good cheer were the countless scars.

Ken had tried so hard to wipe that smile off Neemon’s face with his whip and never succeeded.

Ken stumbled to his feet as he kept his eyes on Neemon with laser-point precision. He couldn’t even think of anything to say, not daring to utter any words unless it prompted Neemon to spout a few of his own - particularly his identity.

Daisuke slid over to Ken’s side and wrapped his arm around the genius’ shoulders with a wide grin. “This is our good friend, Ken Ichijouji. He’s the greatest genius in both worlds!”

“Oh?” Neemon asked, cocking his head. “I thought the Digimon Kaiser was the greatest genius in the Digital World.”

Daisuke let out a bark of laughter, oblivious to the way Ken flinched. “Tiny T- the Digimon Kaiser _thinks_ he’s smart, but there’s no way he’s going to defeat us. Right, Ken?”

Ken opened his mouth before snapping it shut again. After a moment, he gave an awkward nod, his voice breaking. “I’ll… do my best….”

“That’s right!” V-mon cheered, raising his fists. “Ken’s so much cooler!”

Wormmon kept his gaze fixed on Neemon, as rigid and unyielding as stone.

Hikari turned to Tailmon, but was caught off-guard by her partner’s expression, fixed with suspicion and distaste. “What is it?” she whispered, unsure if she should draw too much attention.

Tailmon paused as she flicked her ear before turning her head slightly. “...Maybe it’s nothing, but… something feels wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Hikari asked quietly.

“Neemon supposedly knew Ken in the past, when he journeyed with Ryo and Keiko,” Tailmon whispered, her eyes darting back to verify that Neemon wasn’t nearby, instead focusing his attention on the flustered and uncomfortable Ken. “And yet he’s acting like he has no idea who Ken is.”

“Maybe it’s because it’s been a while?” Hikari suggested, though she wasn’t certain of that idea. “Maybe Ken has grown alot since they’ve last seen each other.”

“It’s possible,” Tailmon relented, softly. “Maybe he really _is_ so stupid as to not realize that humans grow up, and he’s expecting to see a little boy. Growing up _is_ different for Digimon.”

Hikari nodded. Given what she had seen of Neemon’s intelligence, it was almost surprising that he even remembered who _he_ was sometimes.

“For now, let’s just keep watch,” Tailmon said, softly. “There’s no point in saying anything, especially if it makes him remember before Ken… before _we’re_ ready.”

Jou adjusted his glasses as he looked around at the devastation before he returned his attention to Neemon. “Maybe we should move away from such a depressing topic and get to the matter at hand.”

“I agree,” Koshiro said with a nod before he similarly turned to the noodly Digimon. “Why did you call us here, Neemon?”

“Huh?” Neemon tilted his head as he turned to somehow stare at Koshiro despite his closed eyelids. “Whatcha mean?”

Koshiro paused, furrowing his brow. “Um, you… said you had something really important to show us.”

“Yup, I did!” Neemon said, brightly. “And I showed it to you!”

Jou blinked, then furrowed his brow. “Showed us… what?”

“This!” Neemon said as he gestured wide with his hands, directing their attention to the maimed land that had once been the Village of Beginnings. “You’re _standing_ on it, silly!”

Koshiro paused as his eyes darted around the wreckage before he turned to Neemon. “You… mean you called us here to show us _this_?”

Neemon tilted his head to the side. “It’s _important_ , isn’t it? Don’t you think so? _I_ think it’s _very_ important that all the dead Digimon are _trapped_ and can’t be reborn. That’s very, very, _very_ important!”

Koshiro faltered as he turned to look at Jou. “Er, ah, I…”

“Don’t _you_ think it’s important?” Neemon asked, seemingly wide-eyed despite having his eyelids closed. After a moment, he perked up as he clapped his hands together. “Oh, I get it! It’s _not_ important to you because you don’t _need_ it!” He giggled before he swayed his arms from side to side. “Wooooow… it must be super, super nice to not hafta worry about death!”

Jou flinched, jerking back as if the Digimon’s innocent words physically burned him. “A-ah, no… we… it’s _definitely_ important!” He turned to look about wildly. “Isn’t it!? There’s no way we wouldn’t care about something so important to the Digimon!”

“R-right,” Koshiro agreed, feeling awkward and more than a little sheepish for not realizing it in the first place. “We’ll definitely have to figure out how to fix the Village of Beginnings. You don’t need to worry about it anymore, Neemon.”

“Yay!” Neemon cheered as he raised his hands skyward. “That’s great! Everyone will be so happy to be alive again!”

“You bet!” Daisuke said as he threw his left fist into the air, his other still wrapped around Ken’s shoulders. “It’s just one more thing to go _trounce_ the Digimon Kaiser over! Right!?”

“R… right,” Ken said awkwardly, glancing at Neemon uneasily. Even though he couldn’t read the Digimon’s face, there was no doubt in his mind that Neemon was enjoying himself immensely. After all, he didn’t doubt for a second that making him helplessly miserable was entirely the point - in addition to revealing himself to the Digimon Kaiser.

It was also more than likely the only reason why Neemon hadn’t yet exposed Ken to his friends. However, that was no guarantee that he’d _continue_ to be safe, as the Digimon could reveal him at _any_ time and they both knew it. If nothing else, that knowledge alone made Ken’s discomfort all the sweeter to the sadistic little bastard. Unfortunately, for the moment, he had no other option but to wait and _suffer_ until he had an opportunity to strike.

But when he had the chance, by _God_ would he strike the smug Digimon down like never before. The whippings Neemon had received would seem like love-taps compared to the Hell that Ken would deliver in retaliation.

The boy genius’ discomfort was obvious, but Hikari was the only Chosen Child who really understood why. She watched as Ken squirmed, growing increasingly upset despite the encouragement the other Chosen gave him. She imagined they assumed the sight of the wreckage was responsible for it, but she imagined it went far beyond sympathy for the suffering - it was guilt. Not just guilt for the village, but for Neemon as well. The Digimon’s scarred body served as a constant reminder that Ken had tormented someone who had been an ally, an innocent friend who had been tortured for reasons that Hikari still wasn’t clear on. But whatever it was, she was sure the Dark Ocean was involved.

In the end, Hikari would have to do her best to support Ken. While she couldn’t erase what he had done, she could at least be there to make sure it didn’t destroy him.

The rest would be up to Ken.

\---

“ _Why didn’t you tell me_!?”

Ken furiously paced the floor of his throne room, like a lion in the zoo stalking the bars to his pen. He hadn’t even bothered to change in to his Kaiser outfit, instead storming back and forth in his usual attire. He gave a wide, sweeping gesture as he stomped. “All this time… _all this time_ , Neemon’s been in contact with them! Doing whatever he likes, _saying_ whatever he likes-!”

“He hasn’t said anything, _yet_ ,” FlaWizarmon said as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. “He even went along with the ‘K-chan’ instructions we gave Kyoumon… so he obviously has a reason _not_ to expose you. At least, not at the moment.”

“But that could change at any time!” Ken said as he threw his hands up before he whirled to face the Digimon. “He’s doing it to _taunt_ me!”

“Don’t doubt it,” FlaWizarmon agreed. “We’ve been trying to take his ass out when the others aren’t around, but he keeps disappearin’ to who knows where… the only time he ever shows up is when the others are around - and _yer_ not.”

“Which is _also_ intentional,” Ken growled, angrily.

“Yup,” FlaWizarmon said with a nod. “He’s a slimy little bastard.”

“He’s been avoiding you all this time,” Witchmon said, her expression grim as she hovered nearby, sitting on her broom. “He must have a reason for why he purposely showed himself _now_.”

“I know that!” Ken snapped before he stopped and turned to kick at a nearby pillow, sending it flying. “You think I don’t know that!?”

Wormmon sat on the throne and watched his partner as he had his temper tantrum, his eyes filled with concern. “Ken-chan, we have to be very careful. He’s trying to make you do something, I’m sure of it.”

“He probably wants you to try an’ kill him while the other Chosen are around,” FlaWizarmon said as he glanced at Witchmon. “And _then_ he’ll expose you.”

“He’s daring us to try and take him out, and give him a reason to ‘retaliate’,” Witchmon said as she met FlaWizarmon’s gaze before turning her attention to Ken. “Which is why that’s the _last_ thing we should do.”

“So what are you suggesting!?” Ken demanded as he turned to face the two Digimon. “That I just leave him alone and let him do what he wants!?”

“We’re suggestin’ that you take away his ammo,” FlaWizarmon said, slowly. “An’ out yerself before _he_ has a chance to out ya.”

Ken stopped short at that, gaping at FlaWizarmon in stunned silence as if the Digimon had suddenly spoken in tongues.

“Look, you planned to do it anyway,” FlaWizarmon said as he lifted a hand to point at Ken. “It’s just that we no longer got the luxury of doing it on yer own schedule. _You_ need to do it before _Neemon_ does, ‘cuz I _guarantee_ that if there is _any_ chance of this big reveal goin’ smoothly, he will _destroy_ it.”

“This just means doing it sooner rather than later,” Witchmon said. “You’ve already got Light Darling’s support to help smooth things over, and you’ve spent time being friendly with them as yourself in the real world. Plus you’ve got an excuse or two for your behavior if anyone raises a fuss, so it’s better to come clean, and quick, before that little yellow bastard tries whatever he’s got planned.”

“B-but…,” Ken faltered, his face going pale as images of the other Chosen furiously glaring at him filtered through his mind. “But they’ll…”

“Look, they’re gonna be mad, there’s no denyin’,” FlaWizarmon said with a shrug. “But they’ll get over it - Light Darlin’ll help with that. Especially if you reveal _yourself_ rather than _get_ revealed.”

Witchmon floated over to Ken and placed her hand on his shoulder lightly. Though her expression held an encouraging smile, her haunted eyes made it more fearful for the child than comforting. “I know you’re scared - we’ll be there for you every step of the way - but we can’t afford to underestimate Neemon, not ever again. We would’ve taken the little bastard out even while the kids were there and damn what they think of us for it, but you know as well as I do that if we try, there’s way too big a chance he’ll kill one of them before we can kill him. We _need_ to take away that bastard’s power over you and get the kids on the defense about him and _fast_.”

Ken grimaced as he reached up to fidget with his collar, hooking his fingers over the edge as he tugged. The clothing suddenly felt far too tight, as if it were choking him. While his fear over being exposed was still present, the fear that Neemon might harm one of the Chosen was growing with ever increasing speed. He wouldn’t put it past Neemon, and it would make sense that his sudden appearance was less a taunt and more a _threat_. “What… what can I do…?”

“Light Darlin’s already prepared something’ for you,” FlaWizarmon said as he reached up to tug down his hat. “The Digimental of Darkness.”

Ken paused and turned to stare at FlaWizarmon. “That thing…?”

“They plan on usin’ it to purge your taint, they’ve made no secret of _that_ ,” FlaWizarmon said. “Not that they realized they were tippin’ their target off.”

“It’s ready to be used,” Witchmon said. “So let’s use it.”

Ken tugged at his collar as he glanced between Witchmon and FlaWizarmon. His head was screaming against the idea, not only insisting it was a trap but that the two Digimon were involved. Only his long history with them did he have the strength to shove aside those fears - if there was _any_ Digimon he could trust, it was the three in this room. “So you think…”

“It’s what they’re plannin’ to do this whole time,” FlaWizarmon said, with a nod. “So they ain’t got room to complain if you volunteer.”

“Ken-chan,” Witchmon said as she moved to take Ken’s hand in her own, her expression sympathetic. “You need to decide which you’re more afraid of… their anger, or their _deaths_.”

Ken grimaced again as his hand trembled in Witchmon’s own. He lowered his gaze to stare at the massive hand as it dwarfed his. “I-I…”

“Ken-chan, it’ll be okay,” Wormmon said as he hopped down out of the throne, then hurried over to his Chosen to grip his pant leg. “You have to believe in them.”

“Even if they’re angry, they’ll eventually get over it,” FlaWizarmon said, his voice soft. “There’s no gettin’ over _bein’ dead_.”

Ken went completely silent as he stared at Witchmon’s hand, then closed his eyes. He didn’t say anything for several long moments, a pregnant silence descending on the room. Visions of the Chosen Children - _his friends_ \- rejecting him over his betrayal and his identity continued to play out in his mind, their faces consumed with anger and hatred. But in the sea of wicked imagery, a different vision quickly came to the forefront.

It was of Daisuke, back at the battlefield around Xuanwumon’s temple, covered in blood after the Deva’s shrapnel had punctured his body.

A shudder ran up Ken’s spine before he opened his eyes. He removed his hand from Witchmon’s, who offered no resistance. He turned his back to the Digimon, who watched him with obvious concern. He didn’t look back, instead pulling out his DT2 and flipping it open before using the keyboard to type a message - to Hikari.

_Hikari, please meet me at the Battlefield Memorial tomorrow. We need to use the Digimental of Darkness as soon as possible._

_And then, we can tell the others._

Ken reread the message multiple times before he finally sent it. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words, to outright state what he was referring to. Somehow, words failed him, and even typing them was beyond what he was capable of. He only hoped Hikari understood, without having to explicitly be told. Otherwise, he suspected that he’d lose his nerve entirely, already very fragile with fear and anxiety.

The corrupt Chosen waited tensely for a response, each second excruciatingly long. As time ticked on, his nerves became increasingly frayed. Finally, just when he was about to change his mind, a response came - and ultimately sealed the deal.

_We’ll meet up tomorrow morning, just the four of us. Once that’s done, then we can talk to the others._

_Don’t worry, Ken. We’ll get through this._

Ken stared at the screen for what felt like eternity before his quaking hands lowered the DT2. He didn’t look up, even when Witchmon approached him to hug him from behind, wrapping her large arms around his body.

“I’m very proud of you, K-chan,” Witchmon said, her voice soft. “And she’s right - we’ll get through this.”

“You’ll have Wormmon, an’ we’ll be watchin’ nearby,” FlaWizarmon said with a nod.

“They’re our friends,” Wormmon said as he gripped Ken’s pant leg again. “Even if they’re angry, that won’t change. It’ll be fine, Ken-chan.”

Ken swallowed hard as he snapped the DT2 closed, then closed his eyes. Every fiber of his being was screaming against what he was doing, insisting that it was a terrible mistake. And yet, no matter how hard it yelled, it could never overpower the image of Daisuke covered in blood. If ending his deception meant that the others wouldn’t be in danger, it was a choice he had to make.

He wasn’t going to let anyone else die because of him.

\---

It had been many years since Ken had set foot in the Battlefield Memorial, at least by choice. The last time he had visited, it had been just after the disaster that took so many lives and decimated the land. With the dark gray clouds and charred earth, it felt like an open wound that taunted Ken about what had happened - what he had survived. Not wanting to linger, the Chosen of Kindness had placed the memorial statue with its dedication plate, then left as quickly as he had arrived.

For that reason, Ken was more than a little bewildered to be greeted by clear blue skies and lush grass as he gated in. He paused and looked about in confusion, momentarily concerned that he had put in the wrong coordinates.

However, his concerns were quickly dismissed by a loud squeal that pierced the air.

“ _K-chan_!”

Ken jerked and looked up just in time for Kyoumon to tackle him, the small plush Digimon grabbing onto him tightly. He yelped as he fell backwards under the force, landing on his back with Kyoumon on top of him.

“K-chan, K-chan, K-chan~!” Kyoumon practically sang as he sat on Ken’s chest, his smile bright as his tail wagged behind him. “K-chan came to visit Kyoumon!”

Ken blinked as he looked up at the excited Digimon before his expression softened. His eyes started to wander across the gray taint that marred the Digimon’s once-colorful body before he forcibly focused them on Kyoumon’s face. “Kyoumon… it’s been awhile, hasn’t it.”

Kyoumon giggled before he turned to look at Wormmon, who stood by his partner. “And Wormmon too! Wormmon came to visit Kyoumon, with K-chan!”

“Hello, Kyoumon,” Wormmon said, smiling as best as his mouth was capable of despite his sad eyes. “That’s a pretty scarf.”

“Yes, it is!” Kyoumon agreed. “Mimi gave it to Kyoumon, and gave Kyoumon back his color!”

Ken flinched, his expression twisting in pain. He did his best to shove a smile on his face as he propped himself up on his elbows. “I-it’s really nice. It… looks good on you.”

“Yes!” Kyoumon said with a sharp nod. “It does!”

Now that Ken was there with little else to do but wait for Hikari, he couldn’t help but notice more and more details about his surroundings. The scars of the tragic battle were gone, leaving a peaceful meadow with colorful flowers and a soothing breeze. He should have felt happy to see it restored to what it was, but the scars in his memories bled fresh. In his mind’s eye, he saw the Digimon fighting for the Digital World gathering - his Digital Gate gave him a perfect view to coordinate their lines from afar.

In the distance, where there had been a massive crater until not long ago was the gentle slope of a hill. Ken knew that if he went closer, he could still find the hidden entrance to the bunker where countless helpless Digimon thought they were safe. He still remembered the reassurances given as Keiko and Ryo were secreted away inside before the bunker was sealed.

_“This is a secret hideaway that Higashi and I created long ago. It’s an important place to us, so much so that we’ve spent centuries reinforcing its security and our gods have blessed it. There is no safer place in the Outer Realm than here.”_

Ken could still remember watching the Digimon who made that promise - his friend - dying to save Higashi by taking the full fury of Zeed Millenniumon’s attack in the other angel’s stead. He remembered watching Higashi break with Zennyu’s death. He would never forget when the hill and the bunker erupted into flames and data shortly after.

Ken still had nightmares of what he saw at the bottom of the crater.

“Ken-chan!”

The hellish memories replaying across the now peaceful meadow faded and Ken was suddenly aware of Wormmon sitting in his lap, patting his face and urgently trying to bring him back from that day. He tried to apologize for retreating into himself, even if just in the form of a fake smile, but the urgent need to hug his partner close overrode all sense of remorse for worrying Wormmon and Kyoumon.

“It’s okay, Ken-chan,” Wormmon whispered as he stroked Ken’s cheek. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

Kyoumon’s ears drooped as he flopped beside Ken. “Is K-chan okay?”

“I’m fine,” Ken muttered as he kept his hold tight on his partner, his eyes closed. “I’m fine.”

“You were remembering what happened that day, weren’t you?” Wormmon guessed.

Ken was silent for a moment before he finally lessened his grip on Wormmon, leaning back as he opened his eyes. He cracked a wry grin, which he hoped would conceal the pain still obvious on his face. “When do I _not_?”

Wormmon drooped before nodding solemnly.

Ken reached up to wipe at his eyes with the back of his hand, then glanced around. “The sooner Hikari gets here, the better.”

Kyoumon paused as he tilted his head. “Hikari? Who is Hikari, K-chan?”

Ken paused at that before he turned to smile weakly at the plushie Digimon. “A... friend of mine.”

A flash of light heralded the entrance of Hikari and Tailmon beside the memorial statue. Hikari looked around anxiously upon their appearance, hastily dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. Upon seeing Ken, she relaxed a little, her worry that he might not show up dispelled. “Good morning, Ken, Wormmon, and Kyoumon.”

“Good morning, Hikari,” Ken said as he slowly got to his feet.

Kyoumon blinked before he turned to Ken. “K-chan, that’s not Hikari. That’s _Keiko_.”

The name stabbed Ken in the heart and robbed him of breath. Staggering a step back, he turned to stare at Kyoumon, his eyebrows shooting straight up.

“She wears Keiko’s dress sometimes!” Kyoumon said. “So it’s Keiko!”

Ken blinked slowly before he grimaced and turned to glance at Hikari as he tried to will the bile back down his throat. “Kyoumon…” He paused before he sighed and shook his head. Given the state of Kyoumon’s mind, he doubted the Digimon would understand him at all. “Nevermind.”

“Okay~!” Kyoumon chirped, happily.

Hikari shot Ken a sympathetic look. “I tried to tell him too.”

“You can guess how well that turned out.” Tailmon said, with a shake of her head.

“It’s hard to explain things to someone that’s not entirely there,” Ken said, his voice soft. “It’ll just upset him all over again.”

“Yeah…,” Hikari sighed before lapsing into silence. She looked to the blue sky, clear save for the occasional white cloud drifting lazily overhead. There was no sign of damage or dreariness in the valley at all now. The only bit of evidence that it ever happened was the statue of an angel and the Digimental of Darkness’ faint black aura.

Ken glanced over at Hikari, watching as her eyes focused on the monument and the Digimental that rested on its base. After a moment, he averted his gaze down to Wormmon. He knew he should say something, but he was at a loss as to what.

“Everything looks a lot nicer here,” Hikari said. “I’m sure Narakumon will be relieved that this place is healed.”

Ken glanced over at Hikari, his brow furrowing. He then glanced skyward, into the clear blue above them. “I’m sure he will be.”

“Are you ready to do this?” Hikari asked, her tone gentle, without a hint of the pressure or urgency that was already choking the Chosen of Kindness.

Ken flinched before he lowered his gaze, down to Wormmon. He clenched his jaw as a slight tremor ran up his spine, as the instinct to flee nearly overwhelmed him. However, Wormmon’s reassuring gaze and the knowledge that both FlaWizarmon and Witchmon were nearby made him stay still. Slowly, he turned to look at Hikari with stormy gray eyes. “No, but I’m here.”

Hikari nodded as she remembered the way Takeru resisted the purging of his taint. “Would it help if Wormmon and Tailmon helped you to hold still when it happens?”

“I…,” Ken faltered before he swallowed hard. “No. I’d rather not… put him in harm’s way.” He glanced down at his partner. “...There’s no telling what’ll happen, and…”

“I’ll be okay, Ken-chan,” Wormmon said gently as he patted Ken’s gloved hand. “You’ve never hurt me, ever. I’ll be alright.”

Ken looked down at Wormmon’s little digit as it lightly rested against his hand before he let out a heavy sigh. Wormmon was far too precious and trusting, especially of someone as horrible as he was. “Let’s… let’s get this over with, before I lose my nerve entirely…” The He then glanced over to Kyoumon, who was dangling off his arm and humming without a care in the world. “Then, you can use it to cure Kyoumon of his taint, too.”

Hikari nodded before reaching for the Digimental. “Okay, I’ll-”

Several flashes of light interrupted Hikari, and both she and Ken turned just in time to see a multitude of Digital Gates open suddenly around them. All the color drained from his face as the rest of the Chosen Children appeared, filling the area with bodies.

“Eh-?” Ken could only squeak out before he whirled to stare at Hikari accusingly, only to find her looking equally flabbergasted.

“Oh, hey!” Daisuke said with wide eyes. “You’re both here already!”

“Ken!” V-mon cheered as he raised his fists and hopped from side to side. “Ken’s here~!”

A scowl marred Taichi’s face as he strode towards his little sister. “Why the heck did you and Tailmon run off before the rest of us like that for?”

“That was really reckless!” Jou added to the scolding, wagging a finger at Hikari. “What if the Digimon Kaiser had attacked!?”

Miyako let out a huff, followed by a sly smile. “Looks like I’m not the only one that can be reckless, huh.”

“I…” Hikari turned her questioning eyes towards Ken. “Did you email everyone?”

Ken shook his head quickly, his eyes widen. “N-no, of course not!”

“Email us?” Takeru repeated slowly, blinking. “No, we got an email from Mystimon.”

“Yeah,” Yamato said, crossing his arms. “He told us to hurry to the Battlefield Memorial.”

Ken’s already pale face turned an even lighter shade, bordering on nearly white. A sick feeling in his stomach intensified as he felt a prickling of panic along his spine. “Mystimon?”

“We came as quickly as we could,” Patamon said as he flapped his wings, hovering over Takeru.

“We couldn’t find you at first, but then Koshiro saw that you were already here so we decided to just go on ahead too,” Sora said as she glanced around the area, then furrowed her brow. She didn’t see anything, let alone Mystimon. “But why…?”

“Is someone trying to take the Digimental of Darkness?” Koshiro asked as he turned to look at the artifact in question. “It should be ready by now.”

Ken’s head began to swim as he stared at the Chosen, his panic increasing until he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. He felt his resolve breaking, cracking like ice, before he took a step backwards. “I-I… I have to-!”

“ _K-chan, look out_!”

Ken barely had a chance to recognize that the forbidden nickname had been spoken seconds before he saw a blur of motion and felt a spray of wet drops across his face. He jerked back to find Witchmon’s hands obscuring his vision, but more alarming than her presence was the large arrow embedded through her palm. His eyes widened as the bloody tip came to a halt mere centimeters from his brow, a loud declaration of what would have happened had the witch Digimon been even a single second slower.

Witchmon merely let out a hiss of pain as she used her uninjured hand to pull Ken back against her. “It’s a trap!”

“What… what!?” Tailmon jerked about, searching wildly for the source of the attack. “What’s happening!?”

“Don’t let him escape!” a slithering, slimy voice barked as a Digimon suddenly appeared, darting past the Chosen and sending them scattering without concern. It was Sandiramon, a massive white cobra with a purple underside and back of his hood, with golden trim along the edges. A green breastplate with twin golden circles covered the area where his body met his hood, and he had three horns on his face - two to the side, and one on his forehead directly between his red eyes.

A second Digimon appeared soon after, rushing forward from her hiding place among the rubble. It was Pajiramon, a strange sheep centaur hybrid, with dark brown ears, face, and feet and fluffy white wool covering her body. She wore a red sash about her neck and a red belt with golden circular decorations across her stomach, as well as lavender armguards and chest armor, which matched the massive twin curved horns on the top of her head and the much smaller spiked horn on the top of her head. She was the source of the arrow that nearly punctured Ken’s skull, her massive purple crossbow still in her hands as she glared at FlaWizarmon and Witchmon.

The third and final Deva, Indaramon, lumbered into view with slow steps. A large dark purple anthropomorphic horse with golden hooves and a massive golden spiny conch tied to his back with green straps. His forearms were far too large for his body, touching the ground at all times with red banded armor going up to practically his elbows. Three red spikes peeked out from beneath his long white mane, two short ones to either side of the larger middle horn, as the hair obstructed his eyes completely. Much like the sheep Deva, he wore a gold breastplate and belt, though his neck sash was orange instead of red.

“Kill him,” Indaramon said, his voice full of malice. “Quickly.”

FlaWizarmon darted forward, placing himself between Witchmon - and Ken - and the Devas. “You bastards! You wanna die that badly!?”

Hikari saw the spatters of blood on Ken’s face as she moved to his side. “Ken! Are you okay?”

“Shit!” Daisuke shouted. “You’re bleeding!”

Taichi thrust his Digivice forward. “Everyone evolve, now!”

Light burst from the Chosen Digimon while the Devas surged forward with murderous intent. In that brief moment of evolution, the Devas might have succeeded in their task of assassinating Ken if Witchmon didn’t teleport him back behind the base of the angel statue while FlaWizarmon burned the deadly arrows sent their way. The flames were not enough to stop Sandiramon’s charge, and his wide fanged maw tore the statue’s torso from the base before crushing the stone into data with his powerful jaws as easily as though it was made from fairy floss.

The snake Deva wasn’t able to continue his assault, as suddenly XV-mon dove in front of him and backfisted Sandiramon in the face, sending him flying backwards. “Stay away from Ken!”

Angewomon rushed to Ken’s side, placing herself in front of Witchmon to form a barrier with FlaWizarmon. “Ken! Are you injured?”

Ken stood in a daze, still staring at Witchmon. As Angewomon’s sharp voice cut his thoughts, he gave a jerk and shook his head. “I-I’m… I’m fine!” He reached up to wipe the blood away from his face, the red crimson standing out strong against his pale skin.

Sandiramon recovered, raising up to flash his hood at XV-mon, his jaw unhinging as he opened his gaping mouth as he let out a menacing hiss. Before he could strike at the dragon Digimon, a blur of movement caught the snake’s attention and he moved back just in time to avoid a guitar blow from Kyoumon.

Kyoumon’s golden eyes blazed, his face a mask of hatred as he glared at the Deva. Gripping his guitar, he lifted it again in an obvious threat. “Kyoumon will _kill_ you!”

“No!” Ken cried out, his panic flaring up as he whirled to wave his hands in a panic towards Kyoumon. “No! No no no _no_! _You_ stay out of this! _Stay out of this_ , Kyoumon!”

The puppet Digimon glanced back at Ken, his face still consumed with dark emotions. Just when it seemed like he was about to argue, Kyoumon reluctantly drew back - though not entirely, instead hovering near Ken.

Iori kept his distance from the large Devas, though he still held his sword at the ready as he glared at them. They looked powerful, but judging by their use of weapons, none of them had the sheer destructive power that Imperialdramon had. Still, with his confidence rather shaken, he didn’t rush to the forefront like everyone else. “Explain yourselves!”

Kyokyomon sat on Iori’s head as he growled, baring his teeth at the Devas. “You’ll never get near I-o-ri! I won’t lose!”

“Yeah, no,” Miyako said as she moved closer to Iori. “We’re staying in the back row while the Digimon who’ve gotten to Adult and above take on these guys. That goes for you too, Pafumon.”

“Fiiiine,” Pafumon said with a huff as she hovered over Miyako. “I didn’t want to get dirty over these idiots, anyway!”

Indaramon stared hard at the Chosen, though his eyes were covered by his mane. His gaze was piercing, looking past their partners as he focused exclusively on the humans despite the numerous Digimon - including War Greymon and Metal Garurumon. After a moment, he let out a snort. “ _You_ are the ones who should explain themselves. Are you not Chosen Children, protectors of this world? And yet you protect the greatest threat this world has ever faced?”

Ken felt a flash of hot anger flow through him at Indaramon’s words. “What!?”

“Come off it,” FlaWizarmon said, his cheek twitching. “Your _master_ has done more harm to this world than even _Zeed Millenniumon_. You’ve got no room throwin’ accusations around.”

A terrible chill ran through Hikari as she realized the Devas knew Ken was the Digimon Kaiser. It was just like his battle with Xuanwumon’s army when they focused their attacks on Ken with intent to kill.

“Wait!” Hikari shouted as she threw her arms upward to get the Devas’ attention. “You don’t have to do this! We’re all fighting for the same thing! We _all_ want to save the Digital World!”

Pajiramon turned to aim her crossbow at Hikari, her eyes narrowing. “If you get in our way, you’ll die with him.”

Takeru quickly moved to block Hikari, even as Angewomon and Holy Angemon served as better barriers than his human body ever could. “The hell you will!”

“If you think we’ll let you hurt Ken or Hikari-chan, you’re nuts!” Daisuke shouted. “XV-mon, kick their butts!”

“You got it, Daisuke!” XV-mon growled as he crouched, flexing his muscles.

Indaramon let out a mighty snort, his ears canting back. “So you humans mean to band together after all.” He then lifted one of his heavy hooves to point it menacingly at the dragon Digimon. “If you mean to ally yourselves with the Digimon Kaiser, then you are an enemy of this world!”

Daisuke snorted. “Who’d team up with that jerk?”

“In case you didn’t notice, we’ve been fighting the Digimon Kaiser all this time!” Taichi snapped.

The horse Digimon paused before he lowered his hoof, letting it hit the ground, which cracked beneath it. He let out a derisive snort. “So you are merely a fool, then.”

Sandiramon cackled, wagging his head from side to side. “Oh, this is _rich_!”

Ken grimaced, sweat drenching his skin. His heart lurched into his chest as he felt as if all his worst nightmares were coming true - all at the same time, in the place where his nightmares first began. “N-no…”

Daisuke bristled. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s so _amusing_!” Sandiramon hissed, showing off his fangs. “The enemy is right among you, and you don’t even _notice_!” He then turned to glare directly at Ken, his smile becoming impossibly wide. “Isn’t that _right_ , ‘your _majesty_ ’?”

Ken felt as if he had been stabbed, sucking in his breath as his body went cold.

Mimi blinked and turned to stare at Ken in confusion. “‘Your majesty’? They think Ken is a prince?”

Ken flinched under Mimi’s gaze and couldn’t look at her, instead staring straight ahead at the Devas. He wanted to say something - _anything_ \- but the words died on his lips.

The snake Deva’s smile grew strained as his expression became ugly. “No, you _stupid twit_. If you can’t keep up with the conversation, then _stay out_.” Sandiramon then turned to his comrades. “I see how he was able to deceive them for so long.”

Indaramon snorted. “Indeed.”

“Don’t you talk to Mimi like that!” Lillimon snapped as she pointed at the snake.

“T-that’s right!” Jou agreed as he shook a fist at the Devas. “Who do you think you _are_!?”

Pajiramon kept her eyes - and her crossbow - firmly on the Chosen Children. Her expression didn’t waver, as firm as death. “The Chosen of Kindness is the Digimon Kaiser.” She said, her voice like steel. “ _And_ Ken Ichijouji.”

All of the Chosen Children gave a start, save for Hikari and Ken who looked increasingly uncomfortable. However, before anyone could properly react, Daisuke was quick to cut in, clenching his fist as he shook it at the Deva.

“Hah, what a bunch of crap!” Daisuke snapped. “As if anyone’d believe that garbage! Who’s the ‘fool’ _now_!? If you actually _knew_ Ken, you’d _know_ there’s _no way_ -”

“But we _do_ know Ken,” Sandiramon said, his wicked grin returning with full force. “We’ve known him for a _long time_ now. We met him many years ago, when he was much smaller than he is now… when he first came to the Digital World, with _Ryo_ and _that other one_.” Derision dripped from his voice, like venom from his fangs. “He may have lost some of his _baby fat_ , but we know that face _far too well_.”

Daisuke faltered before he clenched both of his fists, raising them in an obvious threat to the Deva. “T-that’s a lie! You’re lying! If you think you can trick us-”

“Even _Kyoumon_ knows Ken,” Sandiramon said as he turned to grin at the puppet. “Don’t you?”

Kyoumon met the snake Deva’s stare with a murderous one of his own. “Kyoumon thinks Snakey should shut up and stay away from K-chan or he’ll be Kabong-ed back to the Village of Beginnings.”

Takeru turned to stare at the puppet Digimon, his eyes widening. “...K-chan?”

“Wait,” Taichi said, “isn’t that the Digimon Kaiser’s nickname?”

“K-chan is K-chan!” Kyoumon said firmly, his eyes never leaving the Devas. “And Kyoumon will _kill you all_ before he’ll let you hurt K-chan!”

Ken felt his skin crawl as confusion rippled through the Chosen Children, eyes slowly turned to him, their inquisitive gazes burning his skin. Some pleading, others demanding, but all of them were wanting - an explanation, a denial, _anything_. He could offer nothing but a helpless stare, words completely failing him as it took everything he had not to throw up.

The only one _not_ looking at Ken was Daisuke, who was glaring down the Devas. The goggle boy’s entire body shook with rage as he clenched his fists so tightly that his fingers bit into the palms of his hands. “Shut up… _shut up_! You lying _bastards_! You come here talking shit, and expect us to believe you!? Like _hell_!”

Ken found that Daisuke’s staunch defense of him hurt far worse than the barbs and confusion from the other Chosen, or even the Deva’s own insults. It made him feel wretched, and thoroughly undeserving of the Chosen of Tenacity’s friendship. “Daisuke…”

Takeru shoved aside the nagging thought fluttering in his mind, instead focusing on Daisuke’s words as they brought clarity - and anger - to the Chosen of Hope. “That’s right. We have no reason to trust you, and _every_ reason to believe you’re _lying_. _Especially_ since your first act was to try and _murder_ our friend!”

Ken felt a wave of relief as the other Chosen seemed to return their attention to the Deva, their faith renewed - however misplaced it was. However, out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed that Miyako had her DT2 open. The corrupt Chosen turned his head slightly and immediately felt the pit of his stomach fall, as he recognized the screen as the digital scanner map. Without even being able to see the entire map, he knew instantly what she had seen - all their crests currently gathered at the Battlefield Memorial, _including_ Miracles, Darkness, and Kindness.

The unreadable look on Miyako’s face as she turned to meet his gaze, her glasses glinting against the light, confirmed his fears and felt like a death sentence. Ken could only stare at Miyako, the sense of relief proving to be completely fleeting as it evaporated into the ether once more.

“If you won’t believe your ears, then what of your _eyes_?” Indaramon asked.

“And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Yamato asked, icily.

“His Digivice!” Indaramon said as he lifted his hoof again, accusingly. “The Digimon Kaiser’s black Digivice… there isn’t a single Digimon that doesn’t know to fear the sight of it.”

Koshiro’s face was pale as he stared at his DT2 screen. “This… this isn’t possible.”

Ken flinched, grimacing. Koshiro’s words confirmed, without Ken having to see, that the Chosen of Knowledge had _also_ checked out the scanning screen and had seen the truth for his very own eyes.

With a flick of the wrist, Miyako snapped her DT2 shut and gave a casual shrug. “Welp, seems you were right about Ken being the Digimon Kaiser. You get a gold star.”

Daisuke whirled around to gawk at Miyako, feeling nothing short of betrayed. “ _What_? You believe them?”

“The scanner proves Ken is really the Digimon Kaiser,” Miyako said.

“Wait, what!?” Yamato whirled to stare at Miyako, then Ken, before turning to Koshiro. “It does!?”

“There’s… it’s there,” Sora said, her voice shaking as she looked over Koshiro’s shoulder at the DT2 screen. “Darkness, Miracles, and Kindness… they’re all here, with us.”

“Seriously?” Taichi blurted, eyes bugging out, before he practically shoved Koshiro’s head down to see the DT2 screen.

FlaWizarmon’s jaw clenched as his grip tightened on his matchsticks, and he glanced back at Witchmon as the female Digimon’s expression mirrored his own.

Miyako gave an exaggerated shrug, and a shark-like smile as the sunlight hit her glasses in just the right way to hide her eyes. “Guess that means we have to turn him over to be killed because it’s not like we weren’t trying to _make friends_ with the Digimon Kaiser and heal him or actually _care_ about letting him die from a simple human decency standpoint. Clearly, we have no other option now but to hate and turn on him because the liar’s been revealed, since that’s how these things work, right?”

Ken trembled as he reached up to grab the front of his shirt, his heart pounding in his chest. In particular, the word ‘liar’ stabbed him like a dagger in his heart. “I-I…”

“No!” Hikari shouted as she lunged to take Ken by the shoulders, her stance protective. She didn’t even look at Ken, who whirled to stare at her with a desperate expression on his face. “We’re not going to hand Ken over to them!”

“That’s right, that’s right!” Kyoumon said angrily as he swung his guitar around. “Keiko’s right! Kyoumon will Kabong you if you even _try_!”

“That was sarcasm,” Pafumon said with a snort. “Saaaaarcasm.”

Miyako let out a brief chuckle. “Thank you for clarifying that for me, Pafumon. The mood is too _dead_ serious right now for everyone to notice my sarcastic wit, especially those guys.” She gestured at the Devas who clearly did not appreciate her dark humor.

Iori hesitated before his eyes narrowed. He didn’t want to believe it, but Miyako spoke with full confidence - it was impossible for him to doubt her words. “That’s correct. Even if it _is_ true, that changes _nothing_. We will _not_ allow you to kill him, so you have accomplished _nothing_.”

Daisuke’s eyes darted from face to face, from Miyako’s casual callousness to the horrified looks his senpai wore as more and more of them peered at Koshiro’s screen. Hikari’s fearsome expression and Ken’s naked terror were damning evidence enough alone, but his heart twisted and refused to believe what everyone else was already coming to terms with.

“It’s not true.” Daisuke’s voice was barely a whisper. “Tell them, Ken!”

Ken turned to stare at Daisuke, meeting the boy’s pleading stare. It was enough to make his face twist with anguish, and he wanted nothing more than to die at that very moment. “Daisuke…”

“Tell them!” Daisuke shouted as his eyes began to sting.

Ken’s own eyes began to water as he looked positively stricken. He wanted to yell denials, he wanted to defend himself, he wanted to say _something_ , but the words wouldn’t come. In fact, there was only one thing he could bring himself to say. “...I… I’m sorry…”

The words were a dagger in Daisuke’s heart. His entire body clenched up as he was hit with a terrible blow that sent him staggering back away from Ken.

Takeru glanced between Daisuke and Ken before he grimaced, turning to face the Devas. He didn’t know what to think, what to make of what was happening. Anger flooded him, but so did pain - for the betrayal, and for what Daisuke must have been feeling as well. “We’ll talk about this _later_.”

“So even now, you intend to continue protecting him,” Pajiramon said, her crossbow still held threateningly. “Even though he lied to you, and has devastated our world.”

“That… that doesn’t mean we should kill him!” Mimi shouted, her voice cracking high with emotion as tears began to form in her eyes. “He… he might’ve tricked us… might’ve lied about being our friend… but… but that doesn’t mean he deserves to die!”

“Ken _is_ our friend,” Hikari said as she stood close to Ken’s side, her supportive grip on him never wavering. “He came here today because he wanted my help to cure his taint. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone as the Digimon Kaiser anymore!”

Taichi turned to face his sister as a slow realization burned through his brain. “Wait… Hikari… you _knew_? You knew Ken was the Digimon Kaiser? _And you didn’t tell us_?!”

Hikari flinched and her body began to quake as her grip tightened to the point of nearly being painful for Ken. She could feel the hurt and anger in her brother’s tone and it resonated through her. It was almost enough to make her crumble, but she knew Ken needed her to remain strong right now. She would not allow her back to bend.

“Yes,” Hikari said, her voice quiet. She couldn’t even look at Taichi, but he practically radiated his disapproval. “I figured it out a while ago, and I’ve been trying to help him ever since.”

Daisuke turned his horrified gaze to Hikari. “You too, Hikari-chan? You were on the Digimon Kaiser’s side?”

“Ken _isn’t_ our enemy!” Hikari cried, trying not to sound as desperate as she felt, as the note of betrayal in Daisuke’s voice and the accusing stares of her friends bore down on her. “He’s sick from the taint, remember? He needs our help!”

“ _We_ came here _specifically_ to use the Digimental of Darkness,” Angewomon said, “which is what _we_ had all planned to do _from the very start_. It’s just that instead of trying to ambush him, Ken _volunteered_ to have it done.” She loomed over Hikari and Ken protectively as she kept her shrouded eyes fixed on the Deva. “And it would seem that _you_ all were sent here to stop it.” She aimed her bow at the Devas, her expression hard under her mask. “It would’ve been _inconvenient_ for you, wouldn’t it!? If we had cured Ken, you would’ve lost what _little_ standing you had to demand his death!”

“It explains the timin’,” FlaWizarmon growled. “How _coincidental_ , yeah? You were waitin’, watchin’... ever since Xuanwumon-”

“ _You_ stay out of this!” Yamato snarled as he pointed at FlaWizarmon, who turned his head however slightly to give the Chosen of Friendship an icy stare.

“Not happenin’, Friendship-kun,” FlaWizarmon said.

A sharp slice of a smile cut across Witchmon’s face as she turned to Yamato. “We’re more friends with _Ken-chan_ than you right now. You of all the Chosen can appreciate us standing with him through bad times too, right, dearie?”

“You’ve caused enough drama, I think,” Takeru said, his voice hard as he glared at the Devas. “But that’s all you’re going to get. Leave Ken alone.”

“How disappointing,” Indaramon said, with a snort. “ _Expected_ , but disappointing.”

Ken felt a chill at Indaramon’s words. It set all his teeth on edge, his instincts screaming at him that something was about to happen. Unfortunately, as sharp as his instincts were, it wasn’t the same as having the battle-instincts to avoid attack.

So when a sudden sound of movement from behind them caught his attention, the Chosen of Kindness had little opportunity to do more than turn as a flash of steel clouded his vision - followed by blood.

Mystimon’s sword had burst directly through Kyoumon’s stomach as the plush Digimon had lunged to take the blow that would have cleaved not only Ken but Hikari in half had he not taken the blow instead. Blood and fluff exploded out of the gaping wound, coating the blade as bits of glitching data began to dissolve.

Ken’s face went completely pale as the sight - both Mystimon’s murderous stare and the blade tip bursting through Kyoumon’s back, rendered a horrified scream from his throat. “ _Kyoumon-_!?”

“Kyoumon!” Mimi shrieked.

Mystimon growled as he jerked his sword back, pulling it out of the puppet’s body. He kept his eyes focused exclusively on Ken as the Chosen of Kindness lunged forward to catch the puppet before he hit the ground, not caring about the blood that splattered on him - or how it placed him further in reach.

The knight Digimon moved forward to strike again, raising his sword. “For Lord Xuanwu-!”

Mystimon never got a chance to finish uttering the shout. A flash of light blasted the sword back as Angewomon shot it out of his hands - and away from either of the Chosen. It gave enough of an opening that the knight Digimon couldn’t recover before FlaWizarmon’s matchstick slammed into his face. The knight Digimon’s head exploded into data as it was knocked cleanly off his neck, and the rest of his body shattered into data soon afterwards.

“ _Bastard_!” FlaWizarmon snarled, even though the words wouldn’t reach the dead Digimon as his data drifted away into the sky.

“N-no, no no no, no!” Ken choked out, tears streaming down his cheeks as he held Kyoumon tightly to his body. “Don’t... don’t die… Kyoumon! Don’t die, Kyoumon! You can’t die!”

Kyoumon coughed violently, blood splattering up out of his mouth. His plush ears drooped as he furrowed his brow, using all of his strength to look up at Ken as both Hikari and Mimi hurried to his side. “K-chan… Kyoumon protected K-chan…”

“I told you!” Ken snapped, tears flowing freely to mingle with the blood that covered him. “I told you to stay out of this! So why... _why-_!?”

Kyoumon smiled up at Ken. “Kyoumon saved K-chan...” He coughed up more blood before he turned his gaze to see Hikari and Mimi standing over him, both similarly crying as they huddled close. “Mimi, and Keiko… Kyoumon did good, yes? Kyoumon did good, protecting K-chan...”

Mimi couldn’t respond with more than a nod and sobs as tears streaked down her cheeks.

“You…,” Wormmon swallowed a lump in his throat. “You did good, Kyoumon. Thank you for saving Ken-chan.”

“K-Kyoumon…,” Hikari whimpered, her voice wavering. “No…”

“P-please, don’t-!” Ken sobbed, desperately. “You can’t die! You won’t be reborn! You won’t be reborn, Kyoumon! _You won’t be reborn_!”

“What?!” the question came from many of the children as they looked to Ken with wide, horrified eyes.

“...The taint,” FlaWizarmon said as he slowly turned to look down at the plush Digimon, his expression pained. “The taint that’s stained his body, and glitched ‘im… it’s gonna pull him into the Dark Ocean… with everyone else who was tainted by Zeed.”

The Devas seemed to move closer, only to meet the hostile stares of the other Digimon as they formed a barrier around Ken and the fallen Kyoumon.

“You… you stay right where you are!” XV-mon snarled, tears in his eyes, as a rumble of agreement rippled through the other Digimon.

“You’re awful…!” Lillimon said before she clenched her fists and kicked her feet violently in a helpless tantrum. “ _Awful awful awful_!”

“You’ve done enough!” Holy Angemon said as he pointed his sword at the Devas.

“Kyoumon will see everyone again,” Kyoumon said, his voice distant. “Ogremon, Leomon, even nasty Zennyu… Kyoumon will see everyone…” He paused before his eyes focused on Hikari.

There, he saw the faint outline of another girl, a red-eyed girl with long black hair who cried for him. He knew her. He remembered the last time he saw that haunted expression on her face. Side-by-side, he wondered how he could ever mix the two girls up.

“Oh,” Kyoumon let out a soft sigh, his eyes focusing on Hikari as understanding finally hit him. “You’re not Keiko at all… you must be Hikari…”

Shakily, Hikari nodded as she fiercely wiped the tears from her eyes so she could see Kyoumon clearly even as more came to replace them. “Y-yes. I’m Keiko’s friend too, Kyoumon… just like you.”

With the last of his strength, Kyoumon gave Hikari the brightest smile he could muster, but it was only the barest twitch of his lips. His voice was little more substantial than the data dissolving into the air around him. “Nice… to meet you…”

Then there was nothing but air and a rainbow scarf in Ken’s arms. Even the blood Kyoumon spilled on the boy dissolved into data, leaving nothing behind of the cheerful puppet Digimon but a memory and a gift given by a girl who let out a mournful wail that pierced the heavens.

Ken stared at his empty hands were Kyoumon had just been, his expression going completely blank. “...Kyoumon?”

FlaWizarmon grimaced and he glanced to Ken, seeing the boy’s irises go completely black, before he turned to glare murderously at the Devas as they still lurked close, ready to put an arrow in his brain the moment their guard dropped. He spat out a curse before he glanced to his partner. “Witchmon!”

Witchmon slipped past the children and Digimon by Ken to embrace the boy from behind as her cloak flowed around him. Though tears hung heavy in her eyes, she couldn’t afford to let them loose yet. “I’m sorry, sweetie. We can’t stay here anymore.”

“Kyou… Kyoumon is…” Ken muttered, his voice dazed, before anguish - and tears - flooded anew on his face. “Kyoumon is-!”

The final word hung in the air unsaid, as Witchmon, Ken, and Wormmon disappeared, letting the rainbow scarf flutter downwards until it landed in Mimi’s open hands.

FlaWizarmon looked where the trio had just been before he turned to glare back at the Devas, aiming his matchstick at them. “You will _pay_ for this.”

“Just try it,” Sandiramon said, with a sneer. “We won’t _miss_ next time.”

FlaWizarmon spat out another curse before he burst into black flame, seemingly dissolving into thin air and leaving nothing behind.

“Ky… Kyoumon…?” Mimi couldn’t wrap her head around what had happened. Her heart refused to accept it. Even as she held the scarf in her trembling hands, she couldn’t see it. All she could see was her last visit with Kyoumon when she sang a sweet song while he played his guitar - just like they did so many times before. She trembled before she dropped the scarf, covering her face with her hands as she let out a wail. “Why…? _Why?_ ”

Lillimon moved to kneel by Mimi, taking her shoulders and giving them a squeeze. She then carefully took the rainbow scarf and held it gently in her arms. Even though the blood had dissolved, she still felt as though she could see it covering the fabric - staining it like the taint had done their dear friend. “Kyoumon…” Her fingers clenched around the fabric as she whirled to face the Devas, aiming her pain and anger at them with a piercing glare. “I won’t forgive you!”

The rainbow scarf suddenly started to glow, a glow that engulfed the flower Digimon. Before everyone’s stunned eyes, Lillimon began to evolve and was quickly replaced with a large, curvaceous humanoid women in a red bodysuit and black thigh-high high-heeled boots. A long rainbow cape flowed behind her, with leaf-like petals around her neck, cupping her head like a mantle. Yellow spiked vines twisted around her chest and arms, like straps on armor. Her head was in the shape of a rose, save for her very human-like chin with luscious red lips on a mouth clenched in nothing less than pure rage. “Rosemon.”

The newly evolved Digimon whirled about, cape fluttering with the force, before she extended one of the spike-covered vine down her arm and snapped it at the ground with a sickening _crack_ \- like a whip. Her other hand pointed to the Devas, as another vine came down her arm and became sharp like a blade as she aimed it at the Digimon.

“Leave _now_ ,” Rosemon said, her voice like a mature woman’s, as she seemed to glare without obvious eyes. “Or _die_.”

Sandiramon, Indaramon, and Pajiramon all glared at Rosemon, and the Digimon rallied behind her. They quickly shared glances with each other before giving a quick, unified nod. Wordlessly, the Digimon quickly drew back, then turned and fled away from the scene.

As the Devas finally left, the Battlefield Memorial lapsed into silence - broken only by the sobs from Mimi, Hikari, and Sora. Tearfully, the Chosen of Love moved over to Mimi, dropping down on her knees and leaning forward to wrap her arms about the Chosen of Purity before pulling the other girl closer, prompting Mimi to let out another wail before burying her face in Sora’s chest.

The other Chosen Children and their Digimon looked to one another, as tears and anger mingled together in a hearty brew of misery saturated in confusion that almost overwhelmed both. There was nothing they could say to one another, nothing that could provide any real comfort; they could only cleave together as they silently mourned the loss of Kyoumon and their trust in Ken.


	43. Chapter Forty Two

The atmosphere at Koshiro’s home was still suffocating, despite a full day having passed since the incident. But then, given the massive betrayal and death of Kyoumon, a day was nowhere near enough time to recover.

There was no guarantee that they would ever recover.

Koshiro fumbled through his laptop, feeling completely overwhelmed. He didn’t know what to think, what to do, or how to feel. In the end, it left him completely flustered, prompting him to bury himself in his computer.

With his nose buried deep in code, it kept him completely out of the chat room, which was currently in complete chaos itself.

GODHACKER: I KNEW SOMETHING WAS FUCKING ABOUT HIM

GODHACKER: THAT ASSHOLE’S BEEN LEADING US AROUND

GODHACKER: WE SHOULD’VE DUMPED HIS ASS FROM THE START

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: it was totally suspicious how he never fought

Sailormoon96: WTF how did no one notice this before??????

GODHACKER: I FUCKIN DID

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: bullshit

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: u never said anythin

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: if u knew u woulda said it b4 now

Bunnyhop: I cant believe Hikari knew!!!!

Sailormoon96: Dod anyone change the password to the chat???????????

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: hes a genius he doesnt even need a password

GODHACKER: THATS PROBABLY A FUCKIN LIE TOO

GODHACKER: HOW DO WE KNOW HES REALLY A GENIUS

CheerfulHeaven: Miyako, I’ve finished going through the DT2s’ coding.

CheerfulHeaven: It’s clear of spy programs or hacks, so they’re safe to keep using.

@RainbowBuilder: Thanks, Cheer.

@RainbowBuilder: Hack. Shut it. If you can’t stop fapping your hate wank over Ichijouji then at least do it in private.

@RainbowBuilder: We’re all REALLY stressed out over here and don’t need to hear it right now.

@RainbowBuilder: Right now we’ve got to figure out what the hell we’re supposed to do now and it’s kind of hard to deal with the fucked up emotions from someone you thought was a friend lying to your face all this time even without someone else shouting hate in all caps because he always resented the guy being more special than him.

GODHACKER: FUK YUO!! YOUR NOT THE ONLY ONE PIZZED OFF BOUT THIS ASDHO.E

GODHACKER: IF YOU LIDYNRF TO ME THEN NONE NOG HTIS WOULDVE HAPPEND

@RainbowBuilder: I can’t even read that mess.

GODHACKER: STOP BEING SUCH A BITCH

* /~*~angeldancer~*~\ gets popcorn

* GODHACKER has been kicked from #Digimon by RainbowBuilder

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: she shoots she scores

* GODHACKER has joined #Digimon

* /~*~angeldancer~*~\ noms popcorn

GODHACKER: NOT THAT SHIYT AGAIN!!!1 DONT KICK MTY AGAIN OR ELSE!!!@

@RainbowBuilder: Don’t cuss out the ops and you won’t get kicked.

CheerfulHeaven: You weren’t even there.

CheerfulHeaven: And you even said that you never liked him.

CheerfulHeaven: So how about you let the people who are actually directly affected by this have a chance to breathe before you go jumping down their throats.

GODHACKER: YOU SHOULD BE ANGRY AT THE ASSHOLE NOT ME

* /~*~angeldancer~*~\ turns not n2 a ,

GODHACKER: STAY OUT OF THIS

GODHACKER: STOP ACTING LIKT IM THE ASSHOLEHERE

GODHACKER: IM NOT THE GUY WHO STABBED US ALL IN THE BACK WHILE HE WAS ENSLAVING AND GENOCIDING AN ENTIRE WORLD

@RainbowBuilder: We really don’t want to talk about Ken right now.

GODHACKER: WHO WAS THAT AGAIN???

GODHACKER: OH RIGHT

@RainbowBuilder: Can we just switch topics to the Devas being a threat, okay?

@RainbowBuilder: Or something else?

GODHACKER: KEN MOTHERFUCKER I WANNA BE HITLER AND STALLIN ICHIJOUJI

@RainbowBuilder: OMFG

@RainbowBuilder: Are you even listening to yourself?

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: godwins law commeth

Sailormoon96: I cannot even right now I’mm getting some pudding. Brb.

Bunnyhop: When the Nazis come out its time to bail

Bunnyhop: got homework anyway see ya

* Bunnyhop signed out

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: wierd u think hed be pride after all tjhe stuff hes pulled

GODHACKER: THATS RIGHT!!!!

GODHACKER: THIS MEANS THERES ONE SLOT LEFT!!!!!!!

GODHACKER: ANY OF US COULD BE THE LAST CHOSEN CHILD!!!

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: omg

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: omg

GODHACKER: WE THOUGHT HE WASS PRIDE

GODHACKER: BUT HES ACTUALLY KINDNESS FOR SOME FUCKIN REASON

@RainbowBuilder: God…

GODHACKER: WHICH MEANS PRIDE IS STILL OPEN!!!

@RainbowBuilder: This is not the topic change I meant.

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: if anyones pride it would be u

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: but

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: this means theres only 14 known chosen

GODHACKER: WHICH MEANS WE NEED TO GO WITH WHAT WE ORIGINALLY PLANNED BEFORE KEN MOTHERFUCKIN ICHIJOUJUJI RUINED EVERYTHING

@RainbowBuilder: Can you not?

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: see who can get in and who cant?

GODHACKER: BINGO!!!!

GODHACKER: And just so we’re PERFECTLY FUCKIN CLEAR

GODHACKER: I go first.

@RainbowBuilder: Seriously, can you not right now?

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: and capslock finally come off

@RainbowBuilder: Can you AT LEAST wait a week before demanding a spot on the team?

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: whatever dude

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: its not the best time for this anyway

GODHACKER: No, this is the PERFECT time for this.

@RainbowBuilder: It really isn’t.

GODHACKER: We need EVERYONE to go kick Ichijouj-ass’s ass.

GODHACKER: And I, for one, and MORE THAN READY to.

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: dude

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: seriously?

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: someone just died remember

GODHACKER: It was just that deranged puppet, who the fuck cares?

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: DUDE

GODHACKER: He’s better off dead, anyway.

GODHACKER: Now no one has to worry about what he’ll do.

GODHACKER: He was obviously friends with Ichijouj-ass, so he was probably a traitor too!

GODHACKER: So one less traitor’s fine by fucking me!

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: omg

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: omfg

@RainbowBuilder: Fuck this I

@Rainbowbuilder: m done.

* GODHACKER has been kicked from #Digimon by RainbowBuilder

* GODHACKER has been banned from #Digimon for [24 hours] by RainbowBuilder for [RESPECT THE DEAD, ASSHOLE!]

Iori looked up from his position on the couch, with Kyokyomon sitting comfortably in his lap. It was just in time to see Miyako slam her laptop shut, as if she were physically striking someone’s head into the table. His expression grew sympathetic as the Chosen of Passion stood up before she stomped over to the couch, then flopped down heavily beside Iori, not caring as the action dislodged her glasses.

Two of Miyako’s hands rose into the air and quaked in curved claws as she imagined a neck being strangled between them. “All of my _haaaaaaaaate_.”

Iori looked at Miyako before he reached over to fix her glasses, sliding them back up her nose into place. “Don’t push yourself too hard, Miyako.”

“Don’t worry,” Pafumon said as she drifted down to land on the back of the sofa, wiggling her ears. “I can go find that turd and leave him a present on his pillow, if you want.” She flashed a large grin at her partner. “They’ll become quick friends, with all the things they have in common~!”

“Tempted,” Miyako hissed through gritted teeth. “ _Very_ tempted.”

Before the conversation could go any further down the path of revenge, the doorbell rang out as solemn as a funeral toll. Soon enough, the rest of the Chosen Children came filing in to the living room, listless with heavy footsteps - everyone except for three.

“Hey,” Yamato said as he flopped down on sofa, leaning forward to drape his arms on his knees. He glanced over to Takeru, who had moved to stand beside Hikari as Taichi took up the girl’s other side - with a very sour look on the elder Yamagi boy’s face. “We figured we’d get here early, but apparently so did everyone else. Funny how that works, huh?”

“I think everyone just wanted to get here and be around other people,” Sora said, her voice soft as she leaned against the wall. “It’s better than being at home with just my thoughts.”

“Not that it does much good, with us all thinking the same thing,” Jou muttered as he tugged at his bag, adjusting it on his shoulder.

Koshiro finally looked away from his laptop to glance at the others, then blinked. “Huh? Mimi and Daisuke aren’t-”

“Daisuke isn’t coming,” Takeru said, trying to keep his voice even. He still recalled the way the other boy’s voice broke through the DT2’s built-in phone. He had promised himself he’d go visit the Chosen of Tenacity, after the meeting.

“Mimi isn’t coming, either,” Sora said, her voice still quiet as if she didn’t have the energy to raise it. “She’s… not feeling up to it.”

Jou grimaced. He could imagine the Chosen of Purity, sobbing with her face still buried in her pillow. It wasn’t an outrageous assumption to make, as Mimi had been the closest to Kyoumon. Sora had spent so much effort trying to soothe Mimi, only for it to all fall apart when the Chosen of Purity found her camera on the ground - dirty and a bit dented, but still functional. He regretted not taking it from her to keep her from going through the pictures of and taken by Kyoumon, but he suspected she would have fought him to the teeth for it.

Hikari took a seat without saying a word. She remembered calling Daisuke to see if he was alright, only for him to end the call after telling her he couldn’t talk right now. It was the first time he had ever shut her out so completely, and it stung almost as much as the looks she occasionally saw Taichi give her. She had expected fallout from keeping Ken’s secret, but she wasn’t truly ready for how much it hurt those she cared about.

Tailmon moved to sit beside Hikari, crossing her arms and silently draping her tail across her partner’s lap in an obvious show of support and comfort.

A wan smile graced Hikari’s lips before she pulled Tailmon into her lap and hugged her partner close.

Yamato glanced about the room, looking at everyone’s sullen faces, before he lowered his gaze to his hands. He watched as he folded his fingers together, gripping his hands tightly, before he finally straightened up again. “So. Now what?” It was a question he knew weighed heavily on all the Chosen Children, one that they all asked but couldn’t voice. In the end, he was the only one to bring himself to do it.

“You mean _besides_ finding Ichijouji and beating his ass?” Taichi asked, his voice harsh. His dark expression only intensified when Hikari looked up sharply, a protest about to escape her. He raised his hand to ward it off. “That’s the _least_ of the things coming to him.”

“He _needs_ our _help_!” Hikari repeated, frustration and helplessness mingled together as she had stated the words seemingly a thousand times without any good coming from it.

“At the very least, we can accomplish the first part,” Yamato said as he glanced at Taichi, then turned to Koshiro and Miyako. “It shouldn’t be hard to find out where Ichijouji lives. He’s a celebrity, so that information should be plastered _everywhere_ \- whether he wants it or not.”

Miyako let out a groan and rolled over on the sofa away from the group. “I’m so done with talking about Ken right now.”

Sora frowned and glanced at Hikari before she straightened up. “Then we should _talk_ to him first, and see what he has to say.”

“More _lies_ , I’m sure,” Taichi growled, looking away to glare at the wall.

“We don’t know what was a lie, and what wasn’t,” Sora said, her tone firm. “All we know is that he _is_ the Digimon Kaiser… and that he hid it from us. We _don’t know_ that everything else… that our time together was a _lie_.”

“What else could it have been!?” Taichi demanded as he turned to face Sora, who met his angry glare with a steely stare of her own.”He’s been stringing us along this whole time-!”

“What do you want to do, then?” Sora asked, her tone so sharp that it momentarily surprised Taichi out of his anger, making the Chosen of Courage and everyone else in the room stop brooding to stare at her. “Do you want to go beat him senseless? Do you want to put him in the hospital? Do you want to give him to the Devas after all? Will that make you feel better, Taichi!?”

Taichi hesitated, completely off balance as he stared at Sora for a moment, before he slowly lowered his arms and his gaze. “...No. No, I don’t want to hurt him.”

Sora was silent for several moments before she finally relented, her expression softening slightly. “That’s right, it _wouldn’t_.” She moved over to take Taichi’s hand with both of her own, which caused the Chosen of Courage to turn to face her again. “So let’s try and go forward,… one step at a time, until we fix this.” She turned to glance at the others in the room. “Together, like we’ve always done.”

Taichi took a deep breath, trying in vain to calm the anger still bubbling inside of him. On his own, it felt overwhelming, but with Sora’s support it felt just a little easier to cool the simmering rage within. “Right.”

Yamato let out a wry chuckle as he reached up to brush his bangs back. “I guess we can’t really argue with that.”

“That’s right~!” Piyomon chirped as she hopped up and down. “Sora’s right~! We can do this, so cheer up!”

“We’ll just saunter on over to Ken’s place, and _chat_ ,” Gomamon said as he looked up at his partner. “ _Without_ any Devas trying to chop his head off.”

“I don’t really understand what’s happening, but they’re right,” Gabumon agreed. “We can’t punch our way out of this.”

“It’d make it easier if we _could_ ,” Agumon said as he tapped his chin. “But I guess some battles are just like that.”

“So that settles it, then,” Takeru said as he glanced around. “Those of us that want to go, go.” He paused before glancing at Miyako, who looked thoroughly over with the entire conversation - _and_ Ken Ichijouji. “Everyone who doesn’t feel up to it can stay behind.”

“Yes, great idea,” Miyako said as she sat up, then headed over to her laptop. She sat down before lifting the lid with far more force than necessary, then began to type. “ _Anything_ to get this conversation moving - and _away_ from _me_!”

Takeru turned to Iori, who wearily shook his head as he let out a sigh. Any further communication was interrupted by the sounds of the kids’ DT2s going off, signalling a message had been received. The Chosen of Hope almost believed it might have come from Ken, a thought shared by the others if their leery expressions was anything to go by, but opening the device showed it came from Miyako - an address.

“There,” Miyako said as she flopped back in her chair, letting out a heavy sigh. She then reached up to remove her glasses, rubbing at her eyes. “So _go_ and take _Ken Ichijouji_ with you.”

Pafumon landed on the table beside her partner, flicking her ears. “So unless you want a present on _your_ pillows, get a move on!”

The other Chosen Children shared a look with each other, as indecision caused them to hesitate. After several long moments of everyone casting furtive glances at each other to see who’d make the first move and take the lead on a mission that no one truly wanted, Taichi let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Taichi said, his voice weary.

Closing his DT2 and shoving it roughly in his pocket, Taichi headed to the door. The action was enough to get the other Chosen moving, as they hurried after him like ducklings after their mother. The Chosen of Courage’s expression darkened as he focused on the door ahead of him, his hands clenching in to fists.

“Let’s go see _Ken Ichijouji_.”

\---

There were many things the Chosen Children had been expecting when they arrived at Ken Ichijouji’s apartment complex, but a line of police cars was not one of them. The group of children and Digimon could only stare in surprise as the entire front of the building was surrounded with cars, with lights flickering brilliantly without the telltale sirens that usually sounded. Officers in blue filled the area, some going into the building while others stood by their cars.

Naturally, every neighbor in the area was out gawking at the sight right along with the Chosen, getting as close as they dared - just enough to watch, but not get involved. It created a small crowd of gawkers, making it that much more difficult for the Chosen Children to see clearly.

“Um,” Yamato said, slowly. “The hell is this?”

“Did… did something happen?” Sora asked anxiously as she glanced around, then turned to stare at the others. “It can’t be about Ken, can it?”

Hikari rushed forward ahead of the others, pulse racing from fear that whatever was going on involved Ken. She squeezed between gawkers, throwing out token apologies like a mantra, but she didn’t slow down even when some protested her passing through.

Tailmon leapt over the crowd before bounding after Hikari, unconcerned with the stares she was getting. At the very least, she kept her mouth shut, but made no attempt to hide her presence as she pursued her partner.

The other Digimon weren’t so lucky, instead loitering far away from the crowd as they tried to look completely inconspicuous in their disguises - hoodies and sweaters that covered nearly their entire bodies. Thankfully, the drama going on was far more interesting than the Digimon, so the neighbors almost completely ignored them.

“Hikari!” Taichi shouted before he let out a frustrated curse and pushed his way through the crowd after Hikari. “Don’t run off on your own!”

“Let’s go,” Takeru said before he hurried after Taichi and Hikari, uttering out apologies as he shoved his way through.

Yamato turned to glance at Jou and Sora, then gave a shrug. “Alright then!” He then turned to follow after his brother it, stopping only to grip Sora’s hand as he dragged her through. “Excuse me, excuse me! _Move it_!”

“Sorry, we’re sorry!” Sora said, following as the Chosen of Friendship acted as a bulldozer for the both of them.

“S-sorry, excuse us, pardon us!” Jou said as he followed, feeling flustered by the accusing stares. Still, he wasn’t about to be left behind.

As Hikari drew closer to the building, she saw a hysterical woman in tears as she talked - or rather, cried - to a police officer that was taking notes with the occasional nod of his head.

“I don’t understand… I just don’t understand it! He used to be such a sweet boy, and now…” the woman sobbed as she held a framed photograph to her chest, as if using it to try to hold her broken heart together.

The police officer scratched his head with the back of his pen, lifting his hat slightly in the process. “And you’re sure he hasn’t simply… decided to stay at a friends’ house without telling you?”

“I… n-no, no, that’s not possible. He doesn’t have any…,” the woman said before she trailed off, thinking better of her words and looking towards a man that stood beside her.

“He didn’t have _friends_ , only _bad influences_!” the man said as he shook his finger at the officer, as if he were scolding him.

“T-that’s right!” the woman agreed, her tears beginning anew. “I’m sure something awful has happened to him!”

The police officer looked skeptical by this point, though he was attempting to maintain the facade of professionalism. “Is… that so.”

Hikari’s footsteps slowed as she drew closer to the apartment building where the two distraught parents stood just outside the glass doors, essentially blocking the way in. Although what she heard of the conversation was enough to make her suspect that this pair was Ken’s parents, she couldn’t dismiss the possibility that she was potentially intruding on the misfortune of two unrelated strangers.

After a moment’s hesitation, Hikari turned to whisper to her partner. “What do you think, Tailmon?”

Tailmon turned her head to answer Hikari when she paused, her ears flicking as her eyes darted to the parents. In particular, she locked eyes with the mother, who had suddenly turned to look at her. Tailmon watched as a moment of confusion flickered across the woman’s face before some kind of realization dawned. The cat Digimon’s eyebrows shot up before her eyes narrowed, and she crouched on all fours to face the woman just as she suddenly shoved past the officer to rush towards Hikari.

“You… you’re one of _them_ , aren’t you!?” the woman demanded as she faced Hikari. “Your cat… she’s like that _other_ cat… wearing weird gloves and everything!”

Hikari’s eyes widened. “You mean Nyamon? You met her?”

The woman’s face twisted with grief, and desperation. “Where is Ken? Where is my son!? You know where he is, don’t you!?”

The man hurried over to his wife, his expression far more hostile with obvious, accusing anger. “What have you brats done with him!? Send him home _now_!”

“Hey, hey, _hey_!” Taichi barked as he quickly got between Hikari and the two adults, moving protectively in front of her. “Back away from my sister!”

Yamato quickly stood beside Taichi, completely obstructing Hikari from view. He reached back to keep Takeru from rushing forward, though both younger and elder sibling shared the same hard glare. “You mind _not_ posturing at her like that? Or does it make you feel big to threaten girls half your size?”

The man who could only have been Ken’s father, Haruto, glared at Yamato and Taichi, unwilling to back down. “Where is my _son_?” His tone was forceful, carrying with it the authority of a parent that expected to be obeyed.

“How the hell should _we_ know!?” Taichi demanded as he met the glare with one of his own. “Why the hell would we come looking for him if we knew where he was?!”

“But you _do_ know him!” the woman, Ken’s mother Yui, said through her tears. “You _must_ know _something_! You have one of those awful little creatures, just like the one _she_ had… like the one Ken had before we made him get rid of it!”

Sora gave a start and stared at the tearful woman, shock plainly displayed on her face. “Get… rid of it?” The way the woman kept looking at Tailmon, it was abundantly clear that Ken’s mother was talking about Digimon - specifically Wormmon. But the words she spoke seemed so foreign, the concept so unthinkable. She couldn’t even imagine her own mother telling her to ‘get rid’ of Piyomon. To hear the woman speak about Wormmon in such a way, Sora just didn’t know how to respond.

Takeru’s cheek twitched. It was obvious that Ken did not ‘get rid’ of Wormmon, which told him that the boy genius must have hidden his partner instead. At the very least, he could give Ken credit for that - that he didn’t dump his partner like an unwanted stray animal. But to hear them talk about any Digimon, and especially someone as sweet as Wormmon, in such a way was more than a little infuriating.

Hikari barely suppressed the instinct to clutch Tailmon protectively close; it wasn’t as if anyone could take Tailmon away from her, and they clearly failed to do likewise to Wormmon. “When was the last time you saw Ken?”

“Since yesterday morning!” Yui said, hiccuping. “I saw him leaving the house _again_ , without a word to us where he was going… and he never came back!”

Takeru turned to look at Hikari, his voice going low. “That must have been when he went to meet with you… at the Battlefield Memorial.”

"He ran away again, didn't he!?” Yui demanded as she moved forward, focusing on Hikari through Yamato and Taichi. “Just because we told him to stop wasting his time with you... always visiting that awful _American_ restaurant, and going to goof off instead of study…!” She shook her head before she covered her face with her hands. “H-he always does this! When things don’t go his way, he has a _temper tantrum_ and runs off to sulk like a _child_! And you’re _enabling_ him!"

Hikari grimaced before she finally turned away from the grieving parents and spoke low to her friends. “He must’ve gone back to his castle after the battle.”

“If this is what he had waiting back home, I don’t blame him,” Yamato said, keeping his voice quiet even as he continued to glare at the father. He had no idea what kind of home life Ken had, but just hearing them ramble did very little to endear them to him.

“S-sir, _please_ calm down,” Jou said, trying to keep his tone respectful and polite even in the face of such open anger and hostility. “There’s _no_ reason to-”

Haruto pointed a finger accusingly at Jou, seemingly growing angrier the longer the children refused to back down and obey him. “You tell him to get home right _now_ , and then you all need to _stay away from him_!”

Takeru let out a frustrated grunt. “What part of ‘we don’t know where he is’ did you not-?”

“He’s a _genius_ , damn it!” Haruto snarled, cutting off Takeru as he thrust an accusing finger at the blond boy. “And that means he needs to _study_ , not _waste his time_ with lazy _good-for-nothings_ like you!” His face started turning an unhealthy shade of red. “You think that just because you're never going to amount to anything, that you can just drag him down with you like those _other two_!? He’s better than that, _meant_ to be better than that, and you’re _ruining_ him!”

“They nearly got him killed along with them!” Yui agreed, tearfully. “We were so happy they were finally _gone_ , and Ken could go back to normal… and now you just come and take their place!”

Hikari went rigid. She knew they should just leave and not cause a further scene, but she couldn’t stop herself from turning back to the parents. “You’re… _happy_ that Keiko died and Ryo was taken?”

“What happened to them was their own damn fault!” Haruto snapped. “That’s what happens to _thugs_ and _harlots_! Ken _never_ should’ve associated with them in the first place!”

“Thugs and…” Taichi gawked at the two adults, eyes wide before his expression twisted into anger. “How the hell can you say something like that? You’re talking about kids who got _kidnapped and murdered_!”

“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” Haruto said, his face twisted without a sign of pity. “I only thank God Ken wasn’t with them when it happened!”

A black pit of something awful pooled in Hikari’s gut, enraged and hungry to share its hurt. After all the pain Ken had gone through, these two monsters that were supposed to be his parents, didn’t care about his feelings or his friends enough not to insult the dead. In her mind’s eye she saw the terrible burns along the back of Keiko’s fragmented body. She remembered Ryo’s concern for her after the orb drained her and Tenraimon of energy. It was impossible for her to see the two lost Chosen Children the way these people in front of her did, nor did she ever want to.

“Keiko and Ryo are Ken’s best friends,” Hikari said, the rigid words coming out before she could think twice about saying anything. “He watched one of them burn to death in agony while the other got dragged off by a genocidal monster to an ocean of nightmares and madness!” Her fist clenched so tightly at her side that her entire arm quivered. “Wormmon is his partner whose life is tied to his forever, and he’ll _never_ abandon or betray Ken until the day Ken dies.” She focused her blazing red eyes squarely on the pair. “You don’t understand Ken at all; you don’t understand all the pain he’s going through. Until you do, he’ll never come home.”

Both of Ken’s parents gaped at Hikari, stunned by not only her words but the fact that she had even spoken them in the first place. While Yui then quickly burst into more tears, Haruto went from red to purple as anger flooded his features.

“How… how _dare_ you speak to us that way!” Haruto snapped, clenching his fists in anger. “Now I see where he got his recent _smart mouth_ from! I thought it was from _her_ , but you’re just as bad!” He raised arm, showing Hikari the back of his hand. “If you were _my_ child-!”

“Alright, alright,” the cop said, finally stepping forward to place himself between the parents and the children. “I’ll take over from here, so please step back.”

Haruto looked about to argue but, when Yui reached up to grab his arm, he seemed to think better of it. Reluctantly, he retreated with his wife and allowed the police officer to take his place in front of the children.

“Well, then,” the officer said, his tone surprisingly light. “You are friends of Ken Ichijouji?”

“Yes,” Yamato said, stiffly. He surprised how quickly the word came to him, even with everything that happened. However, now was not the time to worry about such things. “What of it?”

“So, you probably have a good idea of where he might have run off to?” the officer asked.

“Ah, well, you see…” Jou fumbled, glancing between the officer and the other Chosen, at war as his instincts told him to cooperate fully but logic hold him that no amount of cooperation would help the situation. There was no way the police would believe anything about the Digital World, and would even take it as willful resistance.

“We’ve already said that we don’t know where he is,” Takeru said, still scowling at the parents, with the father returning the gesture from a distance.

“Yes, but perhaps you could think of _somewhere_ he might be?” the cop pressed. “A thought of where we _could_ find him?”

Takeru paused at that, as his mind immediately went to the Digital World and the Digimon Kaiser’s - Ken’s - fortress. He then gave a small shake of his head. “No, no place where _you_ could find him.”

“But it’s someplace where _you_ can find him?” the cop asked, immediately making Takeru regret the emphasis he had placed in his retort.

“Look, we’re just _guessing_ at this point,” Yamato said with a frustrated exhale. “We haven’t seen him since yesterday, _either_.” He met the officer’s gaze unflinchingly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “So we _can’t_ give you whatever answer you’re looking for.”

The cop looked at Yamato and Takeru before turning to Taichi. His friendly smile cooled, and his face became a mask of seriousness. “Look, I think you kids know a lot more than you’re letting on, and if you aren’t a little more helpful, we may have to-”

“Yeah? Well, _I_ think you need to stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

The assembled Chosen Children jumped at the sudden voice coming from behind them, while the officer looked up sharply as a spark of anger flickered across his face. They all turned in time to see Jin approaching them from behind, with both Ken’s driver and a different woman that they didn’t recognize, dressed in black with a stern expression and tidy brown hair that came down to her shoulder.

Jin moved past the Chosen before coming to a stop in front of the officer, who glared at him accusingly. The red-eyed man lowered his shades so that he could stare pointedly at the cop, a sharp smile on his face. “So why don’t you back off a bit, hm?”

“Mr. Ryuzaki!” Hikari gasped as she felt a wave of relief at the sight of Keiko’s older brother.

“H-hey, hey, you know him?” Taichi asked in a harsh whisper.

“He’s Keiko’s older brother,” Hikari explained as she glanced between Jin and the police officer, who looked more than a little furious at the interruption. “I met him at the party.” She glanced at the driver, who stood beside Jin with a grim expression on her face before turning to the woman, startled to see that the strange lady returned the glance with a black-eyed stare of her own.

“And just who do you think _you_ are?” the cop demanded, angrily as Jin cooly removed the shades. “This is official-”

All it took was a single gesture from Jin and the officer stopped, following the shades like an arrow directly at the ornate dragon pin resting on his lapel.

In the tense silence that followed, the color bled from the policeman’s face as his eyes widened and a slight quake ran through his rigid body. His eyes darted from the pin, to Jin’s smiling face, before he quickly stepped back. “I’ll… be back to speak with you children later.” His words came out dry as paper and a little too rapid to be convincingly calm. He then turned and retreated back to the stunned parents, who watched as the officer didn’t quite _flee_ from Jin and the Chosen Children, but he walked away at an impressively brisk pace that was just short of it.

“Yeah, you do that, rookie,” Jin said, cheerfully. He then turned to face the confused group of children, singling out Hikari. “Why don’t we head somewhere more private to talk?” He slipped his shades back on his face, covering his piercing red eyes. “ _Away_ from the busibodies.”

Hikari nodded, her expression solemn. She remembered their conversation from the pizza restaurant well. The power of the yakuza name was truly frightening.

Yamato glanced at Takeru before turning to Sora, with Sora returning the gaze while Takeru instead focused on Hikari. Only Jou and Taichi kept their attention directly on Jin, though Jou’s was far more panicked than the hard stare Taichi fixed on the adult man, with sweat trickling down the eldest Chosen’s cheeks as his glasses slid down his nose.

With the children at his heels, Jin strode away from the officer at a casual gait, ignoring how he tried to calm Ken’s parents even as they squawked and shouted in protest about the “hooligans” simply walking away. Once they had a little breathing room, Jin gestured to his male companion who walked by his left. “You’ve already met Hayato. He’s Ken’s driver and bodyguard. But you probably haven’t met Noriko,” With a flourish, he flicked his left hand over to point at the stern-faced woman who walked on his right side, glancing back at the children as they followed. “ _She’s_ Ken’s manager, and the one that told me that he didn’t report to her this morning.”

“We haven’t heard anything from Ken either,” Hikari muttered, brow pinched with concern. “That’s why we came here, to see if he was home or if his parents had seen him, but…” Her gaze shifted over her shoulder to see that Ken’s parents were still watching them, glaring daggers in their backs.

“Honestly, they wouldn’t have been able to answer your question in the first place,” Jin said.“They have no idea where he goes or what he does, and don’t care enough _to_ know unless it suits them.” He paused to slid his glasses downward so that his vibrant red eyes could regard Hikari with a dry, knowing look. “That kid _barely_ exists to them, beyond a pretty trophy to pull out whenever they want to feel good about their ‘parenting’ skills. And even then, he’s a _replacement_ trophy.”

“You mean his brother,” Tailmon said, startling the other Chosen who turned to gawk at her exposing herself so casually. “The one who died.”

Jin nodded. “ _He_ was their boy genius, the star that all the neighbors gushed about. And he was, there’s no mistaking that. But Ken was smart in his own right, and they never even _noticed_ until _after_ Osamu died.” A dark smile appeared on his face as he leaned forward. “Do you know what they said, then?”

Takeru frowned, as something about Jin’s smile made him suspect it was something he wouldn’t like. “What did they say?”

Jin’s smile widened, revealing his white teeth. “‘It’s like Osamu has come back to us.’”

Takeru gaped at Jin, his eyes widening. The very idea stunned him speechless, rendering him unable to vocalize the sheer horror he felt at the idea that Ken, in the end, was nothing more than a proxy for their deceased son.

“Are you kidding me?!” Taichi blurted out, not caring about how loud he was as anger erupted from him as violently as a volcano. “They really said that?”

Jin nodded before he straightened up. “And they don’t see _anything_ wrong with it.”

“That’s… that’s _psychologically damaging_!” Jou protested. “The effects on his self-esteem and self-worth are…!”

Jin gave a shrug, moving his hands out to the side to emphasize it. “It’s your typical gap between the old and new generation… between those that still firmly believe that children exist for the parents, and those that believe they have a right to exist for themselves.” He then gave the children a lopsided grin. “Just because something is _acceptable,_ that doesn’t make it _right_.”

Hikari fought back the ugly wave of hate that wanted to smother thoughts of Ken’s parents as she remembered another detail that had nagged at her. Close up, she had gotten a good look at it, and the boy in the photograph was _not_ Ken. “Ken’s mother was carrying his brother’s photo.”

“Oh, you noticed that too?” Jin asked, lightly as his gaze turned to the sky, watching gray clouds roll overhead. “Yeah, they include old Osamu in _everything_ , including when they’re scolding Ken for not behaving properly. Ken described it as ‘being haunted and taunted at the same time’.”

A shudder ran down Hikari’s spine. “That’s horrible!”

“That’s…,” Taichi faltered for words, his expression contorted somewhere between revulsion and unease. “…That’s messed up.”

Yamato felt a wave of anger. He visualized his parents using him, whether he was alive or not, to punish Takeru and it felt so completely violating that he wanted to violently punch something - specifically Ken’s father. Unfortunately, with the police around, it would only end badly. “...That would explain a few things.”

“Ken has had a very rough life, which is why I intend to continue protecting him,” Jin said before he turned back to Hikari, tension creeping in to strain his smile until it was no longer recognizable as one. “Which is why I want you to confirm that Ken is still alive. He’s in the Digital World, isn’t he?”

Hikari nodded. “That’s what we think too. He has a… place there. But he hasn’t responded to any of our emails yet.”

“He’s not responding to ours, either,” Jin said, his voice going low before he out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. “The Digital World is out of my reach, so I can’t do anything for him when he’s there. The worst fear I have is that he’s going to go there and disappear forever - just like Keiko and Ryo did.”

Takeru thought to his own parents, and the parents of all the Chosen Children. It must have been a constant fear they had, and showed unimaginable trust in their own children that they didn’t offer far more of a protest. “We won’t let that happen.”

“It isn’t a matter of _letting_ something happen,” Noriko said, her expression serious. “Ken didn’t _let_ anything happen to Miss Ryuzaki and Mr. Akiyama. There are just things that are beyond your ability.”

Takeru was taken aback by the woman’s words, unable to respond.

Though the direction of the conversation made Taichi uneasy, he still managed to stay determined. “That’s never stopped us before.”

A faint smile graced Hikari’s lips as she glanced at her brother. “Right.” She turned back to the adults. “We’re going to save Ken. No matter what’s happened, he’s our friend, and we’re going to help him.”

Jin looked at Hikari in silence for several moments before he nodded. “Good,” He then leaned back, and made a dismissive hand gesture to the kids, as if shooing them away. “Well, then. I suggest you all get out before anyone else shows up - like more police.”

Jou jerked at that and glanced at the officer, who was watching them very closely, before turning to the others. “H-he’s right! We should leave - _now_!”

Taichi rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around warily. “Uh, yeah, that might be a good idea.”

Jin grinned as the Chosen Children quickly turned on their heels and raced off. Ken’s parents immediately shouted after kids, and the policeman looked about to pursue them, when Hayato turned to face the officer. The officer stopped short and jerked back, glancing between Hayato and Noriko as the two glared him down.

Jin didn’t even so much as glance at the cop, watching the Chosen as they disappeared into the crowd. After a moment, his smile fell as his expression darkened. “God help him, and you, if anything happens to Ken Ichijouji.”


	44. Chapter Forty Three

The room was dark, with all the curtains pulled to block out the sun. Even the rays that attempted to sneak past the edges couldn’t get much further than the floor itself, and certainly not as far as the grand and opulent bed of the Digimon Kaiser set on the opposite side of the lavish room.

Ken scarcely made use of his massive bed, or even its downy soft pillows to rest his weary head. Instead, he curled in on himself, buried in a cocoon of blankets to hide away from the world. With his arms wrapped around himself and his legs tucked in, he tried to make himself as small as possible in hopes that he might disappear - into the bed, from the world, wherever he needed to go to escape the suffocating sense of despair crushing the life from him.

Nearby, Wormmon sat on the bed with Ken’s DT2 in his lap, constantly casting his Chosen Child worried glances. Through a tiny hole in the blankets, he could catch glimpses of dull gray eyes staring at the wall without seeing. He exhausted all means of offering comfort to Ken hours ago, leaving him with little to do but act as a barrier between his partner and the rest of the world as he scanned through Ken’s messages.

There were emails from the people from the chatroom, with particularly vitriolic ones from some boy with an arrogant username, but Wormmon didn’t hesitate to delete them without a second thought - they weren’t Ken’s friends, so their insults were worthless. The emails from Noriko, Kigaru, Jin, and anyone else associated with the Ryuzakis were far more difficult to deal with. They were worried, which Wormmon immediately relayed to Ken after reading, but the boy failed to react. He also had no idea what to say to these people, so he set the messages aside for Ken to look over later.

The worst emails, as expected, were those from the Chosen Children. Anger, confusion, hurt, and judgment reigned supreme in the emails, which had come from literally everyone in the group, including the Digimon themselves. Wormmon couldn’t simply delete them like the members of the chatroom, but he couldn’t show their words to Ken either, not now.

The most painful email of all came from Daisuke, who had sent a single message before promptly blocking Ken from responding.

_I trusted you._

Wormmon flinched as his reply, his plea for understanding, was rejected automatically once again. He turned back to Ken, who couldn’t even find the energy to do more than breathe heavily, having spent it all on tears that could no longer flow.

With drooping antenae and furrowed brow, Wormmon went to the email he saved for last, the only one he felt cautiously optimistic that it might contain something that would provide even a shred of comfort to Ken right now. Hikari was the only person who stood by both Ken and the Digimon Kaiser and she was their only hope.

_I’m so sorry things ended up like they did yesterday. I just want you to know that Tailmon and I are still your friends. We’re here for you. If you want to talk, let me know, and we’ll be there right away. The others are still your friends too, even if they’re upset with you right now. Just give them some time and they’ll forgive you, I’m sure of it. None of us are going to abandon you._

Wormmon winced as he thought of Daisuke and checked again that the boy still had a block on Ken’s address before he went back to Hikari’s email.

_We can try again to use the Digimental of Darkness. I’m sure that’ll still help convince the others that you’re sincere. They might not be sure of you right now, but I believe in you. We’ll get through this together and then everything can go back to the way it was before yesterday happened. We’ll fight together and save everyone, and then we’ll all have another party and laugh and have fun together like we did before._

_It’s all going to be okay. I promise._

Wormmon felt relieved at Hikari’s sincere and optimistic reply, even if he was too jaded to believe it would go as smoothly as she presented. Still, it was that kind of hope and compassion that Ken needed right now, which he was only too eager to share. “Ken-chan? Hikari sent you an email. Do you want me to read it to you?”

Ken was silent for several long moments. Just when it seemed like he wouldn’t reply, he finally spoke, his voice weak and cracking. “What’s the point? It’s over.”

Wormmon winced, his heart breaking from the absolute despair in Ken’s voice. “It… it’s not over, Ken-chan! Really! Hikari just says they need time to forgive… to adjust to everything and they’ll all still want to be your friend.”

“And then I’ll get her and everyone else killed too,” Ken said, softly. “Just like Kyoumon.”

Wormmon’s heart broke a little bit more. “Ken-chan…” He wanted to lie and promise that it could never happen, but a false friend had made a liar of him before. He didn’t know what he could say to make his partner better.

Maybe someone else did.

Desperately, Wormmon typed out a reply.

\---

The walk back to Koshiro’s house seemed longer than it had before, despite being the exact same distance as always. The mood hanging over the Chosen Children was solemn and troubled, as the situation with Ken’s parents weighed heavily on their minds. The Digimon had rejoined their partners once the children left the crowd behind, and all of them walked together in an uneasy parade of gloom.

“We really had no idea what Ken was going through, did we?” Takeru asked, more to himself than the others.

“Maybe if he had spent less time _lying_ , we would have,” Taichi said, his voice gruff as he glared down at the sidewalk.

“While it explains a few things, none of it excuses his actions,” Yamato agreed as he glanced at Takeru.

“That’s right,” Jou said, wearily. “It doesn’t really change anything.”

After encountering Ken’s parents and Jin, Hikari couldn’t help but feel a little prickly that her brother and friends were going right back to damning the Digimon Kaiser again. She couldn’t blame them for feeling betrayed, but she wouldn’t allow them to lose sight of what was truly important.

“Right,” she said, voice flat and rigid as the sidewalk beneath their feet. “Ken is still suffering from the taint, and the Dark Seed, and manipulation from two terrible sources of evil and death and desperately _needs our help_.”

Takeru glanced over at Hikari, noting her annoyed expression, before he straightened up and returned his attention to the front. “We still have the Digimental of Darkness, so we-”

A chime interrupted Takeru, signalling that someone had received a message on their D-Terminals. However, as they all checked their DT2s, only Hikari found a new message waiting for her. The name of the sender sent her heart racing with dread and anticipation as she immediately opened it.

_Ken-chan NEEDS friends right now. Please come quickly!_

While the email had Ken’s address, there was no doubt in her mind that the message was from Wormmon. As Hikari read the sentence a second time, followed by a third, she felt her stomach twist itself into complicated knots. She could only imagine the state Ken must have been in for Wormmon to write such a desperate plea.

Heart in her throat, Hikari turned to the others. “I have to go. I-”

“That’s him, isn’t it,” Taichi accused as he narrowed his eyes at his sister. He didn’t need her to reply to confirm his suspicion - the look in her eyes was proof enough. “I knew it. Hikari, I thought you promised you weren’t going to be hiding stuff from me and sneaking around without letting me know about it anymore.”

Takeru glanced at Yamato, who returned to look with one of his own. Both of them could see the storm that was brewing, and they unfortunately were helpless to prevent it. If anything, interfering would only make it worse. It was something they knew, as siblings themselves, that Taichi and Hikari would have to resolve themselves.

“That’s not…!” Hikari blurted out before she reconsidered her words. “I was trying to help Ken tell everyone the truth himself. We were there that day to cure his taint and then he was going to apologize!”

Taichi rounded on his sister. “That’s not the point! The point is you didn’t tell anyone!”

“I knew about it,” Tailmon said as she stared hard at Taichi. “She told _me_.”

Taichi faltered for a moment before thrusting a finger at Tailmon. “You stay outta this!” He turned his attention back to Hikari. “The point is you _promised_ me that you’d stop keeping these secrets from me!”

Hikari grimaced, but stood her ground. “It’s not… It’s not the same thing! You didn’t see Ken when I told him I figured out his secret - he was _terrified._ If I told anyone else, he would’ve run away and then we might never have reached him!”

Taichi gawked at Hikari. “Wait, _you_ told _him_?”

Hikari nodded, inwardly cringing that she might have said the wrong thing somehow. “I figured it out, and I knew that if there was any chance of reaching him, I had to tell him privately before I-”

“Are you nuts!?” Taichi shouted, nearly hysterical. “If you realized the Digimon Kaiser has been spying on us this entire time, why didn’t you tell us? What if he decided to kill you or brainwash you to keep you quiet! You snuck off on your own and didn’t tell anyone and no one would’ve known what happened to you if he did anything to you!”

Hikari, as well as the other children, flinched at Taichi’s tone and the ghastly picture his words painted. “That wouldn’t have happened.”

“Hikari, wake up!” Taichi shouted as he threw his arms to the heavens. “Yeah, the guy is tainted and stuff, but that just means we can’t trust he won’t snap! Even _Takeru_ attacked you when he got tainted, and the Kaiser did too, with a whip! He nearly killed us with his traps, beat our Digimon senseless, kidnapped them, _tortured_ them, made them kill other Digimon, and you thought it was okay to just run off on your own to talk to him _alone?_ ”

Takeru felt a surge of anger, but also shame, at the reminder of how he struck Hikari. He looked about ready to cut in when Yamato reached over to grip his shoulder. The Chosen of Hope paused before he glanced at his brother, then returned his attention back to Hikari as he clenched his jaw tightly.

Hikari grimaced as she glanced at Takeru whose face contorted in pain. “Takeru didn’t mean to-”

“That’s the point!” Taichi snapped, not letting Hikari finish. “All of us wanna help Ken, but the fact is that he can’t even control himself! He’s been tainted a hell of a lot longer than Takeru ever was, and he’s also got brainwashing from Millenniumon that turned Gennai traitor on us! _Gennai_! That orb he used to drain our energy could’ve killed you!”

A prickling pain bloomed in Hikari’s heart as that incident stood out vividly as the source of so much that went horribly wrong with the Digital World and led to so much death. Her fingers twitched with the urge to cover her aching chest, but she kept her hands at her side with only the faintest of tremors. “That… that’s why… we can’t leave him alone. Jijimon and Babamon warned us that letting Takeru isolate himself was the worst thing we could do… and Ken has been alone since Ryo was kidnapped and Keiko… Keiko d…”

The word wouldn’t come no matter how Hikari tried to force it, but the expression on her brother’s face told her that he still understood anyway.

“ _You_ could’ve died!” Taichi yelled as his hands flew about him like frantic birds. “That’s the whole point! You should’ve told us, _like you promised_ , and then we could’ve talked to him together so no one would get hurt!”

Hikari’s jaw clenched for a moment as a wave of bitterness burst forth before she stop to think about her words. “You mean like every other time we’ve tried to ‘talk’ to the Digimon Kaiser so far? That’s worked out _so well_.”

Taichi jerked slightly, so taken aback by Hikari’s uncharacteristic show of snark. “Wh… well, that’s…”

Hikari gave Taichi a moment before a short, hollow laugh escaped her. “I’ve been trying so long to reach him, and he’s either run away because I remind him of his dead best friend or because people can’t stop wanting to get back at him.”

“We’re not getting back at him,” Taichi said. “We’re trying to _stop_ him.”

“No you haven’t!” Hikari snapped, her red eyes blazing as she stomped her foot. “If you were, you’d actually stop insulting him and damning him and actually treat him like Takeru when he got tainted! Ken is where Takeru was then, and he needs friends right now so badly I just want to cry for him.”

“I wasn’t,” Taichi said. “I just-”

“Ken is our friend!” Hikari continued savagely. “He’s _been_ our friend all these months, and now that you know he’s been the Digimon Kaiser too, all you see is our enemy and _that’s_ why I didn’t tell you! If I had any chance of helping Ken, I couldn’t tell _anyone_ but Tailmon, and I was right!” She made a sweeping gesture to her side. “Look at what happened!”

For a moment, all Taichi could do was sputter, but his blood boiled hot and wouldn’t let him simply admit defeat. “You almost got killed! The Devas were going to kill you because you were siding with the Digimon Kaiser!”

“So I should’ve let them kill Ken?” Hikari shot back.

“No!” Taichi blurted. “The Devas almost got you because you snuck off with Ken alone!”

Hikari threw her arms out to her sides. “All of you got there _before_ the Devas came!”

“They invited you along to serve as a distraction,” Tailmon agreed, crossing her arms.

“I said stay out of this!” Taichi snapped at Tailmon before his gaze went back to Hikari. “That doesn’t make what you did any less stupid and dangerous!”

Agumon frowned as he watched his partner, then turned to Tailmon as the cat Digimon gave the Chosen of Courage a disapproving stare. “I’ve never seen them argue like this…”

“It’s long overdue.” Tailmon said, with a snap of her tail.

Hikari felt a twinge in her cheek muscles and took a heavy breath as she tried desperately to maintain some sense of composure. “You mean like _everything we do involving the Digital World_?”

Taichi faltered for a moment, off-kilter, but Hikari wasn’t going to let him recover.

“Tailmon and I are going to help Ken,” she said. “Now. Because he needs us.”

Taichi’s hands balled into fists. “Fine, then we’re going with you!”

Hikari’s eyes never wavered in their burning intensity. “No. You’re staying here.”

“No way-” Taichi began.

Hikari poked her brother’s chest, startling him out of his reply. “Unless you can honestly, from the bottom of your heart, forgive Ken and _be his friend_ right now, you’re staying here.” Her eyes bored holes into her brother for an endless eternity of a moment before she finally shook her head. “If you can’t do that, then please just _trust me-_ ”

“How can I trust you when you’ve been lying to me about this?!” Taichi demanded, his anger flaring anew.

Hikari jerked as though slapped. “I… I didn’t _lie_ -”

“You _promised_ you were going to tell me about this kind of stuff!” Taichi snapped as he threw his arms out. “And yet _here we are_!”

Hikari shook her head in silent denial. “I told you, I _couldn’t_ tell you because I _promised_ Ken-”

“So a promise to Ken is more important than a promise to _me_?” Taichi shot back.

Hikari flinched as the accusation struck home, sending her reeling back a step away from her older brother. “No… I… that’s not what I said!”

“That’s what it sounds like!” Taichi pointed at Hikari, thrusting his finger in her direction. “Even now, he emails _you_ and _you_ alone, and you’re all set to take off after him! If we hadn’t been here when you got it, would you have even told us!?”

Hikari faltered as she felt her resolve begin to crack in front of her brother’s wrath, knowing that this accusation at least was true. A part of her wailed at her to stop arguing with her brother, to acquiesce to him as always so as not to hurt him. However, just as she seemed tempted, she remembered the _last_ time she had done that - when she had failed to protect Daisuke. She still remembered how hurt Daisuke had been by Taichi and Yamato, and while they eventually apologized, the Chosen of Tenacity had suffered terribly in the meantime.

She refused to back down again. Ken needed her, just like Daisuke had, and she wasn’t going to fail a friend a second time.

“Fine!” Hikari snapped, bristling even as her eyes began to water. “ _Be_ angry with me!” She made a sweeping gesture with her hand, as if she were striking away the conversation. “You can yell at me all you like - _after_ I make sure Ken doesn’t hurt himself even more!”

With that, Hikari ended the argument by racing past Taichi and their friends before he could try to stop her. Tailmon lingered a moment longer to silently glare at Taichi before she gave chase,quickly catching up with her partner.

Taichi jerked and whirled about with wide eyes. “Hika-wait!”

Hikari didn’t listen. Instead, she hurried down the sidewalk until she spotted a shop window filled with television screens, the images cheerfully displaying various ads - from electronics to video games. An idea struck her hard enough to slow her run to a grinding halt, and she whirled to extend her digivice to the largest of the television screens as she focused her thoughts on Wormmon and his email, and her desperate wish to find Ken. “ _Digital Gate open_!”

“Hikari!” Taichi cried out as he ran after his sister, with the other Chosen close behind. “ _Hikari-!_ ”

Taichi caught up just a moment too late, as Hikari and Tailmon disappeared in a burst of light. He only caught a glimpse of a Digital Gate, manifested apropos of nothing on the big television screen, before it winked out of existence along with his sister and her partner.

“ _Damn it_!” Taichi cursed. “What the hell happened!?”

“She... she gated out,” Sora said as she stared at the television screen, as if it could offer any hint as to where it had taken Hikari.

“She must’ve gone to see Ken,” Yamato said, then frowned. “But _without_ coordinates?”

Jou frantically glanced about, particularly at the passersby who stopped to stare and murmur to one another in confusion as a girl who had been there moments ago disappeared into thin air. He grimaced before he turned to the rest of the Chosen, waving his hands to get their attention. “W-we should get back to Koshiro’s, _quickly_ , and start from there…!”

Takeru glanced at the others as they panicked before he discreetly pulled out his DT2, turning the volume down before writing an email to Hikari to confirm she was safe. He didn’t expect an answer right away, or at all, but he still held out hope that she was at least calm enough to send him _some_ sign that she hadn’t just gated into oblivion.

Gritting his teeth, Taichi fished his Digivice out of his pocket. “We’re going after her. Let’s go, Agumon.”

“You got it, Taichi!” Agumon said as he hurried over to his partner.

“W-wait! Do you even know where she went?” Sora demanded, panic flooding her. “What if-”

“Digital Gate _open_!” Taichi declared as he dramatically held his Digivice to the television screen.

Silence lingered as the Chosen of Courage held his pose, his Digivice still outstretched at the screen. Passersby had stopped to stare, watching in confusion from across the street and further along the sidewalk, adding to the awkwardness as nothing happened. The television, for its part, seemed to completely ignore Taichi as it continued to flicker through the various ads on display.

After an increasingly awkward minute, Taichi thrust his Digivice towards the television again. “Digital Gate open!” He only waited ten seconds before shaking his Digivice almost violently. “I said _open!_ ”

Jou, his face a vivid shade of crimson, glanced about at the gawking crowd, wanting nothing more than to disappear into a Digital Gate himself, if it meant getting away from the embarrassment.

“It’s not working,” Yamato said, with a sigh. “Ken must’ve given her coordinates or something, assuming she didn’t have them from the start.”

A growl erupted from Taichi’s throat as he brought his Digivice to his chest. “Like that’s going to stop me.” He closed his eyes and thought back to all the times he entered the Digital World without the use of a gate as well as when he dove into the internet to save WarGreymon. If he could focus on his sister with all of his might like he did back then, perhaps a miracle would occur once more.

“Hikari. Hikari. Hikari,” Taichi repeated his sister’s name like a mantra as he aimed his Digivice at the screen once more. “ _Hikari_!” He glared defiantly at the screen as he threw his arm forward. “ _Digital - Gate - open_!”

A bright light burst from the television screen as it responded to the impassioned command command, much to the surprise of everyone - Taichi included. In an instant, both the Chosen of Courage and his partner were sucked into the gate, which opened just long enough to snag them before disappearing as quickly as it came, leaving the rest of the Chosen Children gaping in surprise at the screen with the rest of the gawkers.

Digital code rushed past Taichi as he entered Digital World, before the gate promptly spat him out - right on top of the altar of Light. He let out a howl of surprise as he flipped through the air before landing roughly on his stomach, thankfully impacting with the solid and flat side of the altar rather than on anything sharp and pointed.

Agumon was less fortunate, as he hit the floor with a squawk before rolling across it like a soccer ball, right past the staring Jijimon and Babamon before hitting the far wall with a _crunch_.

Jijimon and Babamon glanced back after Agumon, then turned to each other before focusing on Taichi as he groaned, the Chosen of Courage painfully peeling himself away from the altar and stumbling to his feet.

“H-Hikari…?” Taichi gasped out as he glanced about, tentatively rubbing his stomach.

“Well, yer sorta right, I guess,” Jijimon said with a sniff as he pointed his staff at the altar Taichi leaned against to remain upright. “That _is_ Light.”

“Are you alright, dear?” Babamon asked as she furrowed her brow.

“I-I’m fine, I just…” Taichi stumbled back before he gave a small shake to chase away the rest of his disorientation. “Where’s Hikari!?”

“Not here,” Jijimon said. “Seems yer the only one rude enough to bust in uninvited. Yer lucky you didn’t show up _earlier_ , or you would’ve received some _adult education_ , let me tell you!”

Taichi jerked back, as if the mere idea burned him, before he looked about once more. Once it became abundantly clear that the elder Digimon was telling the truth, he let out a curse before he whipped out his DT2.

_Hikari went after the Digimon Kaiser by herself!!!!_

_I tried to follow her but I ended up at the god temple instead. I’ll meet you all back at Koshiro’s so we can get Ken’s coordinates, and go save Hikari!!!!!!_

The Chosen of Courage sent the email after flagging it high importance, before he snapped the DT2 shut and grabbed his Digivice again. “Agumon! Let’s go!”

“C-coming…!” Agumon said, dazed, as he fumbled to his feet.

“Leavin’ already?” Jijimon asked, quirking an eyebrow. “You just got here, y’know.”

“Can’t talk, have to save Hikari from Ken!” Taichi said before he gestured with his Digivice again. “Digital Gate _open_!”

Jijimon and Babamon silently watched as Taichi disappeared as quickly as he came, taking his partner with him. After several long moments, the two elder Digimon slowly shook their heads as immense weariness settled in on both of them.

“I’d say that Ken’s the one that needs saving.” Babamon said, softly.

“You got that right.” Jijimon agreed. He then straightened up, turning to look at the altar of Light. “Good luck, girlie. You’re gonna need it.”

\---

The main foyer for the fortress of the Digimon Kaiser was dark and foreboding, with high walls of smooth gray stone that disappeared off into the darkness. There were no obvious light sources, but Hikari could clearly see the shiny dark floor and the strange but uniform patterns of lines along the walls that reminded her a little of circuitry.

Tailmon stood beside Hikari as she glanced about, her ears flicking as she scanned the room. Pillars lining the walls cast heavy shadows and lent a number of places for someone to hide, so she listened for any signs of life. The tapping of little, rapid feet made her turn around sharply to the massive stairwell not far behind them, connected to a shady walkway high above.

A small figure emerged from the gloom at the top of the staircase, clutching something in his foremost digits. Wormmon stopped at the top of the steps, smiling as best he could with his sideways mouth. He held close his precious cargo - Ken’s tainted Digivice - as he carefully hopped down one step at a time.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Wormmon said, his weary voice echoing off the high ceiling of the room.

“How is Ken doing?” Hikari asked, though she realized the answer was obvious.

Wormmon drooped a little as he paused on the steps about a third of the way down. “Not good. Not good at all.”

Hikari felt her stomach twist. “Let’s hurry up and go see him.”

“Not yet,” Wormmon muttered with a resigned sigh as he scanned the area and used his feelers to press a few buttons on Ken’s Digivice. “We have to wait.”

Hikari blinked. “Wait for what?”

A beep caught Hikari’s attention, signalling she got an email. She hesitated, grimly certain her brother sent a demand that she return home. However, before she could make up her mind about reading it, a second beep came through. This one was piercingly loud, causing the DT2 to vibrate to get her attention.

“What was that?” Tailmon asked as she turned to stare at the DT2.

“Someone just used the emergency option to send a high priority email,” Wormmon said upon recognizing the particular chime. “It’s a feature Ken-chan added, and someone decided to use it.” He sighed, feeling so very tired. “I’m sure they’re going to chase after you, and I want to talk to them before they accuse Ken-chan of kidnapping you or something else awful like that.”

With an unpleasant feeling of dread creeping up Hikari’s spine, she flipped open her DT2 to find not one but _two_ emails waiting for her - the expected one from her brother, which had been flagged as high priority, but also one from Takeru.

Hikari left her brother’s message alone for the moment, checking Takeru’s first. She was relieved to see that it wasn’t an email condemning her, and instead wanting to verify that she was safe. She quickly responded, confirming her safe arrival to alleviate his worries as well as the others. After hitting send, she hastily followed it up with a second message.

_Tell everyone not to follow me unless they’ll be nice to Ken! I’m NOT in danger!!_

With that taken care off, Hikari reluctantly turned her attention to Taichi’s email. Its brevity accented with too many exclamation marks along with the high priority flag made it seem far too urgent than it really was.

Hikari paused before she scowled, hot anger flickering through her. The email’s wording made it abundantly clear that Taichi was treating Ken as an enemy. Even worse, the email had been sent to _everyone_ \- Ken included. It naturally hadn’t been intentional, and more a case of Miyako and Koshiro not removing Ken’s name from the contacts yet, but it confirmed that Ken received yet one more email where he was being condemned. It was the exact _opposite_ of what she was trying to accomplish. “Brother…”

“He really can’t stop, can he,” Tailmon said with a heavy sigh. “That boy just doesn’t think.”

Hikari sighed and shook her head before she began typing. “I know he’s just worried about me, but… he needs to trust me, and trust that you’ll keep me safe.”

Tailmon nodded as she crossed her arms. “And that he can’t just turn his back on someone just because he’s _angry_ at them.”

Hikari nodded sharply as her brow furrowed.

A flash of light signaled an arrival from the real world at the bottom of the staircase. Hikari tensed, fully expecting Taichi and Agumon, but was shocked to see Daisuke and V-mon instead.

Even Wormmon appeared surprised to see the Chosen of Tenacity, his eyes widening. “D… Daisuke?”

“Hikari!” Daisuke shouted, his frantic gaze whipping about in every direction in search of his friend - every direction but up. “Let her go, you jerk!”

Tailmon blinked slowly before her expression deadpanned. “She’s right in front of you, Daisuke.”

Daisuke blinked repeatedly before raising his gaze to the top of the stairs before frowning. “Hurry home, Hikari. I’ll take care of this guy.”

“No,” Hikari said, voice tight. “Daisuke, please listen to me. Ken isn’t our enemy, he’s-”

“He’s a liar and a spy and an evil dictator!” Daisuke snapped, pure venom dripping between his teeth. “And he’s tricking you into doing his dirty work for him and maybe even brainwashing you!”

“That’s right!” V-mon agreed as he clenched his fists and shook them vigorously.

“Daisuke, he’s _not_ -!” Hikari began to protest, only to gasp as a beam of black light shot past her. Before Daisuke could open his mouth again, the darkness struck him and V-mon and in the next instant they were gone.

Hikari stared at the empty space for a moment more before she turned to see Wormmon holding up Ken’s Digivice with a solemn expression.

Wormmon shook his head as he lowered the Digivice. “I’m sorry, but Ken-chan doesn’t need your anger right now.”

Hikari hesitated a moment longer before letting out a sigh, shoulders sinking. “Sorry about that. It’s… it’s going to take a while for Daisuke to accept this. He’s-”

Light appeared on the foyer and rendered two figures. Again, Hikari expected her brother and his partner, but found it to be Daisuke and V-mon once more.

“Hah!” Daisuke snapped as he held up his Digivice in triumph. “Can’t get rid of me _that_ easily anymo-”

Once more, a beam of darkness silenced Daisuke when Wormmon triggered the tainted Digivice and ejected the goggle boy and his partner from the Digital World.

“I know, it’s going to take a lot of time…” Wormmon said, “but I’m more concerned about Ken-chan right now.”

Hikari’s mouth stretched out into a grim line as she nodded. “We should get going before anyone else-”

Light interrupted Hikari once more. Before she could even consider who was coming this time, Daisuke and V-mon rematerialized in the foyer before they took off running, trying to find cover.

“Can’t get rid of us that easy!” Daisuke snapped as he waved his Digivice around. “I can come back all day, you-”

Wormmon lifted the Dark Digivice again, almost casually as he gave a weary sigh. “I know. And I can keep doing this all day, too. So, please just do yourself a favor and _stay home_.”

The Dark Digivice obeyed Wormmon once more, sending its black rays at Daisuke and V-mon as the pair failed to find anything substantial in such a large, empty hall.

Hikari was already typing away on her DT2. “I’ll send Daisuke an email to let him know to stay-”

A now familiar flash of light appeared in the the foyer once more. Immediately, Daisuke lunged bolted for the stairs with V-mon in his arms, zigging and zagging to make for a harder target, as he realized there was nothing else to use as cover in the otherwise empty room. “You’re not gonna get me this time!”

Wormmon frowned when his first shot missed, fumbling to aim with such stubby digits and a comparatively cumbersome device. “Daisuke, please just _stay away_ -”

“V-mon Head!” V-mon shouted as he sprung from Daisuke’s arms and slammed his forehead into Wormmon’s, sending the insect Digimon flying backwards away from Hikari and Tailmon.

“Wormmon-!?” Tailmon gasped as she whirled to stare, stunned by what had just happened.

“Daisuke, _stop it_ right _now_!” Hikari snapped, her anger renewed. “You and V-mon are not _helping_ -”

“ _Wormmon_!”

Ken’s wail boomed off the high ceiling like a clap of thunder, causing everyone to whirl just in time to see him arrive from one of the many hallways on the upper level. His appearance was bedraggled to say the very least, with heavy bags under his bloodshot eyes and the same clothes he wore yesterday when everything came crashing down around him. He didn’t notice how Hikari and Daisuke reacted to seeing him in such a state, entirely focused on scooping Wormmon up and away from danger.

“Ken-chan,” Wormmon said, softly as he rubbed where V-mon struck him. “It’s fine, Ken-chan. I’m fine. You can just leave this to me.”

After taking a moment to reassure himself that Wormmon was not visibly injured, Ken whirled to glare at Daisuke and V-mon, fire blazing in his eyes. “What do you think you’re doing!?”

Daisuke ran up the final few steps to thrust an accusing finger towards the bedraggled kaiser. “Stopping you from brainwashing Hikari more than you already have!”

Hikari felt a twitch of anger in her breast. “I’m not brainwashed, Daisuke! Ken isn’t our enemy!”

“That’s just what someone who’s _brainwashed_ would say!” V-mon said as he glared at Ken, crouched aggressively.

“If you’re angry at me, that’s fine!” Ken snapped as he stood up, still cradling his partner. “But don’t take it out on _Wormmon_! He hasn’t done anything wrong!”

“He kept zapping me and V-mon away!” Daisuke retorted. “He’s trying to stop me from saving Hikari, and so are you!”

“I don’t need saving!” Hikari practically moaned as she covered her face. “Daisuke, _please_ , just go home. We can talk about this _later_.”

“Save Hikari from _what_!?” Ken demanded, sweeping his left hand about as he carefully set Wormmon down with his right. “I didn’t ask her to come here!”

“Hikari _wanted_ to come,” Tailmon said.

“Ken is our _friend_ , Daisuke,” Hikari said earnestly.

“The Digimon Kaiser is no friend of mine!” Daisuke snapped before glaring at Ken. “You stay away from Hikari!”

Ken flinched at Daisuke’s words before he straightened up, meeting Daisuke’s glare with one of his own - despite how his eyes watered. “I… so what happened to everything you said!? Was that all a lie!?”

Daisuke jerked, blinking. “Huh?”

Ken swallowed the bile in his throat, even as he did his best to keep his piercing stare on Daisuke. “When you said… when you said that you were going to stop thinking about me… about the _Digimon Kaiser_ as some psychotic _bad guy_ … like in some work of fiction! Was that a lie!?”

Daisuke flinched as though struck, suddenly feeling off balance enough to take a step back. “Wh… no, I didn’t lie, but I also didn’t know _you_ were lying to _me_ this whole time!” He moved the same foot forward again, face twisting with anger. “I’ll bet you got a good laugh after I spilled my guts out like that. You probably think you’re so clever tricking all of us and dicking us around!”

“I didn’t… I wasn’t _dicking you around_!” Ken protested, shaking his head before he made another sweeping gesture with his left arm. “I was… I was about to tell you, but then I lost my nerve! It seems that was the _right choice_ , considering how you’re acting now! You… you would’ve probably…!” He dropped his arm bonelessly as his body gave a shudder. He knew he of all people had no right to feel betrayed, but the words kept coming in spite of himself. “God knows what you would have done, after telling me you considered me your _best friend_!”

“Yeah right!” Daisuke snarled. “That’s what you _wanted_ me to think, you liar! Spy! I’ll bet you were feeling so smug using me like that, making me _think_ we were friends just so you could use me just like you’re using Hikari!”

“Ken isn’t using me!” Hikari snapped, her voice going shrill at the edges. “Daisuke, Ken’s behavior in all this is being influenced by the Dark Ocean and Millenniumon just like Takeru was!”

“That doesn’t make what he did okay,” Daisuke said, his gaze only focused on Ken. “I’ll bet some of the crap that happened was because of him giving us the runaround! Like almost drowning us using Whamon while he just _happened_ to be nice and high and dry and out of range!”

“You were never in any danger!” Ken protested. “The wall prevented you from being sucked out to sea! At most, you got _wet_ and _annoyed_! If you had just _gated back out_ like you were _supposed_ to-!”

Daisuke thrust his finger at Ken. “So you admit it! You _did_ set us up!”

Ken grimaced, flinching back. “I… what was I supposed to do!? Just let you waltz in!?”

Daisuke’s glare never wavered. “If you wanted to do the right thing, you would’ve given up and quit being the Digimon Kaiser a long time ago!”

Hikari rubbed her forehead, as she felt like little more than part of the background scenery to the boys’ argument. The fact that V-mon entered into in a quiet scuffle with Wormmon at the same time only made things worse. She held her hands up in a vain attempt to get the boys’ attention. “Okay, everyone just _please_ calm down. Daisuke, if you want to check me for brainwashing later, then fine, but _please_ take V-mon home and let me talk to Ken right now. _Alone_. I _promise_ that he won’t hurt me, okay?”

Daisuke barely spared Hikari a glance. “He already hurt you, remember? He _whipped_ you! And he kidnapped Miyako, and her partner plus all of your partners and almost killed Tailmon! He sent that psycho Gladimon after us and he nearly took off her head, and Iori’s, and Jou’s! Not to mention he’s the reason why Takeru got tainted in the first place - he sent Takeru to the Dark Ocean! He’s trying to spread the taint, and he’s going to get you too if you keep trusting him!”

Ken trembled, reaching up to grab his collar. He couldn’t respond to most of Daisuke’s charges, as he was very much aware that he was guilty of each and every one - except one. “Gladimon ignored his orders! All of the Digimon were told _specifically_ to never hurt any humans! He _didn’t care_ and-!” He shook his head again. “I didn’t… they were supposed to _scare_ you away!” He threw his arms forward, desperate. “ _You were supposed to run away_!”

“Ken, ignore him,” Tailmon said as she glanced at the Chosen of Kindness. “No one’s listening, so you’re wasting your time. If he won’t back away, that means you’ll have to.”

Ken faltered at that before he sagged his shoulders, trembling. “I-I…”

Hikari moved to Ken’s side and rested her hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Come on, let’s go talk in another room and let Tailmon finish talking to Daisuke for us.”

Ken hesitated before he turned to Hikari, offering her a weak smile that couldn’t meet his eyes. Tentatively, he reached up to touch her hand with his right. “Alright, Hikari-”

Adrenaline shot through Daisuke like an arrow from a crossbow and he lunged to slap Ken’s hand away. “Keep your hands off her!”

Ken yelped as he jerked back, startled by the sudden strike. He recoiled his hand instinctively as he whirled to stare at Daisuke. “What are you-!?”

Daisuke unleashed a bellow made of betrayal and vengeance as he lunged at Ken, knocking the other boy to the ground and away from Hikari.

Ken fell backwards, a cry of pain escaping him as the steps dug into his back. He then jerked as Daisuke was on him and his mind went blank, before instinct took over as he realized he was being attacked. His foot promptly shot out, slamming into the goggle boy’s stomach with immense force before shoving him away.

Daisuke couldn’t even cry out, the kick sending all his breath out in a violent exhale as he was sent tumbling down the steps.

The choked sound Daisuke uttered made Ken’s blood run cold as he realized what he had done. A moment later he was racing down the stairs in pure panic. “D-Daisuke!?”

“Daisuke!?” Hikari cried out in shock, before she moved to follow Ken.

“Daisuke! _Daisuke_!” V-mon yelped, running down to steps to his Chosen Child’s side, but not before Ken got to the crumbled goggle boy first.

“Daisuke!” Ken said as he knelt down, reaching to grab the boy’s shoulders. “S-say something! Are you okay!?”

Ken was rewarded for his concern with a swift punch to the face, one that made him see stars as he fell backwards. He grimaced as he hit the ground, disoriented, and his hands instinctively reached up to verify that his nose hadn’t been broken even as his head swam. “G-guh…”

Daisuke coughed to regain his breath, battered and bruised all over, but he didn’t let that stop him from tackling Ken to the floor and throwing another punch that struck the other boy’s cheek. “Bastard!”

“Daisuke!” Hikari shouted as she hurried down the stairs. “Stop it!”

Ken threw his arms up to shield his face from Daisuke’s blow, before a flash of red hot anger surged through him. He reached up to grab Daisuke’s arms before planting his feet firmly on the ground, using his leverage to throw Daisuke up over his head and face-first into the floor. “ _Get - off_!”

“Daisuke!” V-mon cried out before he growled and lunged towards Ken. “Don’t you-”

The attack never made it, as Wormmon slammed into V-mon’s side, sending both tumbling over one another to the other side of the massive room. “Stay away from Ken-chan!” Wormmon shouted, his expression surprisingly fierce as he pinned V-mon to the ground.

From the shadows on the upper level, FlaWizarmon and Witchmon watched the scuffle in uncomfortable silence. After several moments, the scarecrow Digimon turned to look at his companion. “...Ya think we should cut in?”

Witchmon hesitated with indecision before she furrowed her brow. “I think… if we hope for _any_ chance of a good outcome, we’re going to have to sit this one out and leave it to Light Darling.”

FlaWizarmon made a noise in the back of his throat before he turned to look down, just in time to see Daisuke lunge at Ken again, only to get punched solidly in the face for his efforts. “...Do yer best, Light Darlin’.”

Hikari tried to get between the two boys as they threw punches back and forth, but simply wasn’t quick enough or strong enough to pull them apart. “Tailmon! Help me separate them before they hurt each other anymore!”

Tailmon lunged forward, pushing Daisuke aside before she wrapped her arms around Ken and flung the boy over her shoulder - despite him being much larger than her. Before either boy could register what was happening, she was already leaping up the stairs, skipping steps in tens at a time, to widen the distance between them.

Hikari let out a sigh of relief and snatched Wormmon up before he and V-mon could continue their brawl, following after her partner at a much slower pace. “Daisuke, V-mon, please just go home. It’ll be okay for us to stay here a little while, I promise.”

V-mon clenched his fists. “Hikari! Can’t you see he’s just _using_ you!? Just like all those controlled Digimon!”

“Ken couldn’t control me, remember?” Tailmon said as she turned to stare down at V-mon and Daisuke, not quite setting Ken down just yet. “That means he can’t control _her_ , either.”

It took Daisuke a moment to recover from the sudden change of the situation, a flicker of fear piercing through his outrage. “What if you’re tainted too!?”

“What?” Hikari asked, staring at Daisuke. “I’m not-”

“You’ve said you’ve been to the Dark Ocean all the time,” Daisuke said urgently as he climbed back to his feet. “You even said you _drowned_ in it before! What if you’re tainted and don’t even know it? What if he did it to you while you were sleeping because he knows where we live and how to get us any time? You’d never know he was using you!”

Hikari hesitated, as Daisuke’s words prodded the gnawing fears she had of the Dark Ocean and all its whispers and the nightmares it gave her. Slowly, she shook her head in denial and to clear away the uncertainty digging its fangs into her back. “N… no, I’m not tainted. Tailmon bathes with me. She would’ve noticed if any part of me was gray.”

“What if he tainted her too?” Daisuke asked. “Think about it! She’s the only one of all the Digimon that didn’t get a collar on her. She could’ve been a plant from the start!”

Tailmon set Ken down before turning to Daisuke, stretching her arms out before slowly turning about until she did a full circle. “Do you _see_ any taint? You saw Kyoumon - you _can’t_ hide it. So tell me, where’s the taint?”

Daisuke faltered for a moment, but recovered quickly. “You can’t see a Dark Seed, right? What about that?”

Tailmon’s ears flattened as her expression deadpanned.

Hikari covered her face with one hand as tense lines folded across her brow. “Daisuke… stop. Please, just stop. You’re acting paranoid and-”

“He’s been lying to us all along!” Daisuke shouted as he threw his arms towards Ken. “He’s been using us and toying with us, and he’s been doing all sorts of bad stuff with mind control! You’ve seen it yourself over and over again! If Gennai could trick you into doing bad stuff, who knows what a genius could do!”

Ken gently rubbed his cheek, where a bruise was forming - one of many, thanks to Daisuke’s punches. But none of them hurt nearly as much as the one on his heart. The more he heard Daisuke talk, the more he ached, and it was a solid reminder that he had just wanted to be _left alone_.

“Fine,” Ken finally said, at first breathy, but growing in strength and ferocity with every syllable. “Believe what you want. I’m a horrible person, whatever. I don’t even care!” He turned away from the others, his feet striking the floor hard enough to make them clang with every stormy step. When he reached the wall beyond the stairs before the path branched from right to left, he slid aside a tile and punched in a certain code into the keypad hiding underneath. “Just _hurry up_ and _leave me alone_!”

The Chosen of Kindness jabbed furiously at the final button, as if it were Daisuke himself. A loud beep issued, followed by the screech of metal. Hikari and Tailmon turned just in time to see the entire back wall give way, splitting open like curtains on a theater.

Blackness lay beyond the wall surrounding a pair of glowing golden eyes, each one larger than the children were tall. The light cast by the eyes hinted at a face darker than the thick, dark green fluid that rippled with slim strands of something that glowed and looked almost like code. Neither Hikari nor Daisuke could focus enough on the details beyond that, both caught frozen, staring at the monumental creature staring at them. Through the shock and horror, both were reminded of the creature that Narakumon destroyed at Factory Town, only far, far larger.

“That’s…” Tailmon whispered.

“My giant tube, yes,” Ken said, his voice harsh before he turned to face the Chosen, taking in their horror as they stared upon his sin. “The one I made at Factory Town, the one you were all so terrified of! And _yes_ , I used it! I used it to make _him_!” He threw his hands out to the sides, in a grandiose display. “Behold! _Chimeramon_ , one of the _many_ forms of _Zeed Millenniumon_ himself! The first of _many_ that I faced, when I was pulled into this world so many years ago... with Ryo and Keiko!”

“D-Daisuke…!” V-mon hissed as he moved to his partner’s side, his insides churning. Something about the creature terrified him to his very core, even though he refused to back down.

Ken let out a short bark of bitter laughter that bordered on the hysterical. “Aren’t I disgusting!? Creating a replica of the very bastard that _destroyed everything_ I cared about!” He clenched his fists before he threw them to the side. “Both of you - _go home_! You’re wasting your time! Just go home and _leave me alone!_ ”

A rumble like approaching thunder echoed through the room and vibrated through the children’s bones as the creature growled, showing a hint of sharp white teeth.

Hikari froze at the sight of the monster. Though its size and deformed appearance were terrifying in their own right, she was shaken by the fact that there was an entire lake’s worth of the Dark Ocean personified in a monster just behind a far too thin layer of glass. Were it to break, the entire fortress would be flooded, and such a thought made her remember her dreams of drowning in the Dark Ocean all too clearly. Unthinkingly she squeezed Wormmon closer to her body, not noticing how the Digimon ignored her and the monster both, his sad blue eyes never leaving Ken.

Daisuke gawked at the massive monster staring at them. It was big, too big for him to comprehend that it was actually _alive_. The fear he felt running through him warred with his anger, and every inch of his body quaked. “Y-you…” His voice came in a tiny quiver, unnaturally loud in the sudden chilled stillness hanging heavily in the air. “You’re bringing Millenniumon _back_?” His voice cracked until it nearly turned shrill. “You really _are_ a traitor!”

“Yes, yes, traitor this, evil that, monster, monster, _monster_ ,” Ken grunted before he stamped his foot. “Hurry up and _run for your life_ , Daisuke Motomiya! Before I have my monster _devour_ you!”

“You… y-you don’t scare me!” Daisuke sputtered, but all the bravado in the world couldn’t hide his true feelings.

“Oh, yes, that little _quiver_ to your voice completely _convinces_ me of that,” Ken said, with a small smirk. “Well, you and I both know that all you have to do is _go home_ and the big nasty Digimon won’t hurt you.”

The taunt was more than enough to rekindle Daisuke’s anger, allowing him to push back his fear, if only temporarily. “S-screw you! I’ll do what I want!”

Ken paused at that before he narrowed his eyes, his cheek twitching. “...Go. Home. _Motomiya_.”

“No way!” Daisuke snapped as he forced himself to take a shaky step forward even as his instincts screamed at him to run. “Not until I kick your butt!”

Ken stared hard at Daisuke before he pointed back behind him. “Motomiya… did you forget about _what’s behind me_? Looking _right_ at you? Or did your stupid brain _lock up_?”

Daisuke twitched and stomped forward. “You’re the stupid one if you think I’m scared of a psycho like you!”

Ken’s cheek twitched again before he turned to point at the control panel. “And will you still be talking like that when I let it loose on you!?”

Daisuke brought his fist forward as he kept his eyes fixed on Ken and nothing else. “Will _you_ after I give you a fat lip? You’re full of it! I’ll bet that thing isn’t finished yet, otherwise you would’ve let it out already!”

“D-Daisuke,” Hikari whispered, struggling to force her voice to work even as fear froze every inch of her body. The gaze of the creature behind the glass pinned her in place so solidly she could scarcely pull air into her lungs. “Don’t…”

“Y…. you idiot!” Ken sputtered before he pointed wildly at the creature. “Do you seriously want me to use it!?”

“I knew it!” Daisuke said with growing confidence, refusing to look anywhere but at Ken. As long as he didn’t look at the abomination, he couldn’t be intimidated by it. “You were bluffing! I’ll bet whatever that is is only half baked, just like you, Tiny Tower!”

Ken jerked before he clenched his teeth in a grimace. “I… I am _not_ -!”

“It’s no different than with Whamon, or at Factory Town, or _every other time_ you try to do anything!” Daisuke said, clenching his fist and shaking it at Ken threateningly. “You keep _bluffing_ , trying to scare us away rather than face us directly! You’re a _coward_!”

Ken felt a flush of shock surge through him, followed by a rush of anger. “A… coward? You’re calling _me_ … a _coward!?_ ”

“Damn right!” Daisuke said, with a sneer. “A coward who hides behind _other Digimon_ so _they_ do the _dirty work_ -!”

“ _Idiot_!” Ken shrieked, cutting off the google boy and startling him so that he stepped back. “Idiot, idiot, _idiot_!” He clenched his hands tightly, wishing that he had his whip in his hands as the urge to strike Daisuke with it was almost overpowering. “You are an _idiot_ , Motomiya!”

“The hell I am!” Daisuke snapped. “You’re just-”

“You just don’t _get_ it! You’ve _never_ gotten it!” Ken screamed as he reached up to tug at his hair. “All this time… you think this is a _game_ , like I’m some… some generic _boss_ for you to defeat, and receive a prize! And you’re calling _me_ a _coward!?_ ” He threw his arms down before jutting his hands forward. “But here I am, the only one that’s got the courage… the _courage_ to get _dirty_ , just so long as I can accomplish what _needs_ to be done!” He threw his left hand to the side, as if striking the air itself. “Just - like - Jun!”

Daisuke went rigid. “Jun? What about Jun?”

Ken’s gaze was challenging. “No one else wanted to do it, no one else had the _strength_ or _courage_ to do it! Not your teachers, not your parents, not _your other friends_ , not even _you_!” He pointed at Hikari before his finger moved to Daisuke. “No one else wanted to do it, so you kept _taking_ it, being _tormented_ by her… because it was _easier_! While she did whatever she damn well liked!” He reached up to slap his hands over his chest. “So I did it! I _did_ it! I did what had to be done, because no one else wanted to _get dirty_ … and I did what _needed_ to be done!”

“Wait,” Tailmon’s eyes widened as realization hit her. “That was… you mean, _you’re_ the one that...”

“And your life is better for it!” Ken snarled as he jabbed his finger at Daisuke again. “You even _admitted_ it! She doesn’t harass you anymore, your parents are actually _paying attention_ and _on your side_ for _once_! Your life has _improved_!” He clenched his fists before he flung them downward. “Because - of - _me_! Because _I_ had the _courage_ to _get dirty_!”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Daisuke said as he raised a hand. “You mean _you’re_ the one who started the rumor about her that she’s got, like, every STD on Earth?”

“I gave her back _exactly_ what she was giving you, and Hikari!” Ken said, his hand flicking from the gawking Chosen of Light back down to Daisuke. “Everything I said, _she_ had said to the both of _you_! The only difference is that I did it _better_!” He clenched his hands into fists. “And just like I predicted, she outed you and _your_ bullying to save her own _ass_! Not only did she get to experience what she herself had been inflicting on _other people_ , but she completely ruined her ability to _ever_ bully you again!”

Daisuke’s mouth hung open, but words failed him. Creeping in to mingle with the anger on his face was horror so strong it turned his stomach.

“But do go on, _Motomiya_!” Ken said as he threw his arms out wide again. “Tell me! How was _that_ ‘using’ you!? How was _that_ just ‘dicking you around’!? How did that benefit _me_ at all!? What are you going to do _now_ , with something that doesn’t fit your stupid _narrative_?”

Finally, words managed to work themselves free past Daisuke’s lips as they curled in disgust. “You really _are_ just like Jun.”

Ken jerked and stared down at Daisuke, confusion abundantly obvious on his face. “...What?”

“Daisuke, stop,” Hikari said quietly, trying desperately to force down the instinct that screamed inside her to flee from the creature as far and as fast as possible. “Ken, you too. Let’s just-”

Daisuke’s bitter, mirthless laugh drowned out Hikari’s attempts to cool the fires blazing between the two boys. “Jun does whatever she wants, without asking me, and whenever she does something _she_ wants, no matter how bad it is, no matter how much it hurts someone, no matter how just plain _wrong_ it is. And if it _somehow_ is good for me too, she expects me to be _grateful_ for it, when all I feel is disgusting, dirty, and _used_.”

Ken stared at Daisuke, the anger he had felt becoming completely evaporating. In its place, he felt nothing but confusion - like Daisuke was speaking another language. “I don’t… that’s not…”

“And she always,” Daisuke’s eyes were deep pits of absolute revulsion, “ _always_ uses it against me later. Like framing _me_ for doing it if I don’t act grateful enough or just plain piss her off.” He threw his arms out at his sides. “So was that next, huh? It’d fit this stupid story she and now _you_ have written about me being this awful violent bully who does nothing but hurt people for kicks. It’d fit right in if it was somehow magically revealed it was me all along, the black sheep of the family!”

“That’s…,” Ken trailed off before he shook his head and snapped his hand through the air, as if striking Daisuke’s words away. “T-that’s not it at _all_! _You’re_ the one who’s… I only _told_ you because you were… I _never_ said you were like that!”

“Save it!” Daisuke snapped, jaw clenching so tight it hurt. “Jun pulls the innocent act too. She’s even fucking fooled _me_ so many times, I don’t even have a clue anymore, and I feel sick that I keep falling for it, but that doesn’t stop her from doing all this shitty… _bullshit!_ ” He groaned as if in pain and turned his gaze away from Ken, unable to even look at someone he had once called a friend. “God, you even had me believing that I was wrong that you were just like her, but you’re even worse because you can literally pull your shit out of the air to hurt people, like those Dark Towers! And I’ll bet those pills that got planted in Jun’s bag too!”

Ken took a step closer down the stairs instinctively. Panic quickly joined confusion on his face, along with no small amount of _hurt_ as Daisuke’s words felt like knives jamming in to him that he had no defense for. “T-that’s not true! I’m… I’m _not_ …!”

“ _You just admitted it a few minutes ago!_ ” Daisuke snapped, blood boiling all over again.

Ken flinched back as if Daisuke had physically struck him, recoiling as he brought his arms up protectively. “...S-stop…”

Hikari couldn’t take this any longer and forced her body to move in spite of the fearful gaze of the creature in the tank that seemed focused on her most of all. Each step was almost painful and unstable as she dragged her unwilling body closer to the tank to step between Ken and Daisuke. Her instincts screamed at her as she turned her back to the tank and fear almost overtook her, but she tried not to let it show as she looked into Daisuke’s eyes. “D-Daisuke… please… no more of this.”

Daisuke stared at Hikari, a flinch running through his body that filled his eyes with pain and betrayal. “Even after all that… you’re still choosing _him_ , Hikari?”

“I… I’m not on anyone’s side,” Hikari said, though fear made her voice weak. “You’re _both_ my friends. I care about you _both_ the same. Please, just… just stop hurting each other like this.”

Wormmon hurried over to Ken’s leg, gripping it tightly to try and reassure his partner. “Ken-chan…”

Ken trembled as he continued to hold his arms up protectively, anguish consuming his face. Everything was going wrong, it seemed like everything he did was destroy what he cared about. He felt disgusting, like a cancer, and just wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

_Disappear forever._

“Please… _please_ … just leave me alone…” Ken said, his voice weak.

Daisuke finally had to look away, his expression contorting in exquisite anguish even as he forced out a small, hollow laugh. “Well. Guess you really _are_ worse than Jun, Ichijouji. Even Jun couldn’t trick Hikari to be her friend and use her against me. Having mind control must be _great_ , huh? You monster.”

“I’m not…” Ken protested, but his pitiful voice trailed up as he lost all the energy he had to keep arguing. It didn’t matter anymore, after all.

_Nothing he said could ever fix what he had broken. He really was a cancer._

“I’m not being controlled, Daisuke,” Hikari said, though it was hard to focus enough fire into her words when her friends were in so much pain and a monster from her nightmares was staring right through her. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take.

“Daisuke…” V-mon muttered, drooping as he looked at his partner. He then turned to glare at Ken as he hid behind Hikari, before he paused as something odd caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned to stare as his eyes settled on the object in question - Ken’s black Digivice.

The blue dragon Digimon’s eyebrows shot straight up before he rushed towards the device, reaching down to grab it before Ken - or anyone else - could recover it for the Digimon Kaiser. V-mon whirled, holding up the device to show his partner. “Daisuke! _Look_!”

Daisuke turned his head and his eyes lit up as he recognized what his partner held. Quickly, he snatched the Demonic Digivice and held it out at Ken. “Let’s trade. You undo whatever you did to Hikari and Tailmon, and I’ll give back your Digivice, otherwise I’ll smash it to bits, I swear!”

Ken stared at Daisuke for a moment before his pained expression gave way to weariness, and resignation. “Do what you want… _all_ of you, just _go_ …” He turned and began to walk away from not only Daisuke but Hikari as well, with heavy steps. “... _It’s not like it matters anymore…_ ” His words sounded hollow, as if it had an unnatural echo to it that mingled with his own voice.

The foreign quality to his voice made Hikari shiver with horrible familiarity, and she immediately turned around. “Ken, wait!”

That was the tipping point for Daisuke, seeing his best friend, the only person who stuck with him, following after the boy who tricked him into getting far too close to a manipulative tyrant. Frustration bubbled over in a wordless cry as he hurled the Demonic Digivice with all of his might, aiming it right at the black creature whose gold eyes seemed to mock him - _laugh_ at him - as it watched his utter failure with sick amusement. “You _bastard_!”

Time seemed to stop as the black Digivice soared towards its target, before slamming into the glass directly between the creature’s massive eyes. The glass was undamaged by the blow, far too strong to be broken from such a simple attack. However, rather than falling to the ground as expected, the Digivice came to a stop. A brilliant gold light surrounded it as the creature’s eyes began to glow.

A slow, wicked smile appeared on the creature’s face.

Ken’s entire body gave a jerk as he stumbled forward, then arched his back as he let out a startled cry. He wobbled on his feet, even as his whole body remained stiff, twitching as a the same gold glow began to surround him as well - just like his Digivice. “A-ayaa… y-yah-!?”

“What’s… what’s happening!?” Tailmon gasped as she stared at Ken.

“ _Shit_!” FlaWizarmon’s voice rang out before he suddenly landed on the ground in front of Daisuke, startling the Chosen of Tenacity so that he recoiled instinctively. The scarecrow Digimon rushed towards the creature - specifically the Demonic Digivice - and reached forward to try and snatch it. “Shit, shit, _shit_!”

However, his efforts proved futile as the light flared up brilliantly, blasting FlaWizarmon back. He grit his teeth as he braced himself, his legs locking to keep the force from flinging him across the room. He glared helplessly at the creature as its smile widened, like a cat that had just gotten its claws in a mouse. “D-damn it!”

A strangled shriek of agony came from Ken as he arched his back again, a spasm running through his spine as he threw his head backwards. He gasped for air as he felt as though he couldn’t breathe, a force constricting his lungs - and the rest of his body - in a vice as if it were squeezing the life out of him. From Hikari’s and Daisuke’s vantage point, they could see the strange aura of gold flickering around him before something began to appear at the base of Ken’s neck. As his hair began to lift, it revealed a mark, like a tattoo, in the shape of the Crest of Kindness. But unlike a tattoo, which was nothing more than unchanging ink, the mark was fluctuating colors violently - pink and gold, as if the two were fighting for control.

“Ken-chan!” Wormmon screamed.

“Ken!” Hikari shouted as she raced to Ken’s side, only for the golden aura to strike her violently, tearing a scream of pain from her as it threw her far from him, skidding across the gleaming floor until she reached the top of the stairs and tumbled down.

“Hikari!” Tailmon yelped, startled out of her stupor by Hikari’s cry. She hurried to catch the Chosen of Light before she fell down too far, before carrying her the rest of the way down and placing her at the floor. “Hikari!?”

“Hikari!” Daisuke yelled, panicked, as he raced to the fallen Chosen of Light’s side as she lay unmoving on the ground. His fear only multiplied when she didn’t respond to her partner or him. “Oh my God, are you okay?”

Ken’s hands twitched erratically, as if he had lost all motor control. The mark on the back of his neck continued to flash and spark violently as the two colors continued to fight. Unfortunately, the pink never stood a chance, and it was soon completely consumed by the gold. Another scream came from Ken as his legs trembled beneath him, before he collapsed to his knees, his eyes going completely black as his irises turned to glowing liquid gold.

Witchmon took FlaWizarmon’s place in an instant, using her magic as a brace to keep from being thrown backwards as she desperately tried to pry the Digivice away from the tube. Her claws dug between the device and the glass with all the futility of trying to split apart a diamond with a plastic spoon. The golden light burned her large hands and sent up plumes of smoke as gloves and flesh took damage. Her sharp teeth contorted in pain, but only her ghostly cat wailed from it.

This time, the scream came from Wormmon. His entire body began to glitch violently as a gold aura overtook him next, seconds before the light of evolution engulfed him. The evolving mass expanded beyond the size of a bus until the light faded to reveal a brand new insect Digimon, the likes of which none of the Chosen had ever seen. It looked like a purple scorpion with six long, spindly black legs and black armor covering its chest, joints, and back. A large black mask, complete with two large horns to either side and a smaller horn at the center, covered its hideous face, with thick gums filled with razor sharp teeth jutted forward in a feral snarl as its wild green eyes quickly became gold.

The giant creature wrapped its legs around the walkway, which cracked and groaned beneath its weight. Its long tail lashed out to strike Witchmon, sending her backwards and away from the Digivice before it twisted about to curl around the steps like a coiling snake. Once there, then pulled tight, crushing them entirely as if they were made of paper. Wobbling its head side to side, the new Digimon suddenly threw back its head to let out a bellowing roar - beastial and murderous.

FlaWizarmon caught Witchmon before she could go flying too far, grimacing as he set his comrade down carefully. He turned to stare at the warped insect Digimon that used to be Wormmon, then back to the smirking abomination within the tube. A sudden thought flickered through his head and he looked up sharply to see Ken still collapsed on the crumbling walkway. “... _Ken-chan_!”

Ken didn’t respond, sitting limply on the walkway with a blank expression on his face. His eyes were still twin pools of black with gold pin pricks for his irises, unfocused and blank as he stared without seeing. His head sagged to the side, as if he were nothing more than a discarded rag doll.

FlaWizarmon grimaced before he released Witchmon, jumping on the base of the ruined stairs and leaping upwards over the coiled tail of the monstrous Digimon to land on the platform by Ken. He quickly grabbed the Chosen of Kindness, ignoring the insect Digimon as it turned to glare at him with its menacing eyes. The scarecrow Digimon jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding its snapping teeth, as he carried Ken to safely.

“Daisuke! Daisuke, what’s happening!?” V-mon asked anxiously, glancing between his partner, Hikari, and the massive Digimon that was destroying the stairwell right in front of them.

“I don’t… I don’t know!” Daisuke said, growing more than a little hysterical as he stared at the monster Wormmon had become. “I don’t know!”

FlaWizarmon hurried over to Witchmon, who stumbled to her feet. The two glanced back at the growling monster as it tried to pull itself up on the walkway, the abused structure cracking beneath it, before they turned to each other and nodded.

“Let’s go, Ken-chan,” Witchmon said as she drew up her cloak, not waiting for a response as Ken was in no condition to give one as he rested limply in FlaWizarmon’s arms.

FlaWizarmon turned to glance at Daisuke, his expression barely managing to mask the hostility. “You better get her outta here, too.”

“Wait, where do you-!?” Daisuke demanded as he stood up, glaring at FlaWizarmon - but mostly at Ken.

All signs of civility disappeared from FlaWizarmon’s face as he unleashed the full force of his fury on the Chosen of Tenacity. “For _once_ in your life, _shut your damn mouth and do what you’re told_!” He threw his arm in the direction of the warped Wormmon and the abomination. “Or you can stay here and _die_! It’s _your_ damn choice!”

Daisuke jerked back, startled by the outburst. “What-?”

Witchmon glanced back at Daisuke, her face a mask of ice as she flung her cape forward, allowing it to wrap around FlaWizarmon and Ken before coiling back around to engulf herself. A moment later, the three were gone, leaving him and his friends alone with the lumbering beast that suddenly focused its attention on him - and Hikari.

“Daisuke!” Tailmon snapped as she held Hikari up, who sagged against her partner much like Ken had against FlaWizarmon. “I can’t gate out!”

Daisuke hesitated before he let out a curse. He grabbed his Digivice and held it upward. “ _Digital Gate open_!”

A flash of light flooded the room just as the walkway finally collapsed under the burden placed upon it. As the gate sucked Hikari, Daisuke, and both Digimon away, the behemoth that had formerly been Wormmon dropped to the lower floor with a roar. Chunks of metal and stone fell around it, but it didn’t notice, as they bounced off its rigid skin harmlessly.

The insect Digimon rumbled deep in its throat as it flared its nostrils, eyes scanning the room to verify that its prey had escaped. After a moment, it slowly turned about to focus on the only other occupant of the room - the creature within the tube made in Chimeramon’s likeness.

The two abominations locked eyes, with Ken’s glowing Digivice still hovering between them against the container. Something unspoken seemed to pass between the two, as the insect Digimon that was once Wormmon suddenly lunged forward with a snarl, opening its jaws to bite into the glass tube - catching both glass and the Digivice in its gaping maw.

The glass shattered around the Digimon’s jaws, and green liquid flooded out like a burst dam. The Dark Ocean creature focused its eyes on the Digimon in front of it before it suddenly lurched forward, shoving its head directly into the insect Digimon’s mouth.

The Digimon bit down on the creature, which burst in to tendrils that writhed and squirmed about like arms on a jellyfish. The tendrils reached up to wrap around the insect Digimon’s face, before dissolving into his very flesh.

As the creature disappeared into the Digimon, the insect’s glowing gold eyes intensified before it lurched forward. Veins appeared across its armored hide as it began to increase in size, growing larger and larger still until it filled the entire room. Walls crumbled about it, unable to contain the monster as it continued to expand.

Within a matter of moments, the entire flying fortress had collapsed in on itself, crumbling as the insect Digimon emerged from within it as if it were hatching from an egg. Wobbling, the ruins of the structure plummeted downward, unable to support the ever-growing horror that had emerged from it. It slammed into the ground with a thunderous _boom_ , a massive crater forming around the impact sight.

But even that wasn’t enough to harm the beast. Emerging from the crater, the insect Digimon pulled itself up from the rubble before it threw its head back to let out a murderous scream - announcing its arrival and its intentions.

Hell had been unleashed on the Digital World.


End file.
